Retirement Plans

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2016

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Retirement Plans

12. RETIREMENT PLANS

Multi-employer Defined Benefit Plan

Pension benefits for substantially all of the Company’s Alaska-based employees are provided through the Alaska Electrical Pension Fund (“AEPF”). The Company pays a contractual hourly amount based on employee classification or base compensation to the AEPF. As a multi-employer defined benefit plan, the accumulated benefits and plan assets are not determined for, or allocated separately to, the individual employer. This plan was not in endangered or critical status during the plan year.

Defined Benefit Plan

The Company has a separate defined benefit plan that covers certain employees previously employed by Century Telephone Enterprise, Inc. (“CenturyTel Plan”). This plan was transferred to the Company in connection with the acquisition of CenturyTel, Inc.’s Alaska properties, whereby assets and liabilities of the CenturyTel Plan were transferred to the ACS Retirement Plan on September 1, 1999. As of June 30, 2016, this plan is not fully funded under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

The following table presents the net periodic pension expense for the ACS Retirement Plan for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015:

	Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
	June 30,						June 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
Interest cost	$	168		$	165		$	335		$	331
Expected return on plan assets		(181	)		(186	)		(362	)		(373	)
Amortization of loss		230			294			461			588
Net periodic pension expense	$	217		$	273		$	434		$	546