Segment Information

In January 2017, we implemented a new organization structure designed to further strengthen our ability to attain our operational, strategic and financial goals. Prior to this reorganization, we operated and reported as two segments, business and consumer. As a result of this reorganization, we changed the name of the predecessor business segment to "enterprise" segment. Additionally, we also reassigned our information technology, managed hosting, cloud hosting and hosting area network services from our business segment to a new non-reportable operating segment. We reported two segments, enterprise and consumer, from January 2017 through October 2017.

In connection with our acquisition of Level 3 (discussed further in Note 2—Acquisition of Level 3), effective November 1, 2017, we implemented a new organization structure and began managing our operations in two segments: business and consumer. Our consumer segment remains substantially unchanged under this reorganization, and our newly reorganized business segment includes the legacy CenturyLink enterprise segment operations and the legacy Level 3 operations. In addition, we reassigned our information technology, managed hosting, cloud hosting and hosting area network operations back into the business segment from the former non-reportable operating segment. At December 31, 2017, we had the following two segments:

•

Business Segment. This segment consists generally of providing products and services to small, medium and enterprise business, wholesale and government customers, including other communication providers. Our products and services offered to these customers include our local and long-distance voice, VPN data network, private line (including business data services), Ethernet, information technology, wavelength, broadband, colocation and data center services, managed services, professional and other services provided in connection with selling equipment, network security and various other ancillary services, all of which are described further under "Products and Services Categories"; and


•	Consumer Segment. This segment consists generally of providing products and services to residential customers. Our products and services offered to these customers include our broadband, local and long-distance voice, video and other ancillary services.

The following table summarizes our segment results for 2017, 2016 and 2015 based on the segment categorization we were operating under at December 31, 2017.



	Years Ended December 31,
	2017			2016		2015
	(Dollars in millions)
Total segment revenues	$	16,924		16,766		17,171
Total segment expenses	9,390			9,081		9,025
Total segment income	$	7,534		7,685		8,146
Total margin percentage	45		%	46	%	47	%
Business segment:
Revenues	$	11,220		10,704		10,977
Expenses	6,847			6,391		6,395
Income	$	4,373		4,313		4,582
Margin percentage	39		%	40	%	42	%
Consumer segment:
Revenues	$	5,704		6,062		6,194
Expenses	2,543			2,690		2,630
Income	$	3,161		3,372		3,564
Margin percentage	55		%	56	%	58	%

Product and Service Categories

We categorize our products, services and revenues among the following five categories:


•	IP and data services, which include primarily VPN data networks, Ethernet, IP, video (including our facilities-based video services and Vyvx broadcast services) and other ancillary services;


•	Transport and infrastructure, which include broadband, private line (including business data services), data center facilities and services, including cloud, hosting and application management solutions, wavelength, equipment sales and professional services, network security services and other ancillary services;


•	Voice and collaboration, which includes primarily local and long-distance voice, including wholesale voice, and other ancillary service;


•	IT and managed services, which include information technology services and managed services, which may be purchased in conjunction with our other network services;

•

Regulatory revenues, which consists of Universal Service Fund ("USF") and Connect America Fund ("CAF") support payments, USF surcharges and other operating revenues. We receive federal support payments from both federal and state USF programs and from the federal CAF program. The USF and CAF support payments are government subsidies designed to reimburse us for various costs related to certain telecommunications services. We generate other operating revenues from the leasing and subleasing of space in our office buildings, warehouses and other properties and from rental income associated with the failed-sale-leaseback. Because we centrally manage the activities that generate these regulatory revenues, these revenues are not included in our segment revenues.

Our operating revenues for our products and services are presented as follows for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2017		2016	2015
	(Dollars in millions)
Business segment
IP & Data Services (1)	$	3,595	2,851	2,704
Transport & Infrastructure (2)	3,680		3,929	4,157
Voice & Collaboration (3)	3,294		3,284	3,429
IT & Managed Services (4)	651		640	687
Total business segment revenues	11,220		10,704	10,977

Consumer segment
IP & Data Services (5)	448		506	468
Transport & Infrastructure (6)	2,871		2,897	2,829
Voice & Collaboration (3)	2,385		2,659	2,897
Total consumer segment revenues	5,704		6,062	6,194

Non-segment revenues
Regulatory revenues (7)	732		704	729
Total non-segment revenues	732		704	729

Total revenues	$	17,656	17,470	17,900

______________________________________________________________________



(1)	Includes primarily VPN data network, Ethernet, IP and ancillary revenues.
(2)	Includes primarily broadband, private line (including business data services), colocation and data centers, wavelength and ancillary revenues.
(3)	Includes local, long-distance and other ancillary revenues.
(4)	Includes IT services and managed services revenues.
(5)	Includes retail video revenues (including our facilities-based video revenues).
(6)	Includes primarily broadband and equipment sales and professional services revenues.
(7)	Includes CAF Phase I, CAF Phase 2, federal and state USF support revenue, sublease rental income and failed-sale leaseback income.

We recognize revenues in our consolidated statements of operations for certain USF surcharges and transaction taxes that we bill to our customers. Our consolidated statements of operations also reflect the offsetting expense for the amounts we remit to the government agencies. The total amount of such surcharges and transaction taxes that we included in revenues aggregated to $601 million, $572 million and $544 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. These USF surcharges, where we record revenue, and transaction taxes are assigned to the products and services categories of each segments based on the underlying revenues. We also act as a collection agent for certain other USF and transaction taxes that we are required by government agencies to bill our customers, for which we do not record any revenue or expense because we only act as a pass-through agent.

Allocations of Revenues and Expenses

Our segment revenues include all revenues from our IP and data services, transport and infrastructure services, voice and collaboration, colocation and security services and IT and managed services as described in more detail above. Our segment revenues are based upon each customer's classification. We report our segment revenues based upon all services provided to that segment's customers. Our segment expenses include specific expenses incurred as a direct result of providing services and products to segment customers, along with selling, general and administrative expenses that are (i) directly associated with specific segment customers or activities, and (ii) allocated expenses which include network expenses, facilities expenses and other expenses such as fleet and real estate expenses. We do not assign depreciation and amortization expense or impairments to our segments, as the related assets and capital expenditures are centrally managed and are not monitored by or reported to the chief operating decision maker ("CODM") by segment. Generally speaking, severance expenses, restructuring expenses and certain centrally managed administrative functions (such as finance, information technology, legal and human resources) are not assigned to our segments. Interest expense is also excluded from segment results because we manage our financing on a consolidated basis and have not allocated assets or debt to specific segments. Other income and expense items are not monitored as a part of our segment operations and are therefore excluded from our segment results.

The following table reconciles segment income to net income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2017			2016		2015
	(Dollars in millions)
Total segment income	$	7,534		7,685		8,146
Regulatory revenues	732			704		729
Depreciation and amortization	(3,936		)	(3,916	)	(4,189	)
Non-segment expenses	(2,321		)	(2,140	)	(2,107	)
Other expenses, net	(1,469		)	(1,313	)	(1,263	)
Income before income tax expense	540			1,020		1,316
Income tax benefit (expense)	849			(394	)	(438	)
Net income	$	1,389		626		878

We do not have any single customer that provides more than 10% of our consolidated total operating revenues. Approximately 2% of our consolidated total operating revenues come from customers located outside of the U.S. Approximately 10% of our consolidated total assets and approximately 10% of our consolidated long-lived assets are located outside of the U.S.