(3) ASC 606 Adoption and Revenue Recognition:

Frontier applied ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method – i.e., by recognizing the cumulative effect of initially applying ASC 606 as an adjustment to the opening balance of equity at January 1, 2018. The historical periods have not been adjusted and continue to be reported under ASC 605 “Revenue Recognition.”

The following table includes information for the transition adjustment recorded as of January 1, 2018 to record the cumulative impact of adoption of ASC 606 for prior periods.



	As Reported		ASC 606		Adjusted
($ in millions)	December 31, 2017		Transition Adjustment		January 1, 2018
Assets
Accounts receivable, net	$	819	$	(32)	$	787
Contract acquisition costs	$	-	$	87	$	87
Other current assets	$	64	$	4	$	68
Property, plant and equipment, net	$	14,377	$	15	$	14,392
Other assets	$	97	$	127	$	224

Liabilities and Equity
Other current liabilities	$	330	$	5	$	335
Other liabilities	$	317	$	(9)	$	308
Deferred income taxes	$	1,139	$	51	$	1,190
Accumulated deficit	$	(2,263)	$	154	$	(2,109)

The details of the significant changes are set out below.

Bundled Service and Allocation of Discounts

When customers purchase more than one service, the revenue allocable to each service under ASC 606 is determined based upon the relative stand-alone selling price of each service received. While this change results in different allocations to each of the services, it does not change total customer revenue. We frequently offer service discounts as an incentive to customers. Service discounts reduce the total transaction price allocated to the performance obligations that are satisfied over the term of the customer contract. We may also offer incentives which are considered cash equivalents (e.g. Visa gift cards) that similarly result in a reduction of the total transaction price as well as lower revenue over the term of the contract. A contract asset is often created during the beginning of the contract term when the term of the discount is shorter than the contract term. These contract assets are realized over the term of the contract as our performance obligations are satisfied and customer consideration is received.

Customer Incentives

In the process of acquiring and/or retaining customers, we may issue a variety of incentives aside from service discounts or cash equivalent incentives. Those incentives that have stand-alone value (e.g. gift cards not considered cash equivalents or free goods/services) are considered a separate performance obligation under ASC 606. As a result, while these incentives are free to the customer, a portion of the consideration received from the customer over the contract term is ascribed to them based upon their relative stand-alone selling price. The revenue, reflected in “Other revenue” and costs, reflected in “Network access expense”, for these incentives are recognized when they are delivered to the customer and the performance obligation is satisfied. Similar to discounts, these types of incentives generally result in the creation of a contract asset during the beginning of the contract term. As part of the above transition adjustment, $40 million and $37 million of Short-term and Long-term contract assets were recorded, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, we have included $44 million of Short-term contract assets in Other current assets and $25 million of Long-term contract assets in Other assets on our consolidated balance sheet.

Upfront Fees

All non-refundable upfront fees provide our customers with a material right to renew and therefore must be deferred and amortized into revenue over the expected period for which related services are provided. With upfront fees assessed at the beginning of a contract, a contract liability is often created, which is reduced over the term of the contract as the performance obligations are satisfied. As part of the transition adjustment above, $12 million and $9 million of Short-term and Long-term contract liabilities were recorded, respectively, for carrier upfront fees. As of December 31, 2018, we have included $12 million of Short-term contract liabilities in Other current liabilities and $9 million of Long-term contract liabilities in Other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet related to carrier upfront fees.

Contract Acquisition Costs

Under ASC 606, certain costs to acquire customers must be deferred and amortized over the related contract period or expected customer life (average of 3.8 years). For Frontier, this includes certain commissions paid to acquire new customers. Beginning January 1, 2018, commissions attributable to new customer contracts are being deferred and amortized into expense. Historically these acquisition costs were expensed as incurred. Frontier expects that the incremental commissions paid as a result of acquiring customers are recoverable and therefore, as part of the transition adjustment above, short-term acquisition costs of $87 million and long-term contract acquisition costs of $117 million were deferred. For the year ended December 31, 2018, Frontier deferred $138 million of costs and amortized deferred costs of $108 million to Selling, general and administrative expense. As of December 31, 2018, we have recorded short-term contract acquisition costs of $107 million and included $127 million of long-term contract acquisition costs in Other assets on our consolidated balance sheet.

Reserves and Disputes

For carrier disputes, Frontier previously recorded a reserve as a reduction of commercial revenue on a case by case basis once the carrier claim was validated by Frontier. Under ASC 606, credits issued for disputes are variable consideration and an estimate for the credits to be issued is now being recorded at the time of customer billing and the related contract liability is reflected in our Allowance for doubtful accounts (see Note 5). During 2018, there were $12 million in additional reserves recorded under the requirements of ASC 606 that would not have been recorded under the requirements of ASC 605.

Switched Access

Under ASC 606, switched access revenue, which has been historically reflected in Other regulatory revenue, is considered revenue from a customer; therefore, will be reflected in commercial customer revenue on a prospective basis.

Contributions in Aid of Construction (CIAC)

It is customary for us to charge customers for certain construction activities requested by them. Historically, these amounts were reflected as offsets to the costs of construction and were recorded net in property, plant and equipment accounts. Under ASC 606, certain CIAC amounts will now be recognized as other customer revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2018, we recognized $41 million in Revenue for performance obligations that were satisfied during the period.

USF Fees

Universal Service Fund Fees assessed to our customers were previously reflected in regulatory revenue. Under ASC 606, these amounts are being included in contract value and allocated to the services which have been delivered based on relative stand-alone selling price of each service.

The following table summarizes the impacts of adopting ASC 606 on Frontier’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018.



	December 31, 2018
			Impact of		Amounts Excluding
($ in millions)	As Reported		Adoption of ASC 606		Adoption of ASC 606
Assets
Accounts receivable, net	$	723	$	44	$	767
Contract acquisition costs	$	107	$	(107)	$	-
Prepaid expenses	$	86	$	3	$	89
Other current assets	$	60	$	(4)	$	56
Property, plant and equipment, net	$	14,187	$	(56)	$	14,131
Other assets	$	265	$	(117)	$	148

Liabilities and Equity
Other current liabilities	$	303	$	(6)	$	297
Other liabilities	$	281	$	10	$	291
Deferred income taxes	$	1,109	$	(57)	$	1,052
Accumulated deficit	$	(2,752)	$	(184)	$	(2,936)

The following tables summarize the impacts of adopting ASC 606 on Frontier’s statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018.



	For the year ended December 31, 2018
			Impact of		Amounts Excluding
	As Reported		Adoption of ASC 606		Adoption of ASC 606
($ in millions)
Revenue	$	8,611	$	(15)	$	8,596

Operating expenses:
Network access expenses		1,441		(3)		1,438
Network related expenses		1,898		-		1,898
Selling, general and administrative expenses		1,815		19		1,834
Other operating expenses		2,630		(1)		2,629
Total operating expenses		7,784		15		7,799

Operating income (loss)	$	827	$	(30)	$	797

The impact of adoption of ASC 606 on net loss, basic and diluted net loss per share, consolidated statement of comprehensive loss, and the consolidated statement of cash flows were not material for the year ended December 31, 2018.

We categorize our products, services and other revenues into the following categories:

Data and Internet services include broadband services for residential and business customers. We provide data transmission services to high volume business customers and other carriers with dedicated high capacity circuits (“nonswitched access”) including services to wireless providers (“wireless backhaul”);

Voice services include traditional local and long-distance wireline services, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, as well as a number of unified messaging services offered to our residential and business customers. Voice services also include the long-distance voice origination and termination services that we provide to our business customers and other carriers;

Video services include revenues generated from services provided directly to residential customers through the FiOS® and Vantage video brands, and through DISH® satellite TV services;

Other customer revenue includes switched access revenue, sales of customer premise equipment to our business customers, rents collected for collocation services, and revenue from other services and fees. Switched access revenue includes revenues derived from allowing other carriers to use our network to originate and/or terminate their local and long-distance voice traffic (“switched access”). These services are primarily billed on a minutes-of-use basis applying tariffed rates filed with the FCC or state agencies; and

Subsidy and other regulatory revenue includes revenues generated from cost subsidies from state and federal authorities, including the Connect America Fund Phase II.

The following tables provide a summary of revenues, by category. Because of limited comparability for historical periods, we have reflected the current period under both an ASC 606 basis as well as the historical ASC 605 basis.



	For the year ended December 31,
	2018
					Amounts
			Impact of		Excluding
			Adoption of		Adoption of
($ in millions)	As Reported		ASC 606		ASC 606		2017			2016
Data and Internet services	$	3,878	$	(103)	$	3,775	$	3,862	(1)	$	3,693	(1)
Voice services		2,721		(152)		2,569		2,864			2,886
Video services		1,085		99		1,184		1,304			1,244
Other		544		(193)		351		322			276
Revenue from contracts
with customers		8,228		(349)		7,879		8,352	(1)		8,099	(1)
Subsidy and other regulatory revenue		383		334		717		776			797
Total revenue	$	8,611	$	(15)	$	8,596	$	9,128	(1)	$	8,896	(1)

	For the year ended December 31,
	2018
					Amounts
			Impact of		Excluding
			Adoption of		Adoption of
($ in millions)	As Reported		ASC 606		ASC 606		2017			2016
Consumer	$	4,380	$	(116)	$	4,264	$	4,476		$	4,383
Commercial		3,848		(233)		3,615		3,876	(1)		3,716	(1)
Revenue from contracts
with customers		8,228		(349)		7,879		8,352	(1)		8,099	(1)
Subsidy and other regulatory revenue		383		334		717		776			797
Total revenue	$	8,611	$	(15)	$	8,596	$	9,128	(1)	$	8,896	(1)

⁽¹⁾

Includes revenue from Frontier Secure Strategic Partnerships business, which was sold in May of 2017, of $40 million and $84 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Frontier satisfies its obligations to customers by transferring goods and services in exchange for consideration received from the customer. The timing of Frontier’s satisfaction of the performance obligation often differs from the timing of the customer’s payment, which results in the recognition of a contract asset or a contract liability. Frontier recognizes a contract asset or liability when the Company transfers goods or services to a customer and bills an amount which differs from the revenue allocated to the related performance obligations.

The opening and closing balances of Frontier’s contract asset and contract liability balances for the year ended December 31, 2018 are as follows:



	Contract			Contract
($ in millions)	Assets			Liabilities

Balance January 1, 2018	$	77	(1)	$	(60)	(3)
Revenue recognized included
in opening contract balance		(57)			119
Cash received, excluding amounts
recognized as revenue		-			(135)
Credits granted, excluding amounts
recognized as revenue		49			-
Other		-			5
Balance December 31, 2018	$	69	(2)	$	(71)	(4)

(1) Includes $40 million in other current assets and $37 million in other assets.

(2) Includes $44 million in other current assets and $25 million in other assets.

(3) Includes $41 million in other current liabilities and $19 million in other liabilities.

(4) Includes $49 million in other current liabilities and $22 million in other liabilities.

Short-term contract assets, Long-term contract assets, Short-term contract liabilities, and Long-term contract liabilities are included in other current assets, other assets, other current liabilities, and other liabilities, respectively, on our consolidated balance sheet.

The following table includes estimated revenue expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) at the end of the reporting period.



	Revenue from remaining
($ in millions)	performance obligations

2019	$	2,893
2020		1,209
2021		487
2022		259
2023		141
Thereafter		184
Total	$	5,173