Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business

Level 3 Communications, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company" or "Level 3") is an international facilities-based provider (that is, a provider that owns or leases a substantial portion of the plant, property and equipment necessary to provide its services) of a broad range of integrated communications services. The Company created its communications network by constructing its own assets and through a combination of purchasing other companies and purchasing or leasing facilities from others. The Company designed its network to provide communications services that employ and take advantage of rapidly improving underlying optical, Internet Protocol, computing and storage technologies.

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Level 3 Communications, Inc. and subsidiaries in which it has a controlling interest. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP").

As part of its consolidation policy, the Company considers its controlled subsidiaries, investments in businesses in which the Company is not the primary beneficiary or does not have effective control but has the ability to significantly influence operating and financial policies, and variable interests resulting from economic arrangements that give the Company rights to economic risks or rewards of a legal entity. The Company does not have variable interests in a variable interest entity.

The accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2013, which was derived from audited Consolidated Financial Statements, and the unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2014 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and do not include all of the information and note disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. In the opinion of the Company’s management, these financial statements contain all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows at the dates and for the interim periods presented herein. The results of operations for an interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations expected for a full fiscal year.

The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions and such differences could be material.

Property, Plant and Equipment

In connection with its periodic review of the estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment, the Company may determine that the period it expects to use certain assets is longer than the remaining originally estimated useful lives. The Company completed its most recent evaluation in the first quarter 2014 and revised its estimated useful lives for: IP equipment from its historical estimate of four years to a revised estimate of seven years; racks and cabinets from its historical estimate of seven years to a revised estimate of 15 years; and facility equipment from its historical estimate of 10 years to its revised estimate of 15 years. In determining the change in estimated useful lives, the Company, with input from its engineering team, considered its historical usage patterns and retirements, estimates of technological obsolescence and expected usage and maintenance. The change in the estimated useful lives of the Company’s property, plant and equipment was accounted for as a change in accounting estimate on a prospective basis effective January 1, 2014 under the accounting standard related to changes in accounting estimates.

The carrying values of assets subject to these revisions were (in millions):



	January 1, 2014
IP Equipment	$	222
Racks and Cabinets	114
Facility Equipment	151
	$	487

The change in estimated useful lives of the Company’s property, plant and equipment resulted in less depreciation expense than would have otherwise been recorded and in the following increase in net income and net income per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 (in millions, except per share amounts):



Net Income	$	75
Basic Net Income per Share	$	0.32
Diluted Net Income per Share	$	0.31

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, which amends the definition of a discontinued operation and requires entities to provide additional disclosures about disposal transactions that do not meet the discontinued operations criteria. Under the new guidance, a discontinued operation is defined as a component or group of components that is disposed of or is classified as held for sale and represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results. The revised guidance will affect the way entities identify and disclose information about disposal transactions and is effective prospectively for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within those years. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. This ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those years. Early application is not permitted. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2014-09 will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures and has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on its ongoing financial reporting.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern, which explicitly requires management to assess an entity's ability to continue as a going concern, and to provide related footnote disclosures in certain circumstances. The new standard is effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Early application is permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

Disaggregation of Network Related Expenses; Change in Description of Cost of Revenue to Network Access Costs

Historically, the Company has included "network related expenses" including facility rent, utilities, maintenance and other costs, each related to the operation of Level 3's communications network, as well as salaries, wages and related benefits (including non-cash stock-based compensation expenses) associated with personnel who are responsible for the delivery of services as well as operation and maintenance of its communications network, and accretion expense on asset retirement obligations, but excluding depreciation and amortization, within the line item "Selling, General and Administrative Expenses" in its Consolidated Statement of Operations. Beginning with the third quarter 2014, these network related expenses will be reported under a separate line item, “Network Related Expenses,” in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations. Beginning with the third quarter 2014, “Selling General and Administrative Expenses” include the salaries, wages and related benefits (including non-cash, stock-based compensation expenses) and the related costs of corporate and sales personnel, travel, insurance, non-network related rent, advertising and other administrative expenses.

In addition, the Company has changed the description of “Cost of Revenue” in its Consolidated Statement of Operations to “Network Access Costs.” Network Access Costs include leased capacity costs, right-of-way costs, access charges, satellite transponder lease costs and other third party costs directly attributable to providing access to customer locations from the Level 3 network. Network Access Costs exclude Network Related Expenses, and depreciation and amortization. Network Access Costs do not include any employee expenses or impairment expenses; these expenses are allocated to Network Related Expenses or Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.

The changes outlined above do not affect the Company’s previously reported Consolidated Total Costs and Expenses, Operating Income, Net Loss or Loss per Share in the Consolidated Statement of Operations, or any items reported in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss, Cash Flows or Changes in Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit).

The following table reflects on an unaudited basis the change of the description of "Cost of Revenue" to "Network Access Costs" and the disaggregation of "Network Related Expenses" from "Selling, General and Administrative Expenses" for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, assuming the changes discussed above were in effect for the entire period reported below.



(dollars in millions)	As Previously Reported		Adjustment			Revised Reporting (1)

Three Months Ended September 30, 2013
Cost of Revenue	$	608	$	(608	)	$	—
Network Access Costs	—		608			608
Network Related Expenses	—		314			314
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses	606		(314		)	292
Total Costs and Expenses	1,417		—			1,417

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013
Cost of Revenue	$	1,853	$	(1,853	)	$	—
Network Access Costs	—		1,853			1,853
Network Related Expenses	—		916			916
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses	1,815		(916		)	899
Total Costs and Expenses	4,264		—			4,264

(1) The description of "Cost of Revenue" has been changed to "Network Access Costs" and the presentation of "Network Related Expenses" has been disaggregated from "Selling, General and Administrative Expenses" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013.

As a result of the above, the Company also revised the Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 in Note 11 — Condensed Consolidating Financial Information.