| **Industry Segments Data**       | 12 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     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| **Segment Reporting [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     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| Industry Segments Data           | Industry Segments DataWe 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 customers, businesses, governmental entities and educational institutions; wholesale data and voice services to 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 rural communities primarily in Southwest Alaska.  Wireless plan fee and usage revenues from external customers are allocated between our Wireless and Wireline segments.  The Wireless segment recorded subsidies to the Wireline segment related to wireless equipment sales based upon equipment sales and agreed-upon subsidy rates through the AWN transaction close on July 23, 2013. Subsequent to the transaction close and through March 31, 2014, although permitted, the Wireline segment was unable to meet the requirements in order to request a wireless equipment subsidy from the Wireless segment in accordance with the AWN agreements.  These subsidies, which eliminate in consolidation, increase the Wireline segment earnings before depreciation and amortization expense, net interest expense, income taxes, share-based compensation expense, accretion expense, income or loss attributable to non-controlling interest and non-cash contribution adjustment (“Adjusted EBITDA”) and reduce the Wireless segment Adjusted EBITDA.  The wireless equipment subsidy recorded by the Wireless segment was $17.3 million,  $12.2 million, and $23.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. Selling, general and administrative expenses are charged to the Wireless segment based upon a shared services agreement.  The remaining selling, general and administrative expenses are charged to the Wireline segment.  Intercompany transactions have been pushed down to the segment level.We evaluate performance and allocate resources based on 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-K.  We have no intersegment sales.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 years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 follows (amounts in thousands): Wireless Wireline Total Reportable Segments2014     Revenues     Wholesale$269,977 — 269,977Consumer— 288,014 288,014Business Services— 225,963 225,963Managed Broadband— 126,244 126,244Total269,977 640,221 910,198      Cost of Goods Sold90,920 211,784 302,704Contribution 179,057 428,437 607,494Less SG&A21,631 272,016 293,647Plus share-based compensation expense— 8,392 8,392Plus accretion expense733 516 1,249Other— (372) (372)Adjusted EBITDA$158,159 164,957 323,116      Capital expenditures$30,243 145,866 176,109Goodwill$164,312 65,248 229,560Total assets$625,417 1,433,081 2,058,498 Wireless Wireline Total Reportable Segments2013     Revenues     Wholesale$197,218 — 197,218Consumer— 274,805 274,805Business Services— 222,814 222,814Managed Broadband— 116,811 116,811Total197,218 614,430 811,648      Cost of Good Sold68,086 212,376 280,462Contribution129,132 402,054 531,186Less SG&A20,030 251,035 271,065Plus share-based compensation expense— 6,638 6,638Plus accretion expense507 (430) 77Other expense— 447 447Adjusted EBITDA$109,609 157,674 267,283      Capital expenditures$28,156 152,398 180,554Goodwill$155,445 63,596 219,041Total assets$624,740 1,387,067 2,011,807      2012     Revenues     Wholesale$124,745 — 124,745Consumer— 269,357 269,357Business Services— 207,892 207,892Managed Broadband— 108,187 108,187Total124,745 585,436 710,181      Cost of Good Sold58,737 188,764 247,501Contribution66,008 396,672 462,680Less SG&A15,475 227,773 243,248Plus share-based compensation expense— 5,040 5,040Plus non-cash contribution expense— 960 960Plus accretion expense269 239 508Other expense— 869 869Adjusted EBITDA$50,802 176,007 226,809Effective January 1, 2013, we refocused our business and determined that we have two reportable segments, Wireless and Wireline. Due to our segment change in 2013, capital expenditures and total assets by segment for 2012 are not reported as it is impracticable to allocate our historical balance sheets. A reconciliation of reportable segment Adjusted EBITDA to consolidated income before income taxes follows (amounts in thousands):Years Ended December 31,2014 2013 2012Reportable segment Adjusted EBITDA$323,116 267,283 226,809Less depreciation and amortization expense(170,285) (147,259) (130,452)Less share-based compensation expense(8,392) (6,638) (5,040)Less non-cash contribution expense— — (960)Less accretion expense(1,249) (77) (508)Other372 (447) (869)Consolidated operating income143,562 112,862 88,980Less other expense, net(74,289) (70,178) (67,730)Consolidated income before income tax expense$69,273 42,684 21,250We earn revenues included in both the Wireless and Wireline segment from a major customer.  We earned revenues from our major customer, net of discounts, of $108.3 million or 12% of total consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2014.  We had no major customers for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012. |

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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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