| **Segments**            | 3 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
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| **Segments [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Segments [Text Block]   | (6)       Segments

 

Effective January 1, 2013, we refocused our business and now have two reportable segments, Wireless and Wireline.  The Wireless segment's revenue is derived from wholesale wireless services.  The Wireline segment's revenue includes all of our other revenue, specifically a full range of retail wireless, data, video and voice services to residential, local, national and global businesses, governmental entities and public and private educational institutions; wholesale data and voice services to other common carrier customers; Internet, data network and managed services to rural schools and health organizations and regulated voice services to residential and commercial customers in 61 rural communities primarily in Southwest Alaska.  This change reflects our plan to strategically focus on our wireless network and is how our chief operating decision maker now measures performance and makes resource allocation decisions.  Prior to 2013 we had operated our business under five reportable segments – Consumer, Network Access, Commercial, Managed Broadband and Regulated Operations.  The historical segment data has been reclassified to conform to the revised reportable segments.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012,are allocated to our segments using specific identification and is allocated to our Wireless segment based upon a shared services agreement.

 

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, loss attributable to non-controlling interests, 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 earnings before depreciation and amortization, net interest expense, and income taxes (“EBITDA”) are used to estimate current or prospective enterprise value.  The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in Note 1, “Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” of this Form 10-Q.  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 months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012 follows (amounts in thousands):
                   WirelessWirelineTotal Reportable Segments 2013     Revenues:      Intersegment$ - 1,418 1,418  External  33,837 152,379 186,216   Total revenues  33,837 153,797 187,634 Adjusted EBITDA$ 15,189 43,460 58,649         2012     Revenues:      Intersegment$ - 2,031 2,031  External  29,444 142,463 171,907   Total revenues  29,444 144,494 173,938 Adjusted EBITDA$ 13,073 41,756 54,829
A reconciliation of reportable segment revenues to consolidated revenues follows (amounts in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31, 20132012 Reportable segment revenues$ 187,634 173,938 Less intersegment revenues eliminated in   consolidation  1,418 2,031  Consolidated revenues$ 186,216 171,907
A reconciliation of reportable segment Adjusted EBITDA to consolidated income before income taxes follows (amounts in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31, 20132012 Reportable segment Adjusted EBITDA$ 58,649 54,829 Less depreciation and amortization  expense  (33,999) (32,380) Less share-based compensation  expense  (1,259) (1,730) Less non-cash contribution expense  - (800) Less net loss attributable to  non-controlling interests  (200) (177) Plus net loss (income) attributable to  equity investment  (4) 131 Less accretion expense  (127) (188)  Consolidated operating income  23,060 19,685 Less other expense  (16,904) (17,284)  Consolidated income before  income tax expense$ 6,156 2,401 |

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| - Definition
The entire disclosure for 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 percent 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
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