| **Industry Segments Data**                                                   | 9 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          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| **Condensed Notes to Interim Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             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| Segment Reporting Disclosure Text Block                                      | (7)       Industry Segments Data

Our reportable segments are business units that offer different products and are each managed separately. 

 

A description of our reportable segments follows:

 

Consumer - We offer a full range of voice, video, data and wireless services to residential customers. 

 

Network Access - We offer a full range of voice, data and wireless services to common carrier customers.

 

Commercial - We offer a full range of voice, video, data and wireless services to small businesses, local, national and global businesses, governmental entities and public and private educational institutions.

 

Managed Broadband - We offer data services to rural school districts, hospitals and health clinics through our SchoolAccess® and ConnectMD® initiatives and managed video conferencing.

 

Regulated Operations - We offer voice and data services to residential, business, and governmental customers in areas of rural Alaska.

       

Corporate related expenses including engineering, information technology, accounting, legal and regulatory, human resources, and other general and administrative expenses for the three and nine months endedSeptember 30,2011 and 2010 are allocated to our segments using segment margin for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.  Bad debt expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 is allocated to our segments using a combination of specific identification and allocations based upon segment revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  Corporate related expenses and bad debt expense are specifically identified for our Regulated Operations segment, and therefore are not included in the allocations.

 

We evaluate performance and allocate resources based on earnings before depreciation and amortization expense, net interest expense, income taxes, share-based compensation expense, accretion expense and non-cash contribution adjustment (“Adjusted EBITDA”). Management believes that this measure is useful to investors and other users of our financial information in evaluating operating profitability as an analytical indicator of income generated to service debt and fund capital expenditures.  In addition, multiples of current or projected EBITDA are used to estimate current or prospective enterprise value.The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies in note 1 in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II of our December 31, 2010 annual report on Form 10-K. Intersegment sales are recorded at cost plus an agreed upon intercompany profit.

 

We earn all revenues through sales of services and products within the United States. All of our long-lived assets are located within the United States of America, except approximately 82% of our undersea fiber optic cable systems which transit international waters and all of our satellite transponders.

 

Summarized financial information for our reportable segments for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 follows (amounts in thousands):

 
 Three months ended September 30, Consumer Network Access Commercial Managed Broadband Regulated Operations Total Reportable Segments 2011             Revenues:              Intersegment$ -  -  1,382  -  4  1,386  External  89,267  29,467  35,572  17,407  5,990  177,703   Total revenues$ 89,267  29,467  36,954  17,407  5,994  179,089 Adjusted EBITDA$ 30,373  13,729  9,117  8,844  1,038  63,101                 2010             Revenues:              Intersegment$ -  (1)  1,386  -  44  1,429  External  88,713  28,204  35,449  13,548  5,595  171,509   Total revenues$ 88,713  28,203  36,835  13,548  5,639  172,938 Adjusted EBITDA$ 31,212  15,028  9,125  5,826  1,550  62,741 Nine months ended September 30, Consumer Network Access Commercial Managed Broadband Regulated Operations Total Reportable Segments 2011             Revenues:              Intersegment$ -  -  4,207  -  117  4,324  External  266,238  79,715  101,617  46,041  16,958  510,569   Total revenues$ 266,238  79,715  105,824  46,041  17,075  514,893 Adjusted EBITDA$ 87,024  37,953  23,180  20,264  2,959  171,380                 2010             Revenues:              Intersegment$ -  -  4,042  -  132  4,174  External  256,230  81,499  95,243  36,020  17,262  486,254   Total revenues$ 256,230  81,499  99,285  36,020  17,394  490,428 Adjusted EBITDA$ 88,420  40,206  23,526  13,888  5,110  171,150
A reconciliation of reportable segment revenues to consolidated revenues follows (amounts in thousands): 

 
    Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended    September 30, September 30,    20112010 20112010 Reportable segment revenues$ 179,089 172,938  514,893 490,428 Less intersegment revenues eliminated in  consolidation  1,386 1,429  4,324 4,174  Consolidated revenues$ 177,703 171,509  510,569 486,254
A reconciliation of reportable segment Adjusted EBITDA to consolidated income before income taxes follows (amounts in thousands):

 
    Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended    September 30, September 30,    20112010 20112010 Reportable segment Adjusted EBITDA$ 63,101 62,741  171,380 171,150 Less depreciation and amortization  expense  (30,702) (30,288)  (93,054) (92,234) Less share-based compensation expense  (384) (2,250)  (3,224) (4,696) Plus other expense  59 -  92 160 Less accretion expense  (190) -  (456) -  Consolidated operating income  31,884 30,203  74,738 74,380 Less other expense, net  (16,715) (17,661)  (60,597) (52,933)  Consolidated income before  income tax expense$ 15,169 12,542  14,141 21,447 |

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| - Definition
This element may be used to capture the complete disclosure of reporting segments including data and tables. Reportable segments include those that meet any of the following quantitative thresholds a) it's reported revenue, including sales to external customers and intersegment sales or transfers is 10% or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating segments b) the absolute amount of its reported profit or loss is 10 percent or more of the greater, in absolute amount of 1) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or 2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a loss c) its assets are 10 percent or more of the combined assets of all operating segments.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 131
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