COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Under various lease and rental agreements for offices, warehouses and computer terminals, we had rental expense of $4.0 million, $5.0 million and $4.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Future minimum annual rental payments as of December 31, 2015 are as follows (dollars in thousands):

January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016	$	2,182
January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017		1,677
January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018		1,231
January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019		785
January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020		392
Thereafter		697
Total	$	6,964

In addition, we rent utility poles in our operations generally under short-term arrangements, but we expect these arrangements to recur. Total rental expense for utility poles was $4.3 million, $4.2 million and $4.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Letters of Credit

As of December 31, 2015, $10.4 million of letters of credit were issued to various parties to secure our performance relating to insurance and franchise requirements. The fair value of such letters of credit was approximately book value.

Legal Proceedings

We are involved in various legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, cash flows or business.