Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements include the accounts of GCI, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. They should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012, filed with the SEC on March 8, 2013, as part of our annual report on Form 10-K. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for an entire year or any other period.

(1)Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Principles

In the following discussion, GCI, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries are referred to as “we,” “us” and “our.”

Basis of Presentation

We were incorporated in Alaska in 1997 to affect the issuance of Senior Notes. As a wholly owned subsidiary of General Communication, Inc. (“GCI”), we received through our initial capitalization all ownership interests in subsidiaries previously held by GCI. The GCI and GCI, Inc. interim consolidated financial statements include substantially the same account activity.

(a)Business

We offer the following services primarily in Alaska:

• Postpaid and prepaid wireless telephone services and sale of wireless telephone handsets and accessories,
• Video services,
• Internet access services,
• Wireless roaming for certain wireless carriers and origination and termination of wireline traffic for certain common carriers,
• Local and long-distance voice services,
• Data network services,
• Broadband services, including our SchoolAccess® offering to rural school districts,our ConnectMD® offering to rural hospitals and health clinics, and managed video conferencing,
• Managed services to certain commercial customers,
• Sales and service of dedicated communications systems and related equipment, and
• Lease, service arrangements and maintenance of capacity on our fiber optic cable systems used in the transmission of services within Alaska and between Alaska and the remaining United States and foreign countries.

(b)Principles of Consolidation

Our consolidated financial statements include the consolidated accounts of GCI, Inc. and its whollyowned subsidiaries, as well as four variable interest entities (“VIEs”) for which we are the primary beneficiary after providing certain loans and guarantees. These VIEs are Terra GCI Investment Fund, LLC (“TIF”), Terra GCI 2 Investment Fund, LLC (“TIF2”), Terra GCI 2-USB Investment Fund, LLC (“TIF2-USB”) and Terra GCI 3 Investment Fund, LLC (“TIF3”). TIF became a VIE on August 30, 2011. TIF 2 and TIF 2-USB became VIEs on October 3, 2012. TIF 3 became a VIE on December 11, 2012.  We also include in our consolidated financial statements non-controlling interests in consolidated subsidiaries for which our ownership is less than 100 percent.  All significant intercompany transactions between non-regulated affiliates of our company are eliminated.   Intercompany transactions generated between regulated and non-regulated affiliates of our company are not eliminated in consolidation.

(c)Non-controlling Interests

Non-controlling interests represent the equity ownership interests in consolidated subsidiaries not owned by us.  Non-controlling interestsare adjusted for contributions, distributions, and loss attributable to the non-controlling interest partners of the consolidated entities.  Income and loss is allocated to the non-controlling interests based on the respective governing documents.

(d)Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2012-02, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment” allows an entity to assess qualitative factors (such as changes in management, key personnel, strategy, key technology or customers) to determine if it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired and thus whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative impairment test in accordance with GAAP.  The adoption of ASU 2012-02 on January 1, 2013 did not have a material impact on our income statements, financial position or cash flows.

ASU 2012-04, “Technical Corrections and Improvements” includes amendments that cover a wide range of topics in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”). These amendments include technical corrections and improvements to the ASC and conforming amendments related to fair value measurements. The adoption of ASU 2012-04 on January 1, 2013 did not have a material impact on our income statements, financial position or cash flows.

(e)Regulatory Accounting

We account for our regulated operations in accordance with the accounting principles for regulated enterprises. This accounting recognizes the economic effects of rate regulation by recording cost and a return on investment as such amounts are recovered through rates authorized by regulatory authorities. Accordingly, plant and equipment is depreciated over lives approved by regulators and certain costs and obligations are deferred based upon approvals received from regulators to permit recovery of such amounts in future years. Our cost studies and depreciation rates for our regulated operations are subject to periodic audits that could result in a change to recorded revenues.

(f)Earnings per Share

       We are a wholly owned subsidiary of GCI and, accordingly, are not required to present earnings per share. Our common stock is not publicly traded.

(g)Revenue Recognition

We recorded high cost support revenue under the Universal Service Fund (“USF”) program of $10.5 million and $10.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and $21.1 million for each of the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012. At June 30, 2013, we have $33.7 million in high cost accounts receivable.

(h)Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include the allowance for doubtful receivables, unbilled revenues, accrual of the USF high cost remote area program support, share-based compensation, inventory at lower of cost or market, reserve for future customer credits, liability for incurred but not reported medical insurance claims, valuation allowances for deferred income tax assets, depreciable and amortizable lives of assets, the carrying value of long-lived assets including goodwill, cable certificates and wireless licenses, our effective tax rate, purchase price allocations, deferred lease expense, asset retirement obligations, the accrual of cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation and amortization expense) (“Cost of Goods Sold”), depreciation and the accrual of contingencies and litigation. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

• Income Taxes

GCI, Inc., as a wholly owned subsidiary and member of the GCI controlled group of corporations, files its income tax returns as part of the consolidated group of corporations under GCI. Accordingly, all discussions regarding income taxes reflect the consolidated group's activity. Our income tax expense and deferred income tax assets and liabilities are presented herein using the separate-entity method.

(j)Classification of Taxes Collected from Customers

We report sales, use, excise, and value added taxes assessed by a governmental authority that is directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction between us and a customer on a net basis in our Consolidated Income Statements.The following are certain surcharges reported on a gross basis in our Consolidated Income Statements (amounts in thousands):

		Three Months Ended June 30,		Six Months Ended June 30,
		2013	2012	2013	2012
Surcharges reported gross	$	1,205	1,399	2,432	2,880