Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Non-Financial Assets (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Non-Financial Assets

Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Non-Financial Assets

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The authoritative guidance for fair value measurements defines fair value for accounting purposes, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and provides disclosure requirements regarding fair value measurements. The guidance defines fair value as an exit price, which is the price that would be received upon the sale of an asset or paid upon the transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The degree of judgment utilized in measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities generally correlates to the level of pricing observability. Assets and liabilities with readily available, actively quoted prices or for which fair value can be measured from actively quoted prices in active markets generally have more pricing observability and require less judgment in measuring fair value. Conversely, assets and liabilities that are rarely traded or not quoted have less pricing observability and are generally measured at fair value using valuation models that require more judgment. These valuation techniques involve some level of management estimation and judgment, the degree of which is dependent on the price transparency of the asset, liability or market and the nature of the asset or liability.

The Company has categorized its assets and liabilities measured at fair value into a three-level hierarchy in accordance with the authoritative guidance for fair value measurements. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities are generally categorized as Level 1; assets and liabilities measured at fair value using observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data for similar assets or liabilities are generally categorized as Level 2; and assets and liabilities measured at fair value using unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by market data are generally categorized as Level 3. Assets and liabilities presented at fair value in the Company's consolidated balance sheets are generally categorized as follows:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. The Company did not have any Level 1 assets or liabilities as of December 31, 2012 or December 31, 2011.

Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. The Company's Level 2 assets as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 included its cash equivalents, its short-term investments in obligations of the U.S. government and government agencies and its short-term investments in commercial paper.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Such assets and liabilities may have values determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques, and include instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation. The Company did not have any Level 3 assets or liabilities as of December 31, 2012 or December 31, 2011, other than the non-financial assets measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis discussed below.

The following tables set forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company's assets and liabilities that were recorded at fair value as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 (in thousands). As required by the guidance for fair value measurements, financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Thus, assets and liabilities categorized as Level 3 may be measured at fair value using inputs that are observable (Levels 1 and 2) and unobservable (Level 3). Management's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment, which may affect the valuation of assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels.

	At Fair Value as of December 31, 2012
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets:
Money market funds	$	—	$	126,617	$	—	$	126,617
Commercial paper	—		82,346		—		82,346
U.S. government or government agency securities	—		135,861		—		135,861
Total	$	—	$	344,824	$	—	$	344,824

	At Fair Value as of December 31, 2011
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets:
Money market funds	$	—	$	224,383	$	—	$	224,383
Commercial paper	—		165,202		—		165,202
U.S. government or government agency securities	—		293,610		—		293,610
Total	$	—	$	683,195	$	—	$	683,195

Assets in the tables above are reported on the consolidated balance sheets as components of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, other current assets and other assets.

Unrealized gains (losses) are presented in accumulated other comprehensive loss within stockholders' equity in the consolidated balance sheets. Realized gains (losses) are presented in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

As of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, all of the Company's short-term investments were debt securities with contractual maturities of less than one year and were classified as available-for-sale. The fair value of the Company's cash equivalents, short-term investments in obligations of the U.S. government and government agencies and its short-term investments in commercial paper is determined using observable market-based inputs for similar assets, which primarily include yield curves and time-to-maturity factors. Such investments are therefore considered to be Level 2 items.

Available-for-sale securities were comprised as follows as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 (in thousands):

	As of December 31, 2012
	Cost		Fair Value
Money market funds	$	126,617	$	126,617
Commercial paper	82,345		82,346
U.S. government or government agency securities	135,848		135,861
	$	344,810	$	344,824

	As of December 31, 2011
	Cost		Fair Value
Money market funds	$	224,383	$	224,383
Commercial paper	165,201		165,202
U.S. government or government agency securities	293,626		293,610
	$	683,210	$	683,195

Long-Term Debt

The Company reports its long-term debt obligations at amortized cost; however, for disclosure purposes, the Company is required to measure the fair value of outstanding debt on a recurring basis. The fair value of the Company's outstanding long-term debt is determined primarily by using quoted prices in active markets and was $3,421.5 million and $3,073.6 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Company's debt was considered to be a Level 1 item for disclosure purposes.

Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis

As of December 31, 2012, non-financial assets with carrying value of $13.6 million accumulated in construction-in-progress had been reduced to a fair value of zero, resulting in an impairment charge of $13.6 million. There were no other non-financial assets that were measured and recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis. As of December 31, 2011, non-financial assets that were measured and recorded at fair value on a nonrecurring basis consisted of non-operating wireless licenses in the amount of $9.1 million, the carrying value of which had been reduced to fair value during the year ended December 31, 2011, resulting in an impairment charge of $0.4 million. As discussed in Note 5, the Company recorded charges for the impairment of certain non-operating wireless licenses as of result of its 2011 annual impairment test. The fair value of the wireless licenses was determined using Level 3 inputs and the valuation techniques discussed therein.