Crown Castle (CCI) 10-K 22 Feb 22 2021 FY Annual report Financial data

Cover Page

Cover Page - USD ($) $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Feb. 18, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Entity Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Document Annual Report	true
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2021
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	001-16441
Entity Registrant Name	CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL CORP
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	76-0470458
Entity Address, Address Line One	8020 Katy Freeway
Entity Address, City or Town	Houston
Entity Address, State or Province	TX
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	77024-1908
City Area Code	713
Local Phone Number	570-3000
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $0.01 par value
Trading Symbol	CCI
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Public Float			$ 84
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		432,214,568
Entity Central Index Key	0001051470
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2021
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
ICFR Auditor Attestation Flag	true

Audit Information

Audit Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Auditor [Line Items]
Auditor Name	PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Auditor Location	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Auditor Firm ID	238

Consolidated Balance Sheet

Consolidated Balance Sheet - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 292	$ 232
Restricted cash	169	144
Receivables, net of allowance of $17 and $17, respectively	543	431
Prepaid expenses	105	95
Other current assets	145	202
Total current assets	1,254	1,104
Deferred site rental receivables	1,588	1,408
Property and equipment, net	15,269	15,162
Operating lease right-of-use assets	6,682	6,464
Goodwill	10,078	10,078
Site rental contracts and tenant relationships, net	3,982	4,365
Other intangible assets, net	64	68
Other assets, net	123	119
Total assets	39,040	38,768
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Accounts payable	246	230
Accrued interest	182	199
Deferred revenues	776	704
Other accrued liabilities	401	378
Current maturities of debt and other obligations	72	129
Current portion of operating lease liabilities	349	329
Total current liabilities	2,026	1,969
Debt and other long-term obligations	20,557	19,151
Operating lease liabilities	6,031	5,808
Other long-term liabilities	2,168	2,379
Total liabilities	30,782	29,307
CCIC stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 600 shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding: December 31, 2021—432 and December 31, 2020—431	4	4
Additional paid-in capital	18,011	17,933
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(4)	(4)
Dividends/distributions in excess of earnings	(9,753)	(8,472)
Total equity	8,258	9,461
Total liabilities and equity	$ 39,040	$ 38,768

Consolidated Statement of Opera

Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Thousands, shares in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Net revenues:
Site rental revenues		$ 5,719,000	$ 5,320,000	$ 5,093,000
Services and other		621,000	520,000	670,000
Net Revenues		6,340,000	5,840,000	5,763,000
Costs of Operations:
Site rental	[1]	1,554,000	1,521,000	1,462,000
Services and other	[1]	439,000	448,000	524,000
Selling, general and administrative		680,000	678,000	614,000
Asset write-down charges		21,000	74,000	19,000
Acquisition and integration costs		1,000	10,000	13,000
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		1,644,000	1,608,000	1,572,000
Total operating expenses		4,339,000	4,339,000	4,204,000
Other Operating (Income) Expense		0	(362,000)	0
Operating income (loss)		2,001,000	1,863,000	1,559,000
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs		657,000	689,000	683,000
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[2]	(145,000)	(95,000)	(2,000)
Interest income		1,000	2,000	6,000
Other income (expense)		(21,000)	(5,000)	1,000
Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent, before Tax, Total		1,179,000	1,076,000	881,000
Benefit (provision) for income taxes		(21,000)	(20,000)	(21,000)
Income (loss) from continuing operations		1,096,000	1,056,000	860,000
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		1,158,000	1,056,000	860,000
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax		(62,000)	0	0
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		(62,000)	0	0
Dividends, Preferred Stock		0	57,000	113,000
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders		1,096,000	999,000	747,000
Net income (loss)		1,096,000	1,056,000	860,000
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments		0	1,000	0
Total other comprehensive income (loss)		0	1,000	0
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent		$ 1,096,000	$ 1,057,000	$ 860,000
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, per common share:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Basic Share		$ 2.68	$ 2.36	$ 1.80
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax, Per Basic Share		(0.14)	0	0
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Diluted Share		2.67	2.35	1.79
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax, Per Diluted Share		(0.14)	0	0
Basic (in dollars per share)		2.54	2.36	1.80
Diluted (in dollars per share)		$ 2.53	$ 2.35	$ 1.79
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)		432	423	416
Diluted (in shares)		434	425	418
[1]	Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately.
[2]	Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs.

Consolidated Statement of Cash

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss)		$ 1,158,000	$ 1,056,000	$ 860,000
Adjustments to reconcile income (loss) from continuing operations to net cash provided by (used for) operating activities:
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		1,644,000	1,608,000	1,572,000
(Gains) losses on retirement of long-term obligations	[1]	145,000	95,000	2,000
Amortization of deferred financing costs and other non-cash interest, net		13,000	6,000	1,000
Stock-based compensation expense		129,000	138,000	117,000
Asset write-down charges		21,000	74,000	19,000
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision		4,000	3,000	2,000
Other non-cash adjustments, net		21,000	5,000	(2,000)
Changes in assets and liabilities, excluding the effects of acquisitions:
Increase (decrease) in accrued interest		(17,000)	31,000	21,000
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable		15,000	(77,000)	19,000
Increase (decrease) in other liabilities		(118,000)	(65,000)	254,000
Decrease (increase) in receivables		(113,000)	166,000	(96,000)
Decrease (increase) in other assets		(113,000)	15,000	(71,000)
Net cash provided by (used for) operating activities		2,789,000	3,055,000	2,698,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures		1,229,000	1,624,000	2,057,000
Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired		111,000	107,000	17,000
Other investing activities, net		8,000	(10,000)	(7,000)
Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities		(1,332,000)	(1,741,000)	(2,081,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt		3,985,000	3,733,000	1,894,000
Principal payments on debt and other long-term obligations		1,076,000	105,000	86,000
Purchases and redemptions of long-term debt		2,089,000	2,490,000	12,000
Borrowings under revolving credit facility		1,245,000	2,430,000	2,110,000
Payments under revolving credit facility		870,000	2,665,000	2,660,000
Net issuances (repayments) under commercial paper program		(20,000)	130,000	155,000
Payments for financing costs		42,000	38,000	24,000
Purchases of common stock		70,000	76,000	44,000
Dividends/distributions paid on common stock		2,373,000	2,105,000	1,912,000
Dividends/distributions paid on preferred stock		0	85,000	113,000
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities		(1,310,000)	(1,271,000)	(692,000)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash from continuing operations		147,000	43,000	(75,000)
Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities, Discontinued Operations		(62,000)	0	0
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Discontinued Operations		(62,000)	0	0
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash		0	0	0
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash - Beginning of Period		381,000	338,000	413,000
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash - End of Period		$ 466,000	$ 381,000	$ 338,000
[1]	Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs.

Consolidated Statement of Chang

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Member's Equity - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Total	Preferred Stock [Member]	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital	Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments	Dividends/Distributions in Excess of Earnings
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Convertible Preferred Stock, shares outstanding		2,000
Accumulated other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax					$ (5,000)
Balance, value at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 11,571,000	$ 0	$ 4,000	$ 17,767,000		$ (6,195,000)
Balance, (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018			415,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, value	132,000			132,000
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, shares			1,000
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, value	(44,000)			(44,000)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	0
Common stock dividends/distributions	(1,917,000)					(1,917,000)
Preferred stock dividends/distributions	(113,000)					(113,000)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	860,000					860,000
Balance, value at Dec. 31, 2019	10,489,000	$ 0	$ 4,000	17,855,000		(7,365,000)
Balance, (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2019			416,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Convertible Preferred Stock, shares outstanding		2,000
Accumulated other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax					(5,000)
Conversion of redeemable preferred stock into Common Stock, shares		(2,000)	14,000
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, value	154,000			154,000
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, shares			1,000
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, value	(76,000)			(76,000)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	1,000				1,000
Common stock dividends/distributions	(2,106,000)					(2,106,000)
Preferred stock dividends/distributions	(57,000)					(57,000)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	1,056,000					1,056,000
Balance, value at Dec. 31, 2020	9,461,000	$ 0	$ 4,000	17,933,000		(8,472,000)
Balance, (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2020			431,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Convertible Preferred Stock, shares outstanding		0
Accumulated other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	(4,000)				(4,000)
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, value	148,000			148,000
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, shares			1,000
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, value	(70,000)			(70,000)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	0
Common stock dividends/distributions	(2,377,000)					(2,377,000)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	1,096,000					1,096,000
Balance, value at Dec. 31, 2021	8,258,000	$ 0	$ 4,000	$ 18,011,000		$ (9,753,000)
Balance, (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2021			432,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Convertible Preferred Stock, shares outstanding		0
Accumulated other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	$ (4,000)				$ (4,000)

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Basis of Presentation [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Crown Castle International Corp. and its predecessor, as applicable (together, "CCIC"), and their subsidiaries, collectively referred to herein as the "Company." All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. As used herein, the term "including," and any variation thereof, means "including without limitation." The use of the word "or" herein is not exclusive. Unless the context suggests otherwise, references to "U.S." are to the United States of America and Puerto Rico, collectively. The Company owns, operates and leases shared communications infrastructure that is geographically dispersed throughout the U.S., including (1) towers and other structures, such as rooftops (collectively, "towers"), and (2) fiber primarily supporting small cell networks ("small cells") and fiber solutions. The Company's towers, fiber and small cells assets are collectively referred to herein as "communications infrastructure," and the Company's customers on its communications infrastructure are referred to herein as "tenants." The Company's core business is providing access, including space or capacity, to its shared communications infrastructure via long-term contracts in various forms, including lease, license, sublease and service agreements (collectively, "tenant contracts"). The Company's operating segments consist of (1) Towers and (2) Fiber. See note 14. Approximately 53% of the Company's towers are leased or subleased or operated and managed under master leases, subleases, and other agreements with AT&T and T-Mobile, including agreements assumed by T-Mobile following its merger with Sprint completed on April 1, 2020. The Company has the option to purchase these towers at the end of their respective lease terms. The Company has no obligation to exercise such purchase options. Additional information concerning these towers is as follows: ◦ 22% of the Company's towers are leased or subleased or operated and managed under a master prepaid lease or other related agreements with AT&T for a weighted-average initial term of approximately 28 years, weighted on Towers site rental gross margin. The Company has the option to purchase the leased and subleased towers from AT&T at the end of the respective lease or sublease terms for aggregate option payments of approximately $4.2 billion, which payments, if such option is exercised, would be due between 2032 and 2048. ◦ 16% of the Company's towers are leased or subleased or operated and managed for an initial period of 32 years (through May 2037) under master leases, subleases, or other agreements with T-Mobile (which T-Mobile assumed in connection with its merger with Sprint). The Company has the option to purchase in 2037 all (but not less than all) of such leased and subleased towers from T-Mobile for approximately $2.3 billion. 15% of the Company's towers are leased or subleased or operated and managed under a master prepaid lease or other related agreements with T-Mobile for a weighted-average initial term of approximately 28 years, weighted on Towers site rental gross margin. The Company has the option to purchase the leased and subleased towers from T-Mobile at the end of the respective lease or sublease terms for aggregate option payments of approximately $2.0 billion, which payments, if such option is exercised, would be due between 2035 and 2049. In addition, through the acquisition of the rights to approximately 7,100 towers ("T-Mobile Acquisition"), there are another 1% of the Company's towers subject to a lease and sublease or other related arrangements with AT&T. The Company has the option to purchase these towers that it does not otherwise already own at the end of their respective lease terms for aggregate option payments of up to approximately $405 million, which payments, if such option is exercised, would be due prior to 2032 (less than $10 million would be due before 2025). As part of the Company's effort to provide comprehensive communications infrastructure solutions, as an ancillary business, the Company also offers certain services primarily relating to its Towers segment, predominately consisting of (1) site development services primarily relating to existing or new tenant equipment installations, including: site acquisition, architectural and engineering, or zoning and permitting (collectively, "site development services") and (2) tenant equipment installation or subsequent augmentations (collectively, "installation services"). The Company operates as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In addition, the Company has certain taxable REIT subsidiaries ("TRSs"). See note 9.

Accounting Policies

Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies The following is a discussion of the Company's significant accounting policies in effect for the year ended December 31, 2021. Restricted Cash Restricted cash represents (1) the cash held in reserve by the indenture trustees pursuant to the indenture governing certain of the Company's debt instruments, (2) cash securing performance obligations such as letters of credit, as well as (3) any other cash whose use is limited by contractual provisions. The restriction of rental cash receipts is a critical feature of certain of the Company's debt instruments, due to the applicable indenture trustee's ability to utilize the restricted cash for the payment of (1) debt service costs, (2) ground rents, (3) real estate or personal property taxes, (4) insurance premiums related to towers, (5) other assessments by governmental authorities and potential environmental remediation costs, or (6) a portion of advance rents from tenants. The restricted cash in excess of required reserve balances is subsequently released to the Company in accordance with the terms of the indentures. See note 16 for a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Receivables Allowance An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded as an offset to accounts receivable. The Company uses judgment in estimating this allowance and considers historical collections, current credit status, or contractual provisions. Additions to the allowance for doubtful accounts are charged either to "Site rental costs of operations" or to "Services and other costs of operations," as appropriate, and deductions from the allowance are recorded when specific accounts receivable are written off as uncollectible. Lease Accounting General. The Company evaluates whether a contract meets the definition of a lease whenever a contract grants a party the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. To the extent the identified asset is able to be shared among multiple parties, the Company has determined that one party does not have control of the identified asset and the contract is not considered a lease. The Company accounts for contracts that do not meet the definition of a lease under other relevant accounting guidance (such as ASC 606 for revenue from contracts with customers). Lessee. For its Tower segment, the Company's lessee arrangements primarily consist of ground leases for land under towers. Ground leases for land are specific to each site, generally contain an initial term of five to 10 years and are renewable (and cancelable after a notice period) at the Company's option. The Company also enters into term easements and ground leases in which it prepays the entire term. For its Fiber segment, the Company's lessee arrangements primarily include leases of fiber assets to support the Company's small cells and fiber solutions. The majority of the Company's lease agreements have certain termination rights that provide for cancellation after a notice period and multiple renewal options exercisable at the Company's option. The Company includes renewal option periods in its calculation of the estimated lease term when it determines the options are reasonably certain to be exercised. When such renewal options are deemed to be reasonably certain, the estimated lease term determined under ASC 842 will be greater than the non-cancelable term of the contractual arrangement. Although certain renewal periods are included in the estimated lease term, the Company would have the ability to terminate or elect to not renew a particular lease if business conditions warrant such a decision. The Company classifies its lessee arrangements at inception as either operating leases or finance leases. A lease is classified as a finance lease if at least one of the following criteria is met: (1) the lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee, (2) the lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the underlying asset that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise, (3) the lease term is for a major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset, (4) the present value of the sum of the lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the underlying asset, or (5) the underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease term. A lease is classified as an operating lease if none of the five criteria described above for finance lease classification is met. Right-of-use ("ROU") assets associated with operating leases are included in "Operating lease right-of-use assets" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Current and long-term portions of lease liabilities related to operating leases are included in "Current portion of operating lease liabilities" and "Operating lease liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet, respectively. ROU assets represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the estimated lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company's present value of its future lease payments. In assessing its leases and determining its lease liability at lease commencement or upon modification, the Company is not able to readily determine the rate implicit for its lessee arrangements, and thus uses its incremental borrowing rate on a collateralized basis to determine the present value of the lease payments. The Company's ROU assets are measured as the balance of the lease liability plus any prepaid or accrued lease payments and any unamortized initial direct costs. For both the Towers and Fiber segments, operating lease expenses are recognized on a ratable basis, regardless of whether the payment terms require the Company to make payments annually, quarterly, monthly, or for the entire term in advance. Certain of the Company's ground lease and fiber lease agreements contain fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed dollar or fixed percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the change in consumer price index ("CPI")). If the payment terms include fixed escalator provisions, the effect of such increases is recognized on a straight-line basis. The Company calculates the straight-line expense over the tenant contract's estimated lease term, including any renewal option periods that the Company deems reasonably certain to be exercised. Lease agreements may also contain provisions for a contingent payment based on (1) the revenues derived from the communications infrastructure located on the leased asset, (2) the change in CPI or (3) the usage of the leased asset. The Company's contingent payments are considered variable lease payments and are (1) not included in the initial measurement of the ROU asset or lease liability due to the uncertainty of the payment amount and (2) recorded as expense in the period such contingencies are resolved. ROU assets associated with finance leases are included in "Property and equipment, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Lease liabilities associated with finance leases are included in "Current maturities of debt and other obligations" and "Debt and other long-term obligations" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. For both its Towers and Fiber segments, the Company measures the lease liability for finance leases using the effective interest method. The initial lease liability is increased to reflect interest on the liability and decreased to reflect payments made during the period. Interest on the lease liability is determined each period during the lease term as the amount that results in a constant periodic discount rate on the remaining balance of the liability. The Company depreciates ROU assets for finance leases on a ratable basis over the applicable lease term. The Company reviews the carrying value of its ROU assets for impairment, similar to its other long-lived assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. The Company could record impairments in the future if there are changes in (1) long-term market conditions, (2) expected future operating results or (3) the utility of the assets that negatively impact the fair value of its ROU assets. Lessor. The Company's lessor arrangements primarily include tenant contracts for dedicated space (including dedicated fiber) on its shared communications infrastructure. The Company classifies its leases at inception as operating, direct financing or sales-type leases. A lease is classified as a sales-type lease if at least one of the following criteria is met: (1) the lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee, (2) the lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the underlying asset that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise, (3) the lease term is for a major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset, (4) the present value of the sum of the lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the underlying assets or (5) the underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease term. Furthermore, when none of the above criteria is met, a lease is classified as a direct financing lease if both of the following criteria are met: (1) the present value of the of the sum of the lease payments and any residual value guaranteed by the lessee, that is not already reflected in the lease payments, equals or exceeds the fair value of the underlying asset and (2) it is probable that the lessor will collect the lease payments plus any amount necessary to satisfy a residual value guarantee. A lease is classified as an operating lease if it does not qualify as a sales-type or direct financing lease. Currently, the Company classifies all of its lessor arrangements as operating leases. Site rental revenues from the Company’s lessor arrangements are recognized on a straight-line, ratable basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the relevant tenant contract, regardless of whether the payments from the tenant are received in equal monthly amounts during the life of a tenant contract. Certain of the Company's tenant contracts contain fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed-dollar or fixed-percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the change in CPI). If the payment terms call for fixed escalations, upfront payments, or rent-free periods, the rental revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the agreement. When calculating straight-line site rental revenues, the Company considers all fixed elements of tenant contractual escalation provisions. Certain of the Company's arrangements with tenants in its Fiber segment contain both lease and non-lease components. In such circumstances, the Company has determined (1) the timing and pattern of transfer for the lease and non-lease component are the same and (2) the stand-alone lease component would be classified as an operating lease. As such, the Company has aggregated certain non-lease components with lease components and has determined that the lease components (generally dedicated fiber) represent the predominant component of the arrangement. Property and Equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Property and equipment includes land owned in fee and perpetual easements for land, which have no definite life. Depreciation is computed utilizing the straight-line method at rates based upon the estimated useful lives of the various classes of assets. Depreciation of communications infrastructure is generally computed with a useful life equal to the shorter of 20 years or the term of the underlying ground lease (including optional renewal periods). Additions and permanent improvements to the Company's communications infrastructure are capitalized, while maintenance and repairs are expensed. Labor and interest costs incurred directly related to the construction of certain property and equipment are capitalized during the construction phase of projects. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company had $238 million, $270 million and $246 million in capitalized labor costs, respectively. The carrying value of property and equipment is reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. Abandonments and write-offs of property and equipment are recorded to "Asset write-down charges" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) and were $19 million, $77 million and $17 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Asset write-down charges for the year ended December 31, 2020 included the write-off of property and equipment of approximately $63 million which, following the Sprint Cancellation, was deemed to have no alternative future use. See note 15 for further information regarding the Sprint Cancellation. Asset Retirement Obligations Pursuant to its ground lease, easement and leased facility agreements, the Company records obligations to perform asset retirement activities, including requirements to remove communications infrastructure or remediate the space on which certain of its communications infrastructure is located. The Company does not record an obligation for asset retirement activities related to its fiber, as a settlement date is indeterminable and therefore a reasonable estimation of fair value cannot be made. Asset retirement obligations are included in "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The liability accretes as a result of the passage of time and the related accretion expense is included in "Depreciation, amortization and accretion" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). The associated asset retirement costs are capitalized as an additional carrying amount of the related long-lived asset and depreciated over the useful life of such asset. Goodwill Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price for an acquired business over the allocated value of the related net assets. The Company tests goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, regardless of whether adverse events or changes in circumstances have occurred. The annual test begins with goodwill and all intangible assets being allocated to applicable reporting units. The Company's reporting units are the same as its operating segments (Towers and Fiber). The Company then performs a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of the reporting units is less than its carrying amount. If the Company concludes it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, it is necessary to perform a quantitative goodwill impairment test. The quantitative goodwill impairment test compares the estimated fair value of the reporting unit and the carrying value of the reporting unit. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit is greater than its fair value, an impairment loss shall be recognized in an amount equal to such excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The Company performed its most recent annual goodwill impairment test as of October 1, 2021, which resulted in no impairments. Intangible Assets Intangible assets are included in "Site rental contracts and tenant relationships, net" and "Other intangible assets, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and predominately consist of the estimated fair value of site rental contracts and tenant relationships or other contractual rights, such as trademarks, that are recorded in conjunction with acquisitions. The site rental contracts and tenant relationships intangible assets are comprised of (1) the current term of the existing leases, (2) the high rate of tenant retention, and (3) any associated relationships that are expected to generate value following the expiration of all renewal periods under existing leases. The useful lives of intangible assets are estimated based on the period over which the intangible asset is expected to benefit the Company and gives consideration to the expected useful life of other assets to which the useful life may relate. Amortization expense for intangible assets is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each of the intangible assets. The useful life of the site rental contracts and tenant relationships intangible asset is limited by the maximum depreciable life of the communications infrastructure (20 years), as a result of the interdependency of the communications infrastructure and site rental leases. In contrast, the site rental contracts and tenant relationships are estimated to provide economic benefits for several decades because of the low rate of tenant cancellations and high rate of tenant retention experienced to date. Thus, while site rental contracts and tenant relationships are valued based upon the fair value, which includes assumptions regarding both (1) tenants' exercise of optional renewals contained in the acquired leases and (2) renewals of the acquired leases past the contractual term including exercisable options, the site rental contracts and tenant relationships are amortized over a period not to exceed 20 years. The carrying value of other intangible assets with finite useful lives will be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. The Company has a dual grouping policy for purposes of determining the unit of account for testing impairment of the site rental contracts and tenant relationships intangible assets. First, the Company pools the site rental contracts and tenant relationships with the related communications infrastructure assets into portfolio groups for purposes of determining the unit of account for impairment testing. Second and separately, the Company evaluates the site rental contracts and tenant relationships by significant tenant or by tenant grouping for individually insignificant tenants, as appropriate. If the sum of the estimated future cash flows (undiscounted) expected to result from the use or eventual disposition of an asset is less than the carrying amount of the asset, an impairment loss is recognized. Measurement of an impairment loss is based on the fair value of the asset. Deferred Credits Deferred credits are included in "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and consist of the estimated fair value of below-market tenant leases for contractual interests with tenants on acquired communications infrastructure, which are amortized to site rental revenues. Fair value for these deferred credits represents the difference between (1) the stated contractual payments to be made pursuant to the in-place lease and (2) management's estimate of fair market lease rates for each corresponding lease. Deferred credits are measured over a period equal to the estimated remaining economic lease term considering renewal provisions or economics associated with those renewal provisions, to the extent applicable. Deferred credits are amortized over their respected estimated lease terms at the time of acquisition. Deferred Financing Costs Third-party costs incurred to obtain financing, with the exception of costs incurred related to revolving lines of credit, are deferred and are included as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability in "Debt and other long-term obligations" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Third party costs incurred to obtain financing through a revolving line of credit are deferred and are included in "Other assets, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Revenue Recognition The Company generates site rental revenues from its core business by providing tenants with access, including space or capacity, to its shared communications infrastructure via long-term tenant contracts in various forms, including lease, license, sublease and service agreements. Providing such access over the length of the tenant contract term represents the Company’s sole performance obligation under its tenant contracts. Site rental revenues. Site rental revenues from the Company's tenant contracts are recognized on a straight-line, ratable basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the relevant tenant contract, which generally ranges from five to 15 years for wireless tenants and three to 20 years for the Company's fiber solutions tenants (including from organizations with high- bandwidth and multi-location demands), regardless of whether the payments from the tenant are received in equal monthly amounts during the life of the tenant contract. Certain of the Company's tenant contracts contain (1) fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed dollar or fixed percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the CPI), (2) multiple renewal periods exercisable at the tenant's option and (3) only limited termination rights at the applicable tenant's option through the current term. If the payment terms call for fixed escalations, upfront payments, or rent-free periods, the revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the agreement. When calculating straight-line rental revenues, the Company considers all fixed elements of tenant contractual escalation provisions, even if such escalation provisions contain a variable element in addition to a minimum. The Company's assets related to straight-line site rental revenues include current amounts of $92 million and $152 million included in "Other current assets" and non-current amounts of $1.6 billion and $1.4 billion included in "Deferred site rental receivables" for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Amounts billed or received prior to being earned are deferred and reflected in "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities." Amounts to which the Company has an unconditional right to payment, which are related to both satisfied or partially satisfied performance obligations, are recorded within "Receivables, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Services and other revenues. As part of the Company’s effort to provide comprehensive communications infrastructure solutions, as an ancillary business, the Company offers certain services primarily relating to its Towers segment, predominately consisting of (1) site development services and (2) installation services. Upon contract commencement, the Company assesses its services to tenants and identifies performance obligations for each promise to provide a distinct service. The Company may have multiple performance obligations for site development services, which primarily include: structural analysis, zoning, permitting and construction drawings. For each of the above performance obligations, services revenues are recognized at completion of the applicable performance obligation, which represents the point at which the Company believes it has transferred goods or services to the tenant. The revenue recognized is based on an allocation of the transaction price among the performance obligations in a respective contract based on estimated standalone selling price. The volume and mix of site development services may vary among contracts and may include a combination of some or all of the above performance obligations. Payments generally are due within 45 to 60 days and generally do not contain variable-consideration provisions. The transaction price for the Company's tower installation services consists of amounts for (1) permanent improvements to the Company's towers that represent a lease component and (2) the performance of the service. Amounts under the Company's tower installation service agreements that represent a lease component are recognized as site rental revenues on a straight-line basis over the length of the associated estimated lease term. For the performance of the installation service, the Company has one performance obligation, which is satisfied at the time of the applicable installation or augmentation and recognized as services and other revenues. Since performance obligations are typically satisfied prior to receiving payment from tenants, the unconditional right to payment is recorded within "Receivables, net" on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The vast majority of the Company’s services generally have a duration of one year or less. Additional information on revenues. As of January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, a total of $2.8 billion and $2.6 billion of unrecognized revenue, respectively, was reported in "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. During the year ended December 31, 2021, approximately $595 million of the January 1, 2021 unrecognized revenue balance was recognized as revenue. As of January 1, 2020, a total of $2.9 billion of unrecognized revenue was reported in "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. During the year ended December 31, 2020, approximately $575 million of the January 1, 2020 unrecognized revenue balance was recognized as revenue. See note 3 for further discussion regarding the Company’s revenues. Costs of Operations Approximately half of the Company's site rental costs of operations expenses consist of Towers ground lease expenses, and the remainder includes fiber access expenses, property taxes, repairs and maintenance expenses, employee compensation or related benefit costs, or utilities. Generally, the ground leases for land are specific to each site and are for an initial term of five years and are renewable for pre-determined periods. The Company also enters into term easements and ground leases in which it prepays the entire term in advance. Fiber access expenses primarily consist of leases of fiber assets and other access agreements to facilitate the Company's communications infrastructure. Ground lease and fiber access expenses are recognized on a ratable basis, regardless of whether the payment terms require the Company to make payments annually, quarterly, monthly, or for the entire term in advance. Certain of the Company's ground lease and fiber access agreements contain fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed dollar or fixed percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the change in CPI). If the payment terms include fixed escalator provisions, the effect of such increases is recognized on a straight-line basis. The Company's liability related to straight-line expense is included in "Operating lease right-of-use assets" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The Company's assets related to prepaid agreements is included in "Prepaid expenses" and "Operating lease right-of-use assets" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Services and other costs of operations predominately consist of third-party service providers such as contractors and professional services firms and, to a lesser extent, internal labor costs. The Company recognized $20 million as costs of operations during the year ended December 31, 2020 as a result of a reduction in staffing completed during the fourth quarter of 2020. Such costs were comprised of employee severance payments and termination benefits and primarily impacted the Company's Fiber segment. Acquisitions and Integration Costs Direct or incremental costs related to a potential or completed business combination transaction are expensed as incurred. Such costs are predominately comprised of severance, retention bonuses payable to employees of an acquired enterprise, temporary employees to assist with the integration of the acquired operations, fees paid for services (such as consulting, accounting, legal, or engineering reviews), and any other costs directly associated with the transaction. These business combination costs are included in "Acquisition and integration costs" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). For those transactions accounted for as asset acquisitions, these costs are capitalized as part of the purchase price. Stock-based Compensation Restricted Stock Units. The Company records stock-based compensation expense only for those unvested restricted stock units ("RSUs") for which the requisite service is expected to be rendered. The cumulative effect of a change in the estimated number of RSUs for which the requisite service is expected to be or has been rendered is recognized in the period of the change in the estimate. To the extent that the requisite service is rendered, compensation cost for accounting purposes is not reversed; rather, it is recognized regardless of whether or not the awards vest. A discussion of the Company's valuation techniques and related assumptions and estimates used to measure the Company's stock-based compensation is as follows: Valuation. The fair value of RSUs without market conditions is determined based on the number of shares relating to such RSUs and the quoted price of the Company's common stock at the date of grant. The Company estimates the fair value of RSUs with market conditions granted using a Monte Carlo simulation. The Company's determination of the fair value of RSUs with market conditions on the date of grant is affected by its common stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex or subjective variables. The determination of fair value using a Monte Carlo simulation requires the input of subjective assumptions, and other reasonable assumptions could provide differing results. Amortization Method. The Company amortizes the fair value of all RSUs on a straight-line basis for each separately vesting tranche of the award (graded vesting schedule) over the requisite service periods. Expected Volatility. The Company estimates the volatility of its common stock at the date of grant based on the historical volatility of its common stock. Expected Dividend Rate. The expected dividend rate at the date of grant is based on the then-current dividend yield. Risk-Free Rate. The Company bases the risk-free rate on the implied yield currently available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent remaining term equal to the expected life of the award. Forfeitures. The Company uses historical data and management's judgment about the future employee turnover rates to estimate the number of shares for which the requisite service period will not be rendered. Interest Expense and Amortization of Deferred Financing Costs The components of interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs are as follows: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Interest expense on debt obligations $ 644 $ 683 $ 682 Amortization of deferred financing costs and adjustments on long-term debt, net 25 23 21 Capitalized interest (12) (17) (20) Total $ 657 $ 689 $ 683 The Company amortizes deferred financing costs, discounts and premiums over the estimated term of the related borrowing using the effective interest yield method. Deferred financing costs and discounts are generally presented as a direct reduction to the related debt obligation on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Income Taxes The Company operates as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, the Company is generally entitled to a deduction for dividends that it pays and therefore is not subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on its net taxable income that is currently distributed to its stockholders. The Company also may be subject to certain federal, state, local and foreign taxes on its income, including (1) taxes on any undistributed income and (2) taxes related to the TRSs, In addition, the Company could under certain circumstances be required to pay an excise or penalty tax, which could be significant in amount, in order to utilize one or more relief provisions under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended ("Code"), to maintain qualification for taxation as a REIT. Additionally, the Company has included in TRSs certain other assets and operations. Those TRS assets and operations will continue to be subject, as applicable, to federal and state corporate income taxes or to foreign taxes in the jurisdiction

Revenue (Notes)

Revenue (Notes)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Text Block]	Revenues The following table is a summary of the contracted amounts owed to the Company by tenants pursuant to tenant contracts in effect as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the weighted-average remaining term of tenant contracts is approximately five years, exclusive of renewals exercisable at the tenant's option. Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Thereafter Total Contracted amounts (a) $ 4,551 $ 4,013 $ 3,499 $ 3,355 $ 3,239 $ 12,689 $ 31,346 (a) Based on the nature of the contract, tenant contracts are accounted for pursuant to relevant lease accounting (ASC 842) or revenue accounting (ASC 606) guidance. Excludes amounts related to services, as those contracts generally have a duration of one year or less. See notes 2 and 13 for further discussion regarding the Company's lessor arrangements and note 14 for further information regarding the Company's operating segments.

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property and Equipment	Property and Equipment The major classes of property and equipment are summarized in the table below. Estimated Useful Lives As of December 31, 2021 2020 Land (a) — $ 2,259 $ 2,171 Buildings 40 years 218 147 Communications infrastructure assets 1-20 years 23,289 22,027 Information technology assets and other 2-7 years 587 557 Construction in process — 853 1,063 Total gross property and equipment 27,206 25,965 Less: accumulated depreciation (11,937) (10,803) Total property and equipment, net $ 15,269 $ 15,162 (a) Includes land owned through fee interests and perpetual easements. Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $1.2 billion, $1.2 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively. See note 13 for a discussion of finance leases recorded as "Property and equipment, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet.

Intangible Assets, Goodwill and

Intangible Assets, Goodwill and Other	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Intangible Assets	Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill There were no changes in the carrying value of goodwill during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Intangibles The following is a summary of the Company's intangible assets. As of December 31, 2021 As of December 31, 2020 Gross Carrying Value Accumulated Amortization Net Book Value Gross Carrying Value Accumulated Amortization Net Book Value Site rental contracts and tenant relationships $ 7,854 $ (3,872) $ 3,982 $ 7,797 $ (3,432) $ 4,365 Other intangible assets 143 (79) 64 143 (75) 68 Total $ 7,997 $ (3,951) $ 4,046 $ 7,940 $ (3,507) $ 4,433 Amortization expense related to intangible assets is classified as "Depreciation, amortization and accretion" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) and was $444 million, $439 million, and $428 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets for the years ending December 31, 2022 to 2026 is as follows: Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Estimated annual amortization $ 447 $ 445 $ 396 $ 374 $ 370

Other Liabilities (Notes)

Other Liabilities (Notes)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Other Liabilities [Abstract]
Other Liabilities	Other long-term liabilities The following is a summary of the components of "Other long-term liabilities" as presented on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. See also note 2. December 31, 2021 2020 Deferred rental revenues $ 1,568 $ 1,707 Deferred credits, net 311 375 Asset retirement obligation 269 259 Deferred income tax liabilities 14 11 Other long-term liabilities 6 27 Total $ 2,168 $ 2,379 Pursuant to its ground lease, easement and leased facility agreements, the Company has the obligation to perform certain asset retirement activities, including requirements upon contract termination to remove communications infrastructure or remediate the space on which its communications infrastructure is located. Accretion expense related to liabilities for retirement obligations amounted to $20 million, $18 million and $15 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, the estimated undiscounted future cash outlay for asset retirement obligations was approximately $1.0 billion. See note 2. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company recognized $54 million, $58 million and $65 million, respectively, in "Site rental revenues" related to the amortization of below-market tenant leases. The following table summarizes the estimated annual amounts related to below-market tenant leases expected to be amortized into site rental revenues for the years ending December 31, 2022 to 2026 are as follows: Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Below-market tenant leases $ 49 $ 45 $ 41 $ 33 $ 25 Other accrued liabilities Other accrued liabilities included accrued payroll and other accrued compensation of $192 million as of both December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Debt and Other Obligations

Debt and Other Obligations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Debt and Other Obligations [Abstract]
Debt Disclosure	Debt and Other Obligations The table below sets forth the Company's debt and other obligations as of December 31, 2021. Original Contractual Outstanding Balance as of December 31, Stated 2021 2020 2021 (a) 3.849% Secured Notes Dec. 2012 Apr. 2023 $ 998 $ 997 3.9 % Secured Notes, Series 2009-1, Class A-2 July 2009 Aug. 2029 53 60 9.0 % Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-1 May 2015 May 2042 (b)(c) — 299 N/A Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-1 July 2018 July 2043 (b)(c) 249 248 3.7 % Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-2 May 2015 May 2045 (b)(c) 696 695 3.7 % Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-2 July 2018 July 2048 (b)(c) 744 743 4.2 % Finance leases and other obligations Various Various (d) 242 236 Various (d) Total secured debt 2,982 3,278 2016 Revolver Jan. 2016 June 2026 665 (e) 290 1.2 % (f) 2016 Term Loan A Jan. 2016 June 2026 1,222 2,252 1.2 % (f) Commercial Paper Notes Various (g) Various (g) 265 285 0.5 % 5.250% Senior Notes Oct. 2012 Jan. 2023 — 1,646 N/A 3.150% Senior Notes Jan. 2018 July 2023 747 746 3.2 % 3.200% Senior Notes Aug. 2017 Sept. 2024 747 745 3.2 % 1.350% Senior Notes June 2020 July 2025 496 494 1.4 % 4.450% Senior Notes Feb. 2016 Feb. 2026 895 894 4.5 % 3.700% Senior Notes May 2016 June 2026 746 745 3.7 % 1.050% Senior Notes Feb. 2021 July 2026 990 — 1.1 % 4.000% Senior Notes Feb. 2017 Mar. 2027 496 496 4.0 % 3.650% Senior Notes Aug. 2017 Sept. 2027 995 994 3.7 % 3.800% Senior Notes Jan. 2018 Feb. 2028 992 991 3.8 % 4.300% Senior Notes Feb. 2019 Feb. 2029 593 593 4.3 % 3.100% Senior Notes Aug. 2019 Nov. 2029 545 544 3.1 % 3.300% Senior Notes Apr. 2020 July 2030 738 737 3.3 % 2.250% Senior Notes June 2020 Jan. 2031 1,089 1,088 2.3 % 2.100% Senior Notes Feb. 2021 Apr. 2031 988 — 2.1 % 2.500% Senior Notes June 2021 July 2031 741 — 2.5 % 2.900% Senior Notes Feb. 2021 Apr. 2041 1,233 — 2.9 % 4.750% Senior Notes May 2017 May 2047 344 344 4.8 % 5.200% Senior Notes Feb. 2019 Feb. 2049 395 395 5.2 % 4.000% Senior Notes Aug. 2019 Nov. 2049 345 345 4.0 % 4.150% Senior Notes Apr. 2020 July 2050 490 489 4.2 % 3.250% Senior Notes June 2020 Jan. 2051 890 889 3.3 % Total unsecured debt $ 17,647 $ 16,002 Total debt and other obligations $ 20,629 $ 19,280 Less: current maturities and short-term debt and other current obligations $ 72 $ 129 Non-current portion of long-term debt and other long-term obligations $ 20,557 $ 19,151 (a) Represents the weighted-average stated interest rate. (b) The Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-2 ("May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes") and Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-1 and 2018-2 ("July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes") are collectively referred to herein as "Tower Revenue Notes." (c) If the respective series of Tower Revenue Notes are not paid in full on or prior to an applicable anticipated repayment date, then Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture governing the terms of such notes) of the issuers of such notes will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the Tower Revenue Notes, and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the respective Tower Revenue Notes. As of December 31, 2021, the Tower Revenue Notes have principal amounts of $250 million, $700 million and $750 million, with anticipated repayment dates in 2023, 2025 and 2028, respectively. (d) The Company's finance leases and other obligations relate to land, fiber, vehicles, and other assets and bear interest rates ranging up to 10% and mature in periods ranging from less than one year to approximately 25 years. (e) As of December 31, 2021, the undrawn availability under the 2016 Revolver was $4.3 billion. (f) Both the 2016 Revolver and 2016 Term Loan A bear interest, at our option, at either (1) LIBOR plus a credit spread ranging from 0.875% to 1.750% per annum or (2) an alternate base rate plus a credit spread ranging from 0.000% to 0.750% per annum, in each case, with the applicable credit spread based on the Company's senior unsecured debt rating. The Company pays a commitment fee ranging from 0.080% to 0.300%, based on the Company's senior unsecured debt rating, per annum on the undrawn available amount under the 2016 Revolver. See further discussion below regarding (1) potential adjustments to such percentages and (2) LIBOR transition provisions. (g) The maturities of the Commercial Paper Notes, as defined below, when outstanding, may vary but may not exceed 397 days from the date of issuance. The credit agreement governing the Company's 2016 Credit Facility contains financial maintenance covenants. The Company is currently in compliance with these financial maintenance covenants, and based upon current expectations, the Company believes it will continue to comply with its financial maintenance covenants. In addition, certain of the Company's debt agreements also contain restrictive covenants that place restrictions on CCIC or its subsidiaries and may limit the Company's ability to, among other things, incur additional debt and liens, purchase the Company's securities, make capital expenditures, dispose of assets, undertake transactions with affiliates, make other investments, pay dividends or distribute excess cash flow. Bank Debt In January 2016, the Company established the 2016 Credit Facility, which was originally comprised of (1) a $2.5 billion 2016 Revolver maturing in January 2021, (2) a $2.0 billion 2016 Term Loan A maturing in January 2021 and (3) a $1.0 billion senior unsecured 364-day revolving credit facility ("364-Day Facility") maturing in January 2017. The Company used the net proceeds from the 2016 Credit Facility (1) to repay the then outstanding 2012 Credit Facility and (2) for general corporate purposes. In February 2016, the Company used a portion of the net proceeds from the February 2016 Senior Notes (as defined below) offering to repay in full all outstanding borrowings under the then outstanding 364-Day Facility. In February 2017, the Company entered into an amendment to the 2016 Credit Facility to (1) incur additional term loans in an aggregate principal amount of $500 million and (2) extend the maturity of both the 2016 Term Loan A and the 2016 Revolver to January 2022. In August 2017, the Company entered into an amendment to the 2016 Credit Facility to (1) increase commitments on the 2016 Revolver by $1.0 billion, for total 2016 Revolver commitments of $3.5 billion, and (2) extend the maturity of the Credit Facility to August 2022. In June 2018, the Company entered into an amendment to the 2016 Credit Facility to (1) increase commitments on the 2016 Revolver by $750 million, for total 2016 Revolver commitments of $4.25 billion, and (2) extend the maturity of the Credit Facility from August 2022 to June 2023. In April 2019, the Company established a commercial paper program ("CP Program"), pursuant to which the Company may issue short-term, unsecured commercial paper notes ("Commercial Paper Notes"). Commercial Paper Notes may be issued, repaid and re-issued from time to time, with an aggregate principal amount of Commercial Paper Notes outstanding under the CP Program at any time not to exceed $1.0 billion. The net proceeds of the Commercial Paper Notes are expected to be used for general corporate purposes. The Commercial Paper Notes are issued under customary terms in the commercial paper market and are issued at a discount from par or, alternatively, can be issued at par and bear varying interest rates on a fixed or floating basis. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company had net issuances of $265 million under the CP Program. At any point in time, the Company intends to maintain available commitments under its 2016 Revolver in an amount at least equal to the amount of Commercial Paper Notes outstanding. While any outstanding commercial paper issuances generally have short-term maturities, the Company classifies the outstanding issuances as long-term based on its ability and intent to refinance the outstanding issuances on a long-term basis. In June 2019, the Company entered into an amendment to the 2016 Credit Facility to (1) increase commitments on the 2016 Revolver by $750 million, for total 2016 Revolver commitments of $5.0 billion, and (2) extend the maturity of the Credit Facility from June 2023 to June 2024. In June 2021, the Company entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement that provided for, among other things, (1) the extension of the maturity date of the Credit Facility from June 2024 to June 2026, (2) reductions to the interest rate spread ("Spread") and unused commitment fee ("Commitment Fee") percentage upon meeting specified annual sustainability targets ("Targets") and increases to the Spread and Commitment Fee percentage upon the failure to meet specified annual sustainability thresholds ("Thresholds") and (3) the inclusion of "hardwired" LIBOR transition provisions consistent with those published by the Alternative Reference Rate Committee. The Spread and Commitment Fee are subject to an upward adjustment of up to 0.05% and 0.01%, respectively, if the Company fails to achieve the Thresholds. The Spread and Commitment Fee are subject to a downward adjustment of up to 0.05% and 0.01%, respectively, if the Company achieves the Targets. In January 2022, the Company submitted the required documentation and received confirmation from its administrative agent that all Targets were met as of December 31, 2021, and, as such, the Spread and Commitment Fee percentage were reduced for 2022. Securitized Debt The Tower Revenue Notes and the Secured Notes, Series 2009-1, Class A-2 ("2009 Securitized Notes") (collectively, "Securitized Debt") are obligations of special purpose entities and their direct and indirect subsidiaries (each an "issuer"), all of which are wholly-owned, indirect subsidiaries of CCIC. The Tower Revenue Notes and 2009 Securitized Notes are governed by separate indentures. The May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes and July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes (each as defined below) are governed by one indenture and consist of multiple series of notes, each with its own anticipated repayment date. In May 2015, the Company issued $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Secured Tower Revenue Notes ("May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes"), which were issued pursuant to the existing indenture and have similar terms and security as the Company's then outstanding Tower Revenue Notes. The May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes originally consisted of (1) $300 million aggregate principal amount of 3.222% senior secured tower revenue notes with an anticipated repayment date of May 2022 and a final maturity date of May 2042 and (2) $700 million aggregate principal amount of 3.663% senior secured tower revenue notes with an anticipated repayment date of May 2025 and a final maturity date of May 2045. The Company primarily used the net proceeds of the May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes, together with proceeds received from the Company's sale of the formerly 77.6% owned subsidiary that operated towers in Australia ("CCAL"), to (1) repay $250 million aggregate principal amount of the previously outstanding August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes, which had an anticipated repayment date of August 2015, (2) repay all of the then outstanding WCP Secured Wireless Site Contracts Revenue Notes, Series 2010-1 ("WCP Securitized Notes"), (3) repay portions of outstanding borrowings under the 2012 Credit Facility and (4) pay related fees and expenses. In June 2021, the Company used a portion of the net proceeds from the June 2021 Senior Notes (as defined below) offering to repay $300 million of the May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes which had an anticipated repayment date of May 2022. In July 2018, the Company issued $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Secured Tower Revenue Notes ("July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes"), which were issued pursuant to the existing indenture and have similar terms and security as the Company's existing Tower Revenue Notes. The July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes consist of (1) $250 million aggregate principal amount of 3.720% senior secured tower revenue notes with an anticipated repayment date of July 2023 and a final maturity of July 2043 and (2) $750 million aggregate principal amount of 4.241% senior secured tower revenue notes with an anticipated repayment date of July 2028 and a final maturity of July 2048. The Company used the net proceeds of the July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes, together with cash on hand, to repay all of the previously outstanding Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2010-6 and to pay related fees and expenses. In addition to the July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes described above, in connection with Exchange Act risk retention requirements ("Risk Retention Rules"), an indirect subsidiary of the Company issued and a majority-owned affiliate of the Company purchased approximately $53 million of the Senior Secured Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-1, Class R-2028 to retain an eligible horizontal residual interest (as defined in the Risk Retention Rules) in an amount equal to at least 5% of the fair value of the July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes. The Securitized Debt is paid solely from the cash flows generated by the operation of the towers held directly and indirectly by the issuers of the respective Securitized Debt. The Securitized Debt is secured by, among other things, (1) a security interest in substantially all of the applicable issuers' assignable personal property, (2) a pledge of the equity interests in each applicable issuer and (3) a security interest in the applicable issuers' leases with tenants to lease tower space (space licenses). The governing instruments of two indirect subsidiaries ("Crown Atlantic" and "Crown GT") of the issuers of the Tower Revenue Notes generally prevent them from issuing debt and granting liens on their assets without the approval of a subsidiary of Verizon Communications. Consequently, while distributions paid by Crown Atlantic and Crown GT will service the Tower Revenue Notes, the Tower Revenue Notes are not obligations of, nor are the Tower Revenue Notes secured by the cash flows or any other assets of, Crown Atlantic and Crown GT. As of December 31, 2021, the Securitized Debt was collateralized with personal property and equipment with an aggregate net book value of approximately $855 million, exclusive of Crown Atlantic and Crown GT personal property and equipment. The excess cash flows from the issuers of the Securitized Debt, after the payment of principal, interest, reserves, expenses and management fees, are distributed to the Company in accordance with the terms of the indentures. If the Debt Service Coverage Ratio ("DSCR") (as defined in the applicable governing loan agreement) as of the end of any calendar quarter falls to a certain level, then all excess cash flow of the issuers of the applicable debt instrument will be deposited into a reserve account instead of being released to the Company. The funds in the reserve account will not be released to the Company until the DSCR exceeds a certain level for two consecutive calendar quarters. If the DSCR falls below a certain level as of the end of any calendar quarter, then all cash on deposit in the reserve account along with future excess cash flows of the issuers will be applied to prepay the debt with applicable prepayment consideration. The Company may repay the May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes or the 2009 Securitized Notes in whole or in part at any time after the second anniversary of the applicable issuance date and the July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes from the date of issuance, provided in each case that such prepayment is accompanied by any applicable prepayment consideration. The Securitized Debt has covenants and restrictions customary for rated securitizations, including provisions prohibiting the issuers from incurring additional indebtedness or further encumbering their assets. Bonds—Senior Notes In February 2021, the Company issued $3.25 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes ("February 2021 Senior Notes"), which consisted of (1) $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 1.050% senior unsecured notes due July 2026, (2) $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 2.100% senior unsecured notes due April 2031 and (3) $1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of 2.900% senior unsecured notes due April 2041. The Company used the net proceeds from the February 2021 Senior Notes offering to (1) redeem all of the outstanding 5.250% Senior Notes, (2) repay a portion of the outstanding Commercial Paper Notes and (3) repay a portion of outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Term Loan A. In June 2021, the Company issued $750 million aggregate principal amount of 2.500% senior unsecured notes due July 2031 ("June 2021 Senior Notes"). In June 2021, the Company used a portion of the net proceeds from the June 2021 Senior Notes offering (1) to repay outstanding Commercial Paper Notes and (2) for general corporate purposes. In July 2021, the Company used a portion of the net proceeds to repay in full the previously outstanding Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-1. In April 2020, the Company issued $1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes ("April 2020 Senior Notes"), which consisted of (1) $750 million aggregate principal amount of 3.300% senior unsecured notes due July 2030 and (2) $500 million aggregate principal amount of 4.150% senior unsecured notes due July 2050. The Company used the net proceeds of the April 2020 Senior Notes offering to repay outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Revolver. In June 2020, the Company issued $2.5 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes ("June 2020 Senior Notes"), which consisted of (1) $500 million aggregate principal amount of 1.350% senior unsecured notes due July 2025, (2) $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of 2.250% senior unsecured notes due January 2031 and (3) $900 million aggregate principal amount of 3.250% senior unsecured notes due January 2051. The Company used the net proceeds of the June 2020 Senior Notes offering, together with available cash, to redeem all of the previously outstanding 3.400% Senior Notes, 2.250% Senior Notes and 4.875% Senior Notes. In February 2019, the Company issued $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes ("February 2019 Senior Notes"), which consisted of (1) $600 million aggregate principal amount of 4.300% senior unsecured notes due February 2029 and (2) $400 million aggregate principal amount of 5.200% senior unsecured notes due February 2049. The Company used the net proceeds of the February 2019 Senior Notes offering to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Revolver. In August 2019, the Company issued $900 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes ("August 2019 Senior Notes"), which consisted of (1) $550 million aggregate principal amount of 3.100% senior unsecured notes due November 2029 and (2) $350 million aggregate principal amount of 4.000% senior unsecured notes due November 2049. The Company used the net proceeds of the August 2019 Senior Notes offering to repay outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Revolver and CP Program. In January 2018, the Company issued $750 million aggregate principal amount of 3.150% senior unsecured notes due July 2023 and $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 3.800% senior unsecured notes due February 2028 (collectively, "January 2018 Senior Notes"). The Company used the net proceeds of the January 2018 Senior Notes offering to repay (1) in full the previously outstanding January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes and (2) a portion of the outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Revolver. In February 2017, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 4.000% senior unsecured notes due March 2027 ("4.000% Senior Notes"). The Company used the net proceeds from the 4.000% Senior Notes offering to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Revolver. In May 2017, the Company issued $350 million aggregate principal amount of 4.750% senior unsecured notes due May 2047 ("4.750% Senior Notes"). The Company used the net proceeds from the 4.750% Senior Notes offering to partially fund the 2017 acquisition of Wilcon Holdings LLC and to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Revolver. In August 2017, the Company issued $1.75 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes ("August 2017 Senior Notes"), which consisted of (1) $750 million aggregate principal amount of 3.200% senior unsecured notes due September 2024 ("3.200% Senior Notes") and (2) $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 3.650% senior unsecured notes due September 2027 ("3.650% Senior Notes"). The Company used the net proceeds from the August 2017 Senior Notes offering to partially fund the 2017 acquisition of LTS Group Holdings LLC and pay related fees and expenses. In February 2016, the Company issued $1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes ("February 2016 Senior Notes"), which consisted of (1) $600 million aggregate principal amount of 3.400% senior notes due February 2021 ("3.400% Senior Notes") and (2) $900 million aggregate principal amount of 4.450% senior unsecured notes due February 2026 ("4.450% Senior Notes"). The Company used the net proceeds from the February 2016 Senior Notes offering, together with cash on hand, to (1) repay in full all outstanding borrowings under the then outstanding 364-Day Facility and (2) repay $500 million of outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Revolver. In May 2016, the Company issued $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes ("May 2016 Senior Notes"), which consisted of (1) $250 million aggregate principal amount of additional 3.400% Senior Notes pursuant to the same indenture as the 3.400% Senior Notes issued in the February 2016 Senior Notes offering and (2) $750 million aggregate principal amount of 3.700% senior unsecured notes due June 2026 ("3.700% Senior Notes"). The Company used the net proceeds from the May 2016 Senior Notes offering to repay in full the previously outstanding Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2010-2 and Series 2010-5, each issued by certain of its subsidiaries, and to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Revolver. In October 2012, the Company issued $1.65 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.250% senior unsecured notes due 2023 ("5.250% Senior Notes"). The Company used the net proceeds from the 5.250% Senior Notes offering to partially fund the T-Mobile Acquisition. Each of the 4.450% Senior Notes, May 2016 Senior Notes, 4.000% Senior Notes, 4.750% Senior Notes, August 2017 Senior Notes, January 2018 Senior Notes, February 2019 Senior Notes, August 2019 Senior Notes, April 2020 Senior Notes, June 2020 Senior Notes, February 2021 Senior Notes and June 2021 Senior Notes (collectively, "Senior Notes") are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and rank equally with all of the Company's existing and future senior unsecured indebtedness, including obligations under the 2016 Credit Facility, and senior to all of the Company's future subordinated indebtedness. The Senior Notes are structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations of the Company's subsidiaries. The Company's subsidiaries are not guarantors of the Senior Notes. CCIC may redeem any of the Senior Notes in whole or in part at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount to be redeemed, plus a make whole premium, if applicable, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of redemption. Bonds—Secured Notes In December 2012, the Company issued $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 3.849% secured notes due 2023 ("3.849% Secured Notes"). The 3.849% Secured Notes were issued and are guaranteed by the same subsidiaries of CCIC that had previously issued and guaranteed the 7.750% senior unsecured notes due 2017 ("7.750% Secured Notes"). The 3.849% Secured Notes are secured by a pledge of the equity interests of such subsidiaries. The 3.849% Secured Notes are not guaranteed by and are not obligations of CCIC or any of its subsidiaries other than the issuers and guarantors of the 3.849% Secured Notes. The 3.849% Secured Notes will be paid solely from the cash flows generated from operations of the towers held directly and indirectly by the issuers and the guarantors of such notes. The Company used the net proceeds from the issuance of the 3.849% Secured Notes to repurchase and redeem the then outstanding 7.750% Secured Notes and a portion of the then outstanding 9.000% senior notes due 2011. The 3.849% Secured Notes may be redeemed at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus a make whole premium, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any to the redemption date. Previously Outstanding Indebtedness See above for a discussion of the Company's recent redemptions and repayments of debt. Scheduled Principal Payments and Final Maturities The following are the scheduled principal payments and final maturities of the total debt and other long-term obligations of the Company outstanding as of December 31, 2021, which do not consider the principal payments that will commence following the anticipated repayment dates on the Tower Revenue Notes. If the Tower Revenue Notes are not paid in full on or prior to their respective anticipated repayment dates, as applicable, then the Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture) of the issuers of such notes will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the Tower Revenue Notes and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the Tower Revenue Notes. Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Thereafter Total Cash Obligations Unamortized Adjustments, Net Total Debt and Other Obligations Outstanding Scheduled principal payments and final maturities $ 338 (a) $ 1,841 $ 844 $ 637 $ 1,659 $ 15,478 $ 20,797 $ (168) $ 20,629 (a) Predominately consists of outstanding indebtedness under the CP Program. Such amounts may be issued, repaid or re-issued from time to time. Debt Purchases and Redemptions The following is a summary of the purchases and redemptions of debt during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Year Ended December 31, 2021 Principal Amount Cash Paid (a) Gains (losses) (b) 5.250% Senior Notes $ 1,650 $ 1,789 $ (143) 2016 Term Loan A — — (1) Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-1 300 300 (1) Total $ 1,950 $ 2,089 $ (145) (a) Exclusive of accrued interest. (b) Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs. Year Ended December 31, 2020 Principal Amount Cash Paid (a) Gains (losses) (b) 3.400% Senior Notes $ 850 $ 863 $ (13) 2.250% Senior Notes 700 714 (16) 4.875% Senior Notes 850 913 (66) Total $ 2,400 $ 2,490 $ (95) (a) Exclusive of accrued interest. (b) Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs. Year Ended December 31, 2019 Principal Amount Cash Paid (a) Gains (losses) (b) Secured Notes, Series 2009-1, Class A-1 $ 12 $ 12 $ (1) 2016 Term Loan A — — (1) Total $ 12 $ 12 $ (2) (a) Exclusive of accrued interest. (b) Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs.

Fair Value Disclosures

Fair Value Disclosures	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Disclosures	Fair Value Disclosures The following table shows the estimated fair values of the Company's financial instruments, along with the carrying amounts of the related assets (liabilities). See also note 2. Level in Fair Value Hierarchy December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Carrying Fair Carrying Fair Assets: Cash and cash equivalents 1 $ 292 $ 292 $ 232 $ 232 Restricted cash, current and non-current 1 174 174 149 149 Liabilities: Total debt and other obligations 2 20,629 21,588 19,280 21,302

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes by geographic area is summarized in the table below. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Domestic $ 1,144 $ 1,046 $ 850 Foreign (a) 35 30 31 Total $ 1,179 $ 1,076 $ 881 (a) Inclusive of income (loss) before income taxes from Puerto Rico. The benefit (provision) for income taxes consists of the following: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Current: Federal $ (5) $ (6) $ (6) Foreign (8) (6) (8) State (4) (5) (5) Total current (17) (17) (19) Deferred: Foreign (4) (3) (2) Total deferred (4) (3) (2) Total tax benefit (provision) $ (21) $ (20) $ (21) A reconciliation between the benefit (provision) for income taxes and the amount computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate to the income (loss) before income taxes is as follows: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Benefit (provision) for income taxes at statutory rate $ (248) $ (225) $ (185) Tax effect of foreign income (losses) — — 1 Tax adjustment related to REIT operations 243 219 178 State tax (provision) benefit, net of federal (4) (5) (5) Foreign tax (12) (9) (10) Total $ (21) $ (20) $ (21) The components of the net deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows: December 31, 2021 2020 Deferred income tax liabilities: Property and equipment $ 7 $ 7 Deferred site rental receivable 8 7 Total deferred income tax liabilities 15 14 Deferred income tax assets: Intangible assets 1 3 Net operating loss carryforwards (a) 13 15 Straight-line rent expense liability 4 3 Accrued liabilities 6 6 Other 2 2 Total deferred income tax assets, net 26 29 Net deferred income tax asset (liabilities) $ 11 $ 15 (a) Balance results from the Company's foreign NOLs. Due to the Company's REIT status, no federal or state NOLs result in the Company recording a deferred income tax asset. See further discussion surrounding the Company's NOL balances below. The Company operates as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The components of the net deferred income tax assets (liabilities) are as follows: December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Classification Gross Valuation Net Gross Valuation Net Federal $ 25 $ — $ 25 $ 25 $ — $ 25 State 1 — 1 1 — 1 Foreign (15) — (15) (11) — (11) Total $ 11 $ — $ 11 $ 15 $ — $ 15 At December 31, 2021, the Company had U.S. federal and state NOLs of approximately $1.5 billion and $0.6 billion , respectively, which are available to offset future taxable income. These amounts include approximately $237 million of losses related to stock-based compensation. The Company also has foreign NOLs of $34 million. If not utilized, the Company's U.S. federal NOLs expire starting in 2025 and ending in 2036, the state NOLs expire starting in 2022 and ending in 2036, and the foreign NOLs expire starting in 2023 and ending in 2036. The utilization of the NOLs is subject to certain limitations. The Company's U.S. federal and state income tax returns generally remain open to examination by taxing authorities until three years after the applicable NOLs have been used or expired. As of December 31, 2021, there were no unrecognized tax benefits that would impact the effective tax rate, if recognized. From time to time, the Company is subject to examinations by various tax authorities in jurisdictions in which the Company has business operations. At this time, the Company is not subject to an Internal Revenue Service examination. On April 26, 2021, the Company entered into an agreement in principle with the Australian Taxation Office ("ATO") to pay A$83 million to settle the previously disclosed outstanding audit of the Australian tax consequences of the Company’s 2015 sale of Crown Castle Australia Holdings Pty Ltd ("CCAL"), formerly a 77.6% owned Australian subsidiary of the Company ("ATO Settlement"). The sale of CCAL generated approximately $1.2 billion in net proceeds to the Company, and resulted in a gain from the disposal of discontinued operations of $979 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. On June 16, 2021, the Company entered into a definitive settlement agreement with the ATO evidencing the ATO Settlement. On July 1, 2021, the Company paid approximately $62 million (A$83 million), based on the exchange rate in effect on that date, pursuant to the ATO Settlement. The Company recognized the ATO Settlement as a charge within discontinued operations in its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2021, as this amount represented a reduction to the gain from the disposal of discontinued operations previously reported during the year ended December 31, 2015. The Company reflected the payment pursuant to the ATO Settlement within discontinued operations in the Company's consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021. The Company regularly assesses the likelihood of additional assessments in each of the tax jurisdictions in which it has business operations. The Company has no uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2021. Additionally, the Company does not believe any such additional assessments arising from other examinations or audits will have a material effect on the Company's financial statements.

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	Equity 2018 "At-The-Market" Stock Offering Program The Company previously maintained an "at-the-market" stock offering program through which it had the right to issue and sell shares of its common stock having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $750 million ("2018 ATM Program"). The Company terminated its previously outstanding 2018 ATM Program in March 2021 with the entire gross sales price of $750 million remaining unsold. 2021 "At-the-Market" Stock Offering Program In March 2021, the Company established a new "at-the-market" stock offering program through which it may issue and sell shares of its common stock having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $750 million ("2021 ATM Program"). Sales under the 2021 ATM Program may be made by means of ordinary brokers' transactions on the NYSE or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or, subject to the Company's specific instructions, at negotiated prices. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from any sales under the 2021 ATM Program for general corporate purposes, which may include (1) the funding of future acquisitions or investments or (2) the repayment or repurchase of any outstanding indebtedness. The Company has not sold any shares of common stock under the 2021 ATM Program. Convertible Preferred Stock Conversion In July and August 2020, all of the approximately 2 million shares of the Company's previously outstanding 6.875% Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock were converted into approximately 14 million shares of the Company's common stock at a conversion rate (based on the applicable market value of the common stock and subject to certain anti-dilutive adjustments) of 8.8043 shares of common stock per each share of 6.875% Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock. Declaration and Payment of Dividends During the year ended December 31, 2021, the following dividends/distributions were declared or paid: Equity Type Declaration Date Record Date Payment Date Dividends Per Share Aggregate Payment Amount (a) Common Stock February 18, 2021 March 15, 2021 March 31, 2021 $ 1.33 $ 581 Common Stock May 21, 2021 June 14, 2021 June 30, 2021 $ 1.33 $ 579 Common Stock August 5, 2021 September 15, 2021 September 30, 2021 $ 1.33 $ 578 Common Stock October 18, 2021 December 15, 2021 December 31, 2021 $ 1.47 $ 639 (a) Inclusive of dividends accrued for holders of unvested RSUs, which will be paid when and if the RSUs vest. See also note 17 for a discussion of the Company's common stock dividend declared in February 2022. Tax Treatment of Dividends The following table summarizes, for income tax purposes, the nature of dividends paid during 2021 on the Company's common stock . Equity Type Payment Date Cash Distribution (per share) Ordinary Taxable Dividend (per share) Qualified Taxable Dividend (per share) (a) Section 199A Dividend (per share) Non-Taxable Distribution (per share) Common Stock March 31, 2021 $ 1.330000 $ 0.784306 $ 0.012321 $ 0.771985 $ 0.545694 Common Stock June 30, 2021 $ 1.330000 $ 0.784306 $ 0.012321 $ 0.771985 $ 0.545694 Common Stock September 30, 2021 $ 1.330000 $ 0.784306 $ 0.012321 $ 0.771985 $ 0.545694 Common Stock December 31, 2021 $ 1.470000 $ 0.866865 $ 0.013617 $ 0.853248 $ 0.603135 (a) Qualified taxable dividend and section 199A dividend amounts are included in ordinary taxable dividend amounts. Purchases of the Company's Common Stock During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company purchased 0.4 million, 0.5 million and 0.4 million shares of common stock, respectively, utilizing $70 million, $76 million and $44 million in cash, respectively.

Stock-based Compensation

Stock-based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]
Stock-based Compensation	Stock-based Compensation Stock Compensation Plans Pursuant to a stockholder approved plan, the Company has and is permitted to grant stock-based awards to certain employees, consultants or non-employee directors of the Company and its subsidiaries or affiliates. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has approximately 7 million shares available for future issuance pursuant to its 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan ("LTI Plan"). Of the shares remaining available for future issuance, approximately 2 million shares may be issued pursuant to outstanding RSUs granted under the LTI Plan. Restricted Stock Units The Company issues RSUs to certain executives and employees. Each RSU represents a contingent right to receive one share of the Company's common stock subject to satisfaction of the applicable vesting terms. The RSUs granted to certain executives and employees include (1) annual performance awards that generally include provisions for forfeiture by the employee if certain market performance of the Company's common stock (as further described below) is not achieved, (2) new hire or promotional awards that generally contain only service-based vesting conditions and (3) other awards related to specific business initiatives or compensation objectives including retention and merger integration. Generally, such awards vest over periods of approximately three years. The following is a summary of the RSU activity during the year ended December 31, 2021. RSUs (In millions) Outstanding at the beginning of year 2 Granted 1 Vested (1) Forfeited — Outstanding at end of year 2 The Company granted approximately one million RSUs to the Company's executives and certain other employees for each of the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. The weighted-average grant-date fair value per share of the grants for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $155.01, $160.78 and $106.55 per share, respectively. The weighted-average requisite service period for the RSUs granted during 2021 was approximately 2.3 years. Of the approximately one million RSUs granted during the year ended December 31, 2021, (1) approximately 0.6 million RSUs were subject to time-based vesting conditions, vesting over a three-year period and (2) approximately 0.4 million RSUs were granted to the Company's executives and certain other employees and may vest on the third anniversary of the grant date based upon (a) the Company's total stockholder returns (defined as share price appreciation plus the value of dividends paid during the performance period) and (b) the Company's total stockholder return compared to that of the companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Certain RSU agreements contain provisions that result in forfeiture by the employee of any unvested shares in the event that the Company's common stock does not achieve certain performance targets. To the extent that the requisite service is rendered, compensation cost for accounting purposes is not reversed; rather, it is recognized regardless of whether or not the market performance target is achieved. The following table summarizes the assumptions used in the Monte Carlo simulation to determine the grant-date fair value for the RSUs with market conditions granted during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Risk-free rate 0.2 % 1.4 % 2.5 % Expected volatility 30 % 19 % 18 % Expected dividend rate 3.4 % 3.5 % 4.0 % The Company recognized aggregate stock-based compensation expense related to RSUs of $110 million, $111 million and $96 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The aggregate unrecognized compensation (net of estimated forfeitures) related to RSUs at December 31, 2021 is $97 million and is estimated to be recognized over a weighted-average period of less than one year. The following table is a summary of the RSUs vested during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Years Ended December 31, Total Shares Fair Value on (In millions 2021 1 $ 199 2020 1 220 2019 1 135 Stock-based Compensation The following table discloses the components of stock-based compensation expense. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Stock-based compensation expense: Site rental costs of operations $ 14 $ 16 $ 19 Services and other costs of operations 8 8 7 Selling, general and administrative expenses 109 109 90 Total stock-based compensation $ 131 $ 133 $ 116

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies Durham Lawsuits The Company has received notices of claims and has been named as one of several defendants in lawsuits stemming from an April 2019 gas leak explosion in Durham, North Carolina, which occurred near an area where the Company's subcontractors were installing fiber. The explosion resulted in two fatalities, physical injuries (some of which were serious), and property damage to surrounding buildings and businesses. Currently, the Company is unable to determine the likelihood of an outcome or estimate a range of possible losses, if any, related to these lawsuits. New York State Department of Transportation In 2019, the State of New York passed legislation authorizing the Department of Transportation ("NYSDOT") to enter into agreements with any fiber provider for the use and occupancy of the state right-of-way for fiber optic lines. The legislation authorizes the NYSDOT to charge a fee of up to fair market value for such use and occupancy. To date, the Company has paid fees relating to newly deployed fiber lines but has not been required to pay, and has not recognized any costs in connection with, any fees relating to previously deployed fiber lines. The Company believes that the legislation violates both federal and state law and is evaluating its legal options regarding any use and occupancy fees that may be assessed on previously deployed fiber. Currently, the Company is unable to determine the likelihood of an outcome or reasonably estimate the amount of fees, if any, that it may be required to pay as a result of the legislation. Other Matters The Company is involved in various other claims, assessments, lawsuits or proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. While there are uncertainties inherent in the ultimate outcome of such other matters and it is impossible to presently determine the ultimate costs or losses that may be incurred, if any, management believes the adverse resolution of such uncertainties and the incurrence of such costs should not have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position or results of operations. Additionally, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries are contingently liable for commitments or performance guarantees arising in the ordinary course of business, including certain letters of credit or surety bonds. See note 13 for a discussion of the operating lease commitments. In addition, see note 1 for a discussion of the Company's option to purchase approximately 53% of its towers at the end of their respective lease terms. The Company has no obligation to exercise such purchase options.

Leases (Notes)

Leases (Notes)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Leases [Abstract]
Leases [Text Block]	Leases Lessor Tenant Leases See note 3 for further information regarding the contractual amounts owed to the Company pursuant to tenant contracts in effect as of December 31, 2021 and other information. Lessee Operating Leases The components of the Company's operating lease expense are as follows: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Lease cost: Operating lease expense (a) $ 646 $ 640 $ 632 Variable lease expense (b) 164 153 149 Total lease expense (c) $ 810 $ 793 $ 781 (a) Represents the Company's operating lease expense related to its ROU assets for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. (b) Represents the Company's expense related to contingent payments for operating leases (such as payments based on revenues derived from the communications infrastructure located on the leased asset) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Such contingencies are recognized as expense in the period they are resolved. (c) Excludes those direct operating expenses accounted for pursuant to accounting guidance outside the scope of ASC 842. Lessee Finance Leases The vast majority of the Company's finance leases are related to the towers subject to prepaid master lease agreements with AT&T and T-Mobile, including agreements assumed by T-Mobile in connection with its merger with Sprint, and are recorded as "Property and equipment, net" on the consolidated balance sheet. See note 1 for further discussion of the Company's prepaid master lease agreements. Finance leases and associated leasehold improvements related to gross property and equipment and accumulated depreciation were $4.3 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively, as of December 31, 2021. Finance leases and associated leasehold improvements related to gross property and equipment and accumulated depreciation were $4.4 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company recorded $200 million and $211 million, respectively, to "Depreciation, amortization and accretion" related to finance leases. Other Lessee Information As of December 31, 2021, the Company's weighted-average remaining lease term and weighted-average discount rate for operating leases were 16 years and 3.4%, respectively. The following table is a summary of the Company's maturities of operating lease liabilities as of December 31, 2021: Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Thereafter Total undiscounted lease payments Less: Imputed interest Total operating lease liabilities Operating leases (a) $ 556 $ 553 $ 545 $ 530 $ 520 $ 5,749 $ 8,453 $ (2,073) $ 6,380 (a) Excludes the Company's contingent payments for operating leases (such as payments based on revenues derived from the communications infrastructure located on the leased asset) as such arrangements are excluded from the Company's operating lease liability. Such contingencies are recognized as expense in the period they are resolved.

Operating Segments and Concentr

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risks	Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk Operating Segments The Company's operating segments consist of (1) Towers and (2) Fiber. The Towers segment provides access, including space or capacity, to the Company's more than 40,000 towers geographically dispersed throughout the U.S. The Towers segment also reflects certain ancillary services relating to the Company's towers, predominately consisting of site development services and installation services. The Fiber segment provides access, including space or capacity, to the Company's more than 80,000 route miles of fiber primarily supporting small cell networks and fiber solutions geographically dispersed throughout the U.S. The measurements of profit or loss used by the Company's chief operating decision maker ("CODM") to evaluate the performance of its operating segments are (1) segment site rental gross margin, (2) segment services and other gross margin and (3) segment operating profit. The Company defines segment site rental gross margin as segment site rental revenues less segment site rental costs of operations, excluding stock-based compensation expense and prepaid lease purchase price adjustments recorded in consolidated site rental costs of operations. The Company defines segment services and other gross margin as segment services and other revenues less segment services and other costs of operations, excluding stock-based compensation expense recorded in consolidated services and other costs of operations. The Company defines segment operating profit as segment site rental gross margin plus segment services and other gross margin, and segment other operating (income) expense, less selling, general and administrative expenses attributable to the respective segment. All of these measurements of profit or loss are exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion, which are shown separately. Costs that are directly attributable to Towers and Fiber are assigned to those respective segments. Additionally, certain costs are shared across segments and are reflected in the Company's segment measures through allocations that management believes to be reasonable. The "Other" column (1) represents amounts excluded from specific segments, such as asset write-down charges, acquisition and integration costs, depreciation, amortization and accretion, amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments, interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs, gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations, interest income, other income (expense), income (loss) from discontinued operations, and stock-based compensation expense, and (2) reconciles segment operating profit to income (loss) before income taxes, as the amounts are not utilized in assessing each segment’s performance. The "Other" total assets balance includes corporate assets such as cash and cash equivalents which have not been allocated to specific segments. There are no significant revenues resulting from transactions between the Company's operating segments. Year Ended December 31, 2021 Towers Fiber Other Consolidated Segment site rental revenues $ 3,804 $ 1,915 $ 5,719 Segment services and other revenues 601 20 621 Segment revenues 4,405 1,935 6,340 Segment site rental costs of operations 889 633 1,522 Segment services and other costs of operations 414 17 431 Segment costs of operations (a)(b) 1,303 650 1,953 Segment site rental gross margin 2,915 1,282 4,197 Segment services and other gross margin 187 3 190 Segment selling, general and administrative expenses (b) 107 174 281 Segment operating profit (loss) 2,995 1,111 4,106 Other selling, general and administrative expenses (b) $ 290 290 Stock-based compensation expense 131 131 Depreciation, amortization and accretion 1,644 1,644 Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs 657 657 Other (income) expenses to reconcile to income (loss) before income taxes (c) 205 205 Income (loss) before income taxes $ 1,179 Capital expenditures $ 221 $ 956 $ 52 $ 1,229 Total assets (at year end) $ 22,318 $ 15,876 $ 846 $ 39,040 Total goodwill (at year end) $ 5,127 $ 4,951 $ — $ 10,078 (a) Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately. (b) Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $22 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $18 million. For the year ended December 31, 2021, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $109 million. (c) See consolidated statement of operations for further information. Year Ended December 31, 2020 Towers Fiber Other Consolidated Segment site rental revenues $ 3,497 $ 1,823 $ 5,320 Segment services and other revenues 500 20 520 Segment revenues 3,997 1,843 5,840 Segment site rental costs of operations 866 620 1,486 Segment services and other costs of operations 429 12 441 Segment costs of operations (a)(b) 1,295 632 1,927 Segment site rental gross margin 2,631 1,203 3,834 Segment services and other gross margin 71 8 79 Segment selling, general and administrative expenses (b) 100 186 286 Segment other operating (income) expense (c) — (362) (362) Segment operating profit (loss) 2,602 1,387 3,989 Other selling, general and administrative expenses (b) $ 283 283 Stock-based compensation expense 133 133 Depreciation, amortization and accretion 1,608 1,608 Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs 689 689 Other (income) expenses to reconcile to income (loss) before income taxes (d) 200 200 Income (loss) before income taxes $ 1,076 Capital expenditures $ 335 $ 1,232 $ 57 $ 1,624 Total assets (at year end) $ 22,242 $ 15,746 $ 780 $ 38,768 Total goodwill (at year end) $ 5,127 $ 4,951 $ — $ 10,078 (a) Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately. (b) Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $24 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $18 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $109 million. (c) See note 15 for further information. (d) See consolidated statement of operations for further information. Year Ended December 31, 2019 Towers Fiber Other Consolidated Segment site rental revenues $ 3,389 $ 1,704 $ 5,093 Segment services and other revenues 653 17 670 Segment revenues 4,042 1,721 5,763 Segment site rental costs of operations 864 559 1,423 Segment services and other costs of operations 506 11 517 Segment costs of operations (a)(b) 1,370 570 1,940 Segment site rental gross margin 2,525 1,145 3,670 Segment services and other gross margin 147 6 153 Segment selling, general and administrative expenses (b) 96 195 291 Segment operating profit (loss) 2,576 956 3,532 Other selling, general and administrative expenses (b) $ 233 233 Stock-based compensation expense 116 116 Depreciation, amortization and accretion 1,572 1,572 Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs 683 683 Other (income) expenses to reconcile to income (loss) before income taxes (c) 47 47 Income (loss) before income taxes $ 881 Capital expenditures $ 543 $ 1,473 $ 41 $ 2,057 Total assets (at year end) $ 22,357 $ 15,389 $ 711 $ 38,457 Total goodwill (at year end) $ 5,127 $ 4,951 $ — $ 10,078 (a) Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately. (b) Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $26 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $20 million. For the year ended December 31, 2019, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $90 million. (c) See consolidated statement of operations for further information. Major Tenants The following table summarizes the percentage of the consolidated revenues for those tenants accounting for more than 10% of the consolidated revenues. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 (a) 2019 T-Mobile 35 % 36 % 22 % AT&T 20 % 22 % 21 % Verizon Wireless 20 % 19 % 19 % Sprint — % — % 14 % Total 75 % 77 % 76 % (a) For the year ended December 31, 2020, revenues attributable to T-Mobile include revenues previously derived from Sprint. On April 1, 2020, T-Mobile and Sprint announced the completion of their previously disclosed merger. Concentrations of Credit Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk are primarily cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and trade receivables. The Company mitigates its risk with respect to cash and cash equivalents by maintaining such deposits at high credit quality financial institutions and monitoring the credit ratings of those institutions. The Company's restricted cash is predominately held and directed by a trustee (see note 2). The Company derives the largest portion of its revenues from tenants in the wireless industry. The Company also has a concentration in its volume of business with T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon Wireless or their agents that accounts for a significant portion of the Company's revenues, receivables and deferred site rental receivables. The Company mitigates its concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade receivables by actively monitoring the creditworthiness of its tenants, the use of tenant leases with contractually determinable payment terms or proactive management of past due balances.

Other Operating Income

Other Operating Income	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Other Operating Income	Other Operating Income During the fourth quarter of 2020, T-Mobile notified the Company that it was cancelling approximately 5,700 small cell nodes initially contracted with Sprint ("Sprint Cancellation") prior to its merger with T-Mobile. The majority of the cancelled small cells were not yet constructed and, upon completion, would have been located at the same locations as other T-Mobile small cells. The Sprint Cancellation resulted in T-Mobile accelerating payment of all contractual rental obligations associated with the approximately 5,700 small cells as well as the payment of capital costs incurred to date. The Company received approximately $308 million from T-Mobile pursuant to the Sprint Cancellation, and recognized receipt of this payment as "Other operating income" on its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2020. Additionally, the Company previously received upfront payments from Sprint for certain of the small cells subject to the Sprint Cancellation, which the Company previously recorded as "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities" on its consolidated balance sheet. As a result of the Sprint Cancellation, during the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company recognized the unamortized portion of such upfront payments, or approximately $54 million, as "Other operating income" on its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2020. See also note 2 for a discussion of the Company's separate evaluation and write-off during the year ended December 31, 2020 of property and equipment previously recorded related to the cancelled small cells.

Statement of Cash Flows, Supple

Statement of Cash Flows, Supplemental Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Cash Flow, Supplemental Disclosures [Text Block]	Supplemental Cash Flow Information The following table is a summary of the supplemental cash flow information during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash payments related to operating lease liabilities (a) $ 550 $ 538 $ 541 Interest paid 661 653 661 Income taxes paid 20 19 16 Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities: New ROU assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities 573 627 431 Increase in accounts payable for purchases of property and equipment 3 27 2 Purchase of property and equipment under finance leases and installment land purchases 25 33 33 (a) Excludes the Company's contingent payments pursuant to operating leases, which are recorded as expense in the period such contingencies are resolved. The reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within various lines on the consolidated balance sheet to amounts reported in the consolidated statement of cash flows is shown below. As of December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Cash and cash equivalents $ 292 $ 232 $ 196 Restricted cash, current 169 144 137 Restricted cash reported within other assets, net 5 5 5 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 466 $ 381 $ 338

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events [Text Block]	Subsequent Events Common Stock Dividend On February 8, 2022, the Company's board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.47 per common share. The quarterly dividend will be payable on March 31, 2022, to common stockholders of record as of March 15, 2022.

Schedule II - Valuation and Qua

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Schedule II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Text Block]	Additions Deductions Balance at Charged to Written Off Balance at Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable: 2021 $ 17 $ 5 $ (5) $ 17 2020 $ 18 $ 4 $ (5) $ 17 2019 $ 14 $ 7 $ (3) $ 18 Additions Deductions Balance at Charged to Credited to Balance at Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance: 2021 $ — $ — $ — $ — 2020 $ — $ — $ — $ — 2019 $ 1 $ — $ (1) $ —

Schedule III - Schedule of Real

Schedule III - Schedule of Real Estate and Depreciation (Notes)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
SEC Schedule, 12-28, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation [Line Items]
SEC Schedule, 12-28, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation Disclosure [Text Block]	Description Encumbrances Initial Cost to Company Cost Capitalized Subsequent to Acquisition Gross Amount Carried at Close of Current Period Accumulated Depreciation at Close of Current Period Date of Construction Date Acquired Life on Which Depreciation in Latest Income Statement is Computed Communications infrastructure (a) $ 2,994 (b) (c) (c) $ 26,679 $ (11,582) Various Various Up to 20 years (a) Includes more than 40,000 towers and 80,000 route miles of fiber. No single asset exceeds 5% of the aggregate gross amounts at which the assets were carried at the close of the period set forth in the table above. (b) Encumbrances are reported at face value, without contemplating the effect of deferred financing costs, discounts or premiums. Certain of the Company's debt is secured by (1) a security interest in substantially all of the applicable issuers' assignable personal property, (2) a pledge of the equity interests in each applicable issuer and (3) a security interest in the applicable issuers' leases with tenants to lease tower space (space licenses). (c) The Company has omitted this information, as it would be impracticable to compile such information on an asset-by-asset basis. 2021 2020 Gross amount at beginning $ 25,441 $ 23,854 Additions during period: Acquisitions through foreclosure — — Other acquisitions (a) 75 68 Communications infrastructure construction and improvements 1,047 1,438 Purchase of land interests 66 64 Sustaining capital expenditures 69 66 Other (b) 32 47 Total additions 1,289 1,683 Deductions during period: Cost of real estate sold or disposed (51) (96) Other — — Total deductions (51) (96) Balance at end $ 26,679 $ 25,441 (a) Includes acquisitions of communications infrastructure. (b) Predominately relates to the purchase of property and equipment under finance leases and installment land purchases. 2021 2020 Gross amount of accumulated depreciation at beginning $ (10,478) $ (9,382) Additions during period: Depreciation (1,137) (1,114) Total additions (1,137) (1,114) Deductions during period: Amount for assets sold or disposed 25 18 Other 8 — Total deductions 33 18 Balance at end $ (11,582) $ (10,478)

Accounting Policies (Policies)

Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Restricted Cash	Restricted CashRestricted cash represents (1) the cash held in reserve by the indenture trustees pursuant to the indenture governing certain of the Company's debt instruments, (2) cash securing performance obligations such as letters of credit, as well as (3) any other cash whose use is limited by contractual provisions. The restriction of rental cash receipts is a critical feature of certain of the Company's debt instruments, due to the applicable indenture trustee's ability to utilize the restricted cash for the payment of (1) debt service costs, (2) ground rents, (3) real estate or personal property taxes, (4) insurance premiums related to towers, (5) other assessments by governmental authorities and potential environmental remediation costs, or (6) a portion of advance rents from tenants. The restricted cash in excess of required reserve balances is subsequently released to the Company in accordance with the terms of the indentures. See note 16 for a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash.
Receivables Allowance	Receivables Allowance An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded as an offset to accounts receivable. The Company uses judgment in estimating this allowance and considers historical collections, current credit status, or contractual provisions. Additions to the allowance for doubtful accounts are charged either to "Site rental costs of operations" or to "Services and other costs of operations," as appropriate, and deductions from the allowance are recorded when specific accounts receivable are written off as uncollectible.
General, Leases [Policy Text Block]	Lease Accounting General. The Company evaluates whether a contract meets the definition of a lease whenever a contract grants a party the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. To the extent the identified asset is able to be shared among multiple parties, the Company has determined that one party does not have control of the identified asset and the contract is not considered a lease. The Company accounts for contracts that do not meet the definition of a lease under other relevant accounting guidance (such as ASC 606 for revenue from contracts with customers).
Lessee, Leases [Policy Text Block]	Lessee. For its Tower segment, the Company's lessee arrangements primarily consist of ground leases for land under towers. Ground leases for land are specific to each site, generally contain an initial term of five to 10 years and are renewable (and cancelable after a notice period) at the Company's option. The Company also enters into term easements and ground leases in which it prepays the entire term. For its Fiber segment, the Company's lessee arrangements primarily include leases of fiber assets to support the Company's small cells and fiber solutions. The majority of the Company's lease agreements have certain termination rights that provide for cancellation after a notice period and multiple renewal options exercisable at the Company's option. The Company includes renewal option periods in its calculation of the estimated lease term when it determines the options are reasonably certain to be exercised. When such renewal options are deemed to be reasonably certain, the estimated lease term determined under ASC 842 will be greater than the non-cancelable term of the contractual arrangement. Although certain renewal periods are included in the estimated lease term, the Company would have the ability to terminate or elect to not renew a particular lease if business conditions warrant such a decision. The Company classifies its lessee arrangements at inception as either operating leases or finance leases. A lease is classified as a finance lease if at least one of the following criteria is met: (1) the lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee, (2) the lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the underlying asset that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise, (3) the lease term is for a major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset, (4) the present value of the sum of the lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the underlying asset, or (5) the underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease term. A lease is classified as an operating lease if none of the five criteria described above for finance lease classification is met. Right-of-use ("ROU") assets associated with operating leases are included in "Operating lease right-of-use assets" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Current and long-term portions of lease liabilities related to operating leases are included in "Current portion of operating lease liabilities" and "Operating lease liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet, respectively. ROU assets represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the estimated lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company's present value of its future lease payments. In assessing its leases and determining its lease liability at lease commencement or upon modification, the Company is not able to readily determine the rate implicit for its lessee arrangements, and thus uses its incremental borrowing rate on a collateralized basis to determine the present value of the lease payments. The Company's ROU assets are measured as the balance of the lease liability plus any prepaid or accrued lease payments and any unamortized initial direct costs. For both the Towers and Fiber segments, operating lease expenses are recognized on a ratable basis, regardless of whether the payment terms require the Company to make payments annually, quarterly, monthly, or for the entire term in advance. Certain of the Company's ground lease and fiber lease agreements contain fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed dollar or fixed percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the change in consumer price index ("CPI")). If the payment terms include fixed escalator provisions, the effect of such increases is recognized on a straight-line basis. The Company calculates the straight-line expense over the tenant contract's estimated lease term, including any renewal option periods that the Company deems reasonably certain to be exercised. Lease agreements may also contain provisions for a contingent payment based on (1) the revenues derived from the communications infrastructure located on the leased asset, (2) the change in CPI or (3) the usage of the leased asset. The Company's contingent payments are considered variable lease payments and are (1) not included in the initial measurement of the ROU asset or lease liability due to the uncertainty of the payment amount and (2) recorded as expense in the period such contingencies are resolved. ROU assets associated with finance leases are included in "Property and equipment, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Lease liabilities associated with finance leases are included in "Current maturities of debt and other obligations" and "Debt and other long-term obligations" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. For both its Towers and Fiber segments, the Company measures the lease liability for finance leases using the effective interest method. The initial lease liability is increased to reflect interest on the liability and decreased to reflect payments made during the period. Interest on the lease liability is determined each period during the lease term as the amount that results in a constant periodic discount rate on the remaining balance of the liability. The Company depreciates ROU assets for finance leases on a ratable basis over the applicable lease term. The Company reviews the carrying value of its ROU assets for impairment, similar to its other long-lived assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. The Company could record impairments in the future if there are changes in (1) long-term market conditions, (2) expected future operating results or (3) the utility of the assets that negatively impact the fair value of its ROU assets.
Lessor, Leases Policy	Lessor. The Company's lessor arrangements primarily include tenant contracts for dedicated space (including dedicated fiber) on its shared communications infrastructure. The Company classifies its leases at inception as operating, direct financing or sales-type leases. A lease is classified as a sales-type lease if at least one of the following criteria is met: (1) the lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee, (2) the lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the underlying asset that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise, (3) the lease term is for a major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset, (4) the present value of the sum of the lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the underlying assets or (5) the underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease term. Furthermore, when none of the above criteria is met, a lease is classified as a direct financing lease if both of the following criteria are met: (1) the present value of the of the sum of the lease payments and any residual value guaranteed by the lessee, that is not already reflected in the lease payments, equals or exceeds the fair value of the underlying asset and (2) it is probable that the lessor will collect the lease payments plus any amount necessary to satisfy a residual value guarantee. A lease is classified as an operating lease if it does not qualify as a sales-type or direct financing lease. Currently, the Company classifies all of its lessor arrangements as operating leases. Site rental revenues from the Company’s lessor arrangements are recognized on a straight-line, ratable basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the relevant tenant contract, regardless of whether the payments from the tenant are received in equal monthly amounts during the life of a tenant contract. Certain of the Company's tenant contracts contain fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed-dollar or fixed-percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the change in CPI). If the payment terms call for fixed escalations, upfront payments, or rent-free periods, the rental revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the agreement. When calculating straight-line site rental revenues, the Company considers all fixed elements of tenant contractual escalation provisions.
Property and Equipment	Property and Equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Property and equipment includes land owned in fee and perpetual easements for land, which have no definite life. Depreciation is computed utilizing the straight-line method at rates based upon the estimated useful lives of the various classes of assets. Depreciation of communications infrastructure is generally computed with a useful life equal to the shorter of 20 years or the term of the underlying ground lease (including optional renewal periods). Additions and permanent improvements to the Company's communications infrastructure are capitalized, while maintenance and repairs are expensed. Labor and interest costs incurred directly related to the construction of certain property and equipment are capitalized during the construction phase of projects. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company had $238 million, $270 million and $246 million in capitalized labor costs, respectively. The carrying value of property and equipment is reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. Abandonments and write-offs of property and equipment are recorded to "Asset write-down charges" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) and were $19 million, $77 million and $17 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Asset write-down charges for the year ended December 31, 2020 included the write-off of property and equipment of approximately $63 million which, following the Sprint Cancellation, was deemed to have no alternative future use. See note 15 for further information regarding the Sprint Cancellation.
Asset Retirement Obligations	Asset Retirement Obligations Pursuant to its ground lease, easement and leased facility agreements, the Company records obligations to perform asset retirement activities, including requirements to remove communications infrastructure or remediate the space on which certain of its communications infrastructure is located. The Company does not record an obligation for asset retirement activities related to its fiber, as a settlement date is indeterminable and therefore a reasonable estimation of fair value cannot be made. Asset retirement obligations are included in "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The liability accretes as a result of the passage of time and the related accretion expense is included in "Depreciation, amortization and accretion" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). The associated asset retirement costs are capitalized as an additional carrying amount of the related long-lived asset and depreciated over the useful life of such asset.
Goodwill	GoodwillGoodwill represents the excess of the purchase price for an acquired business over the allocated value of the related net assets. The Company tests goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, regardless of whether adverse events or changes in circumstances have occurred. The annual test begins with goodwill and all intangible assets being allocated to applicable reporting units. The Company's reporting units are the same as its operating segments (Towers and Fiber). The Company then performs a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of the reporting units is less than its carrying amount. If the Company concludes it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, it is necessary to perform a quantitative goodwill impairment test. The quantitative goodwill impairment test compares the estimated fair value of the reporting unit and the carrying value of the reporting unit. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit is greater than its fair value, an impairment loss shall be recognized in an amount equal to such excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The Company performed its most recent annual goodwill impairment test as of October 1, 2021, which resulted in no impairments.
Intangible Assets	Intangible Assets Intangible assets are included in "Site rental contracts and tenant relationships, net" and "Other intangible assets, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and predominately consist of the estimated fair value of site rental contracts and tenant relationships or other contractual rights, such as trademarks, that are recorded in conjunction with acquisitions. The site rental contracts and tenant relationships intangible assets are comprised of (1) the current term of the existing leases, (2) the high rate of tenant retention, and (3) any associated relationships that are expected to generate value following the expiration of all renewal periods under existing leases. The useful lives of intangible assets are estimated based on the period over which the intangible asset is expected to benefit the Company and gives consideration to the expected useful life of other assets to which the useful life may relate. Amortization expense for intangible assets is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each of the intangible assets. The useful life of the site rental contracts and tenant relationships intangible asset is limited by the maximum depreciable life of the communications infrastructure (20 years), as a result of the interdependency of the communications infrastructure and site rental leases. In contrast, the site rental contracts and tenant relationships are estimated to provide economic benefits for several decades because of the low rate of tenant cancellations and high rate of tenant retention experienced to date. Thus, while site rental contracts and tenant relationships are valued based upon the fair value, which includes assumptions regarding both (1) tenants' exercise of optional renewals contained in the acquired leases and (2) renewals of the acquired leases past the contractual term including exercisable options, the site rental contracts and tenant relationships are amortized over a period not to exceed 20 years. The carrying value of other intangible assets with finite useful lives will be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. The Company has a dual grouping policy for purposes of determining the unit of account for testing impairment of the site rental contracts and tenant relationships intangible assets. First, the Company pools the site rental contracts and tenant relationships with the related communications infrastructure assets into portfolio groups for purposes of determining the unit of account for impairment testing. Second and separately, the Company evaluates the site rental contracts and tenant relationships by significant tenant or by tenant grouping for individually insignificant tenants, as appropriate. If the sum of the estimated future cash flows (undiscounted) expected to result from the use or eventual disposition of an asset is less than the carrying amount of the asset, an impairment loss is recognized. Measurement of an impairment loss is based on the fair value of the asset.
Deferred Credits	Deferred Credits Deferred credits are included in "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and consist of the estimated fair value of below-market tenant leases for contractual interests with tenants on acquired communications infrastructure, which are amortized to site rental revenues. Fair value for these deferred credits represents the difference between (1) the stated contractual payments to be made pursuant to the in-place lease and (2) management's estimate of fair market lease rates for each corresponding lease. Deferred credits are measured over a period equal to the estimated remaining economic lease term considering renewal provisions or economics associated with those renewal provisions, to the extent applicable. Deferred credits are amortized over their respected estimated lease terms at the time of acquisition.
Deferred Financing Costs	Deferred Financing CostsThird-party costs incurred to obtain financing, with the exception of costs incurred related to revolving lines of credit, are deferred and are included as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability in "Debt and other long-term obligations" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Third party costs incurred to obtain financing through a revolving line of credit are deferred and are included in "Other assets, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition The Company generates site rental revenues from its core business by providing tenants with access, including space or capacity, to its shared communications infrastructure via long-term tenant contracts in various forms, including lease, license, sublease and service agreements. Providing such access over the length of the tenant contract term represents the Company’s sole performance obligation under its tenant contracts. Site rental revenues. Site rental revenues from the Company's tenant contracts are recognized on a straight-line, ratable basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the relevant tenant contract, which generally ranges from five to 15 years for wireless tenants and three to 20 years for the Company's fiber solutions tenants (including from organizations with high- bandwidth and multi-location demands), regardless of whether the payments from the tenant are received in equal monthly amounts during the life of the tenant contract. Certain of the Company's tenant contracts contain (1) fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed dollar or fixed percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the CPI), (2) multiple renewal periods exercisable at the tenant's option and (3) only limited termination rights at the applicable tenant's option through the current term. If the payment terms call for fixed escalations, upfront payments, or rent-free periods, the revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the agreement. When calculating straight-line rental revenues, the Company considers all fixed elements of tenant contractual escalation provisions, even if such escalation provisions contain a variable element in addition to a minimum. The Company's assets related to straight-line site rental revenues include current amounts of $92 million and $152 million included in "Other current assets" and non-current amounts of $1.6 billion and $1.4 billion included in "Deferred site rental receivables" for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Amounts billed or received prior to being earned are deferred and reflected in "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities." Amounts to which the Company has an unconditional right to payment, which are related to both satisfied or partially satisfied performance obligations, are recorded within "Receivables, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Services and other revenues. As part of the Company’s effort to provide comprehensive communications infrastructure solutions, as an ancillary business, the Company offers certain services primarily relating to its Towers segment, predominately consisting of (1) site development services and (2) installation services. Upon contract commencement, the Company assesses its services to tenants and identifies performance obligations for each promise to provide a distinct service. The Company may have multiple performance obligations for site development services, which primarily include: structural analysis, zoning, permitting and construction drawings. For each of the above performance obligations, services revenues are recognized at completion of the applicable performance obligation, which represents the point at which the Company believes it has transferred goods or services to the tenant. The revenue recognized is based on an allocation of the transaction price among the performance obligations in a respective contract based on estimated standalone selling price. The volume and mix of site development services may vary among contracts and may include a combination of some or all of the above performance obligations. Payments generally are due within 45 to 60 days and generally do not contain variable-consideration provisions. The transaction price for the Company's tower installation services consists of amounts for (1) permanent improvements to the Company's towers that represent a lease component and (2) the performance of the service. Amounts under the Company's tower installation service agreements that represent a lease component are recognized as site rental revenues on a straight-line basis over the length of the associated estimated lease term. For the performance of the installation service, the Company has one performance obligation, which is satisfied at the time of the applicable installation or augmentation and recognized as services and other revenues. Since performance obligations are typically satisfied prior to receiving payment from tenants, the unconditional right to payment is recorded within "Receivables, net" on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The vast majority of the Company’s services generally have a duration of one year or less. Additional information on revenues. As of January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, a total of $2.8 billion and $2.6 billion of unrecognized revenue, respectively, was reported in "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. During the year ended December 31, 2021, approximately $595 million of the January 1, 2021 unrecognized revenue balance was recognized as revenue. As of January 1, 2020, a total of $2.9 billion of unrecognized revenue was reported in "Deferred revenues" and "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. During the year ended December 31, 2020, approximately $575 million of the January 1, 2020 unrecognized revenue balance was recognized as revenue. See note 3 for further discussion regarding the Company’s revenues.
Cost of Operations	Costs of Operations Approximately half of the Company's site rental costs of operations expenses consist of Towers ground lease expenses, and the remainder includes fiber access expenses, property taxes, repairs and maintenance expenses, employee compensation or related benefit costs, or utilities. Generally, the ground leases for land are specific to each site and are for an initial term of five years and are renewable for pre-determined periods. The Company also enters into term easements and ground leases in which it prepays the entire term in advance. Fiber access expenses primarily consist of leases of fiber assets and other access agreements to facilitate the Company's communications infrastructure. Ground lease and fiber access expenses are recognized on a ratable basis, regardless of whether the payment terms require the Company to make payments annually, quarterly, monthly, or for the entire term in advance. Certain of the Company's ground lease and fiber access agreements contain fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed dollar or fixed percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the change in CPI). If the payment terms include fixed escalator provisions, the effect of such increases is recognized on a straight-line basis. The Company's liability related to straight-line expense is included in "Operating lease right-of-use assets" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The Company's assets related to prepaid agreements is included in "Prepaid expenses" and "Operating lease right-of-use assets" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Services and other costs of operations predominately consist of third-party service providers such as contractors and professional services firms and, to a lesser extent, internal labor costs. The Company recognized $20 million as costs of operations during the year ended December 31, 2020 as a result of a reduction in staffing completed during the fourth quarter of 2020. Such costs were comprised of employee severance payments and termination benefits and primarily impacted the Company's Fiber segment.
Acquisitions and Integration Costs	Acquisitions and Integration Costs Direct or incremental costs related to a potential or completed business combination transaction are expensed as incurred. Such costs are predominately comprised of severance, retention bonuses payable to employees of an acquired enterprise, temporary employees to assist with the integration of the acquired operations, fees paid for services (such as consulting, accounting, legal, or engineering reviews), and any other costs directly associated with the transaction. These business combination costs are included in "Acquisition and integration costs" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). For those transactions accounted for as asset acquisitions, these costs are capitalized as part of the purchase price.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-based Compensation Restricted Stock Units. The Company records stock-based compensation expense only for those unvested restricted stock units ("RSUs") for which the requisite service is expected to be rendered. The cumulative effect of a change in the estimated number of RSUs for which the requisite service is expected to be or has been rendered is recognized in the period of the change in the estimate. To the extent that the requisite service is rendered, compensation cost for accounting purposes is not reversed; rather, it is recognized regardless of whether or not the awards vest. A discussion of the Company's valuation techniques and related assumptions and estimates used to measure the Company's stock-based compensation is as follows: Valuation. The fair value of RSUs without market conditions is determined based on the number of shares relating to such RSUs and the quoted price of the Company's common stock at the date of grant. The Company estimates the fair value of RSUs with market conditions granted using a Monte Carlo simulation. The Company's determination of the fair value of RSUs with market conditions on the date of grant is affected by its common stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex or subjective variables. The determination of fair value using a Monte Carlo simulation requires the input of subjective assumptions, and other reasonable assumptions could provide differing results. Amortization Method. The Company amortizes the fair value of all RSUs on a straight-line basis for each separately vesting tranche of the award (graded vesting schedule) over the requisite service periods. Expected Volatility. The Company estimates the volatility of its common stock at the date of grant based on the historical volatility of its common stock. Expected Dividend Rate. The expected dividend rate at the date of grant is based on the then-current dividend yield. Risk-Free Rate. The Company bases the risk-free rate on the implied yield currently available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent remaining term equal to the expected life of the award. Forfeitures. The Company uses historical data and management's judgment about the future employee turnover rates to estimate the number of shares for which the requisite service period will not be rendered.
Interest Expense and Amortization of Deferred Financing Costs	Interest Expense and Amortization of Deferred Financing Costs The components of interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs are as follows: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Interest expense on debt obligations $ 644 $ 683 $ 682 Amortization of deferred financing costs and adjustments on long-term debt, net 25 23 21 Capitalized interest (12) (17) (20) Total $ 657 $ 689 $ 683
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company operates as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, the Company is generally entitled to a deduction for dividends that it pays and therefore is not subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on its net taxable income that is currently distributed to its stockholders. The Company also may be subject to certain federal, state, local and foreign taxes on its income, including (1) taxes on any undistributed income and (2) taxes related to the TRSs, In addition, the Company could under certain circumstances be required to pay an excise or penalty tax, which could be significant in amount, in order to utilize one or more relief provisions under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended ("Code"), to maintain qualification for taxation as a REIT. Additionally, the Company has included in TRSs certain other assets and operations. Those TRS assets and operations will continue to be subject, as applicable, to federal and state corporate income taxes or to foreign taxes in the jurisdictions in which such assets and operations are located. The Company's foreign assets and operations (including its tower operations in Puerto Rico) are subject to foreign income taxes in the jurisdictions in which such assets and operations are located, regardless of whether they are included in a TRS or not. For its REIT conversion and certain subsequent acquisitions into the REIT, the Company will be subject to a federal corporate level tax rate (currently 21%) on any gain recognized from the sale of assets occurring within a specified period (generally 5 years) after the transfer date up to the amount of the built in gain that existed on the transfer date, which is based upon the fair market value of those assets in excess of the Company's tax basis on the transfer date. This gain can be offset by any remaining federal net operating loss carryforwards ("NOLs"). For the Company's TRSs, the Company accounts for income taxes using an asset and liability approach, which requires the recognition of deferred income tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the Company's financial statements or tax returns. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates. A valuation allowance is provided on deferred tax assets if it is determined that it is "more likely than not" that the asset will not be realized. The Company records a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets when it is "more likely than not" that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company reviews the recoverability of deferred tax assets each quarter and based upon projections of future taxable income, reversing deferred tax liabilities or other known events that are expected to affect future taxable income, records a valuation allowance for assets that do not meet the "more likely than not" realization threshold. Valuation allowances may be reversed if related deferred tax assets are deemed realizable based upon changes in facts and circumstances that impact the recoverability of the asset. The Company recognizes a tax position if it is "more likely than not" that it will be sustained upon examination. The tax position is measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company reports penalties and tax-related interest expense as a component of the benefit (provision) for income taxes. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company has not recorded any material penalties related to its income tax positions. See note 9.
Per Share Information	Per Share Information Basic net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, per common share, excludes dilution and is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, diluted net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, per common share, is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, plus any potential dilutive common share equivalents, including shares issuable upon (1) the vesting of restricted stock units as determined under the treasury stock method and (2) conversion of the Company's previously outstanding 6.875% Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A, par value $0.01 per share ("6.875% Convertible Preferred Stock"), as applicable, as determined under the if-converted method. A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted per share computations is shown in the table below. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Income (loss) from continuing operations $ 1,158 $ 1,056 $ 860 Dividends/distributions on preferred stock — (57) (113) Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to CCIC common stockholders for basic and diluted computations $ 1,158 $ 999 $ 747 Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax $ (62) $ — $ — Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders $ 1,096 $ 999 $ 747 Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding (in millions): Basic weighted-average number of common stock outstanding 432 423 416 Effect of assumed dilution from potential issuance of common shares relating to RSUs 2 2 2 Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding 434 425 418 Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, per common share: Income (loss) from continuing operations, basic $ 2.68 $ 2.36 $ 1.80 Income (loss) from discontinued operations, basic (0.14) — — Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders—basic $ 2.54 $ 2.36 $ 1.80 Income (loss) from continuing operations, diluted $ 2.67 $ 2.35 $ 1.79 Income (loss) from discontinued operations, diluted (0.14) — — Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders—diluted $ 2.53 $ 2.35 $ 1.79 Dividends/distributions declared per share of common stock $ 5.46 $ 4.93 $ 4.58
Fair Values	Fair Values The Company's assets and liabilities recorded at fair value are categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy that ranks the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair value. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are (1) Level 1 — quoted prices (unadjusted) in active and accessible markets, (2) Level 2 — observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted in active markets but corroborated by market data, and (3) Level 3 — unobservable inputs and are not corroborated by market data. The Company evaluates fair value hierarchy level classifications quarterly, and transfers between levels are effective at the end of the quarterly period.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements No accounting pronouncements adopted during the year ended December 31, 2021 had a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted No new accounting pronouncements issued but not yet adopted are expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Policies (Tables)

Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Components of Interest Expense and Amortization of Deferred Financing Costs	The components of interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs are as follows: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Interest expense on debt obligations $ 644 $ 683 $ 682 Amortization of deferred financing costs and adjustments on long-term debt, net 25 23 21 Capitalized interest (12) (17) (20) Total $ 657 $ 689 $ 683
Reconciliation of the Numerators and Denominators of the Basic and Diluted Per Share Computations	A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted per share computations is shown in the table below. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Income (loss) from continuing operations $ 1,158 $ 1,056 $ 860 Dividends/distributions on preferred stock — (57) (113) Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to CCIC common stockholders for basic and diluted computations $ 1,158 $ 999 $ 747 Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax $ (62) $ — $ — Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders $ 1,096 $ 999 $ 747 Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding (in millions): Basic weighted-average number of common stock outstanding 432 423 416 Effect of assumed dilution from potential issuance of common shares relating to RSUs 2 2 2 Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding 434 425 418 Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, per common share: Income (loss) from continuing operations, basic $ 2.68 $ 2.36 $ 1.80 Income (loss) from discontinued operations, basic (0.14) — — Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders—basic $ 2.54 $ 2.36 $ 1.80 Income (loss) from continuing operations, diluted $ 2.67 $ 2.35 $ 1.79 Income (loss) from discontinued operations, diluted (0.14) — — Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders—diluted $ 2.53 $ 2.35 $ 1.79 Dividends/distributions declared per share of common stock $ 5.46 $ 4.93 $ 4.58

Revenue (Tables)

Revenue (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Table Text Block]	The following table is a summary of the contracted amounts owed to the Company by tenants pursuant to tenant contracts in effect as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the weighted-average remaining term of tenant contracts is approximately five years, exclusive of renewals exercisable at the tenant's option. Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Thereafter Total Contracted amounts (a) $ 4,551 $ 4,013 $ 3,499 $ 3,355 $ 3,239 $ 12,689 $ 31,346 (a) Based on the nature of the contract, tenant contracts are accounted for pursuant to relevant lease accounting (ASC 842) or revenue accounting (ASC 606) guidance. Excludes amounts related to services, as those contracts generally have a duration of one year or less.

Property and Equipment (Tables)

Property and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Major Classes of Property and Equipment	The major classes of property and equipment are summarized in the table below. Estimated Useful Lives As of December 31, 2021 2020 Land (a) — $ 2,259 $ 2,171 Buildings 40 years 218 147 Communications infrastructure assets 1-20 years 23,289 22,027 Information technology assets and other 2-7 years 587 557 Construction in process — 853 1,063 Total gross property and equipment 27,206 25,965 Less: accumulated depreciation (11,937) (10,803) Total property and equipment, net $ 15,269 $ 15,162 (a) Includes land owned through fee interests and perpetual easements.

Intangible Assets, Goodwill a_2

Intangible Assets, Goodwill and Other (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible Assets	The following is a summary of the Company's intangible assets. As of December 31, 2021 As of December 31, 2020 Gross Carrying Value Accumulated Amortization Net Book Value Gross Carrying Value Accumulated Amortization Net Book Value Site rental contracts and tenant relationships $ 7,854 $ (3,872) $ 3,982 $ 7,797 $ (3,432) $ 4,365 Other intangible assets 143 (79) 64 143 (75) 68 Total $ 7,997 $ (3,951) $ 4,046 $ 7,940 $ (3,507) $ 4,433
Schedule of Estimated Annual Amortization Expense	The estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets for the years ending December 31, 2022 to 2026 is as follows: Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Estimated annual amortization $ 447 $ 445 $ 396 $ 374 $ 370

Other Liabilities (Tables)

Other Liabilities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Other Liabilities [Abstract]
Other Noncurrent Liabilities	The following is a summary of the components of "Other long-term liabilities" as presented on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. See also note 2. December 31, 2021 2020 Deferred rental revenues $ 1,568 $ 1,707 Deferred credits, net 311 375 Asset retirement obligation 269 259 Deferred income tax liabilities 14 11 Other long-term liabilities 6 27 Total $ 2,168 $ 2,379
Amortization of below-market tenant leases	The following table summarizes the estimated annual amounts related to below-market tenant leases expected to be amortized into site rental revenues for the years ending December 31, 2022 to 2026 are as follows: Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Below-market tenant leases $ 49 $ 45 $ 41 $ 33 $ 25

Debt and Other Obligations (Tab

Debt and Other Obligations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Debt and Other Obligations [Abstract]
Schedule of Long-Term Debt Instruments	The table below sets forth the Company's debt and other obligations as of December 31, 2021. Original Contractual Outstanding Balance as of December 31, Stated 2021 2020 2021 (a) 3.849% Secured Notes Dec. 2012 Apr. 2023 $ 998 $ 997 3.9 % Secured Notes, Series 2009-1, Class A-2 July 2009 Aug. 2029 53 60 9.0 % Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-1 May 2015 May 2042 (b)(c) — 299 N/A Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-1 July 2018 July 2043 (b)(c) 249 248 3.7 % Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-2 May 2015 May 2045 (b)(c) 696 695 3.7 % Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-2 July 2018 July 2048 (b)(c) 744 743 4.2 % Finance leases and other obligations Various Various (d) 242 236 Various (d) Total secured debt 2,982 3,278 2016 Revolver Jan. 2016 June 2026 665 (e) 290 1.2 % (f) 2016 Term Loan A Jan. 2016 June 2026 1,222 2,252 1.2 % (f) Commercial Paper Notes Various (g) Various (g) 265 285 0.5 % 5.250% Senior Notes Oct. 2012 Jan. 2023 — 1,646 N/A 3.150% Senior Notes Jan. 2018 July 2023 747 746 3.2 % 3.200% Senior Notes Aug. 2017 Sept. 2024 747 745 3.2 % 1.350% Senior Notes June 2020 July 2025 496 494 1.4 % 4.450% Senior Notes Feb. 2016 Feb. 2026 895 894 4.5 % 3.700% Senior Notes May 2016 June 2026 746 745 3.7 % 1.050% Senior Notes Feb. 2021 July 2026 990 — 1.1 % 4.000% Senior Notes Feb. 2017 Mar. 2027 496 496 4.0 % 3.650% Senior Notes Aug. 2017 Sept. 2027 995 994 3.7 % 3.800% Senior Notes Jan. 2018 Feb. 2028 992 991 3.8 % 4.300% Senior Notes Feb. 2019 Feb. 2029 593 593 4.3 % 3.100% Senior Notes Aug. 2019 Nov. 2029 545 544 3.1 % 3.300% Senior Notes Apr. 2020 July 2030 738 737 3.3 % 2.250% Senior Notes June 2020 Jan. 2031 1,089 1,088 2.3 % 2.100% Senior Notes Feb. 2021 Apr. 2031 988 — 2.1 % 2.500% Senior Notes June 2021 July 2031 741 — 2.5 % 2.900% Senior Notes Feb. 2021 Apr. 2041 1,233 — 2.9 % 4.750% Senior Notes May 2017 May 2047 344 344 4.8 % 5.200% Senior Notes Feb. 2019 Feb. 2049 395 395 5.2 % 4.000% Senior Notes Aug. 2019 Nov. 2049 345 345 4.0 % 4.150% Senior Notes Apr. 2020 July 2050 490 489 4.2 % 3.250% Senior Notes June 2020 Jan. 2051 890 889 3.3 % Total unsecured debt $ 17,647 $ 16,002 Total debt and other obligations $ 20,629 $ 19,280 Less: current maturities and short-term debt and other current obligations $ 72 $ 129 Non-current portion of long-term debt and other long-term obligations $ 20,557 $ 19,151 (a) Represents the weighted-average stated interest rate. (b) The Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-2 ("May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes") and Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-1 and 2018-2 ("July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes") are collectively referred to herein as "Tower Revenue Notes." (c) If the respective series of Tower Revenue Notes are not paid in full on or prior to an applicable anticipated repayment date, then Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture governing the terms of such notes) of the issuers of such notes will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the Tower Revenue Notes, and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the respective Tower Revenue Notes. As of December 31, 2021, the Tower Revenue Notes have principal amounts of $250 million, $700 million and $750 million, with anticipated repayment dates in 2023, 2025 and 2028, respectively. (d) The Company's finance leases and other obligations relate to land, fiber, vehicles, and other assets and bear interest rates ranging up to 10% and mature in periods ranging from less than one year to approximately 25 years. (e) As of December 31, 2021, the undrawn availability under the 2016 Revolver was $4.3 billion. (f) Both the 2016 Revolver and 2016 Term Loan A bear interest, at our option, at either (1) LIBOR plus a credit spread ranging from 0.875% to 1.750% per annum or (2) an alternate base rate plus a credit spread ranging from 0.000% to 0.750% per annum, in each case, with the applicable credit spread based on the Company's senior unsecured debt rating. The Company pays a commitment fee ranging from 0.080% to 0.300%, based on the Company's senior unsecured debt rating, per annum on the undrawn available amount under the 2016 Revolver. See further discussion below regarding (1) potential adjustments to such percentages and (2) LIBOR transition provisions. (g) The maturities of the Commercial Paper Notes, as defined below, when outstanding, may vary but may not exceed 397 days from the date of issuance.
Schedule of Maturities of Long-term Debt	The following are the scheduled principal payments and final maturities of the total debt and other long-term obligations of the Company outstanding as of December 31, 2021, which do not consider the principal payments that will commence following the anticipated repayment dates on the Tower Revenue Notes. If the Tower Revenue Notes are not paid in full on or prior to their respective anticipated repayment dates, as applicable, then the Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture) of the issuers of such notes will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the Tower Revenue Notes and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the Tower Revenue Notes. Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Thereafter Total Cash Obligations Unamortized Adjustments, Net Total Debt and Other Obligations Outstanding Scheduled principal payments and final maturities $ 338 (a) $ 1,841 $ 844 $ 637 $ 1,659 $ 15,478 $ 20,797 $ (168) $ 20,629 (a) Predominately consists of outstanding indebtedness under the CP Program. Such amounts may be issued, repaid or re-issued from time to time.
Schedule of Extinguishment of Debt	The following is a summary of the purchases and redemptions of debt during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Year Ended December 31, 2021 Principal Amount Cash Paid (a) Gains (losses) (b) 5.250% Senior Notes $ 1,650 $ 1,789 $ (143) 2016 Term Loan A — — (1) Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-1 300 300 (1) Total $ 1,950 $ 2,089 $ (145) (a) Exclusive of accrued interest. (b) Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs. Year Ended December 31, 2020 Principal Amount Cash Paid (a) Gains (losses) (b) 3.400% Senior Notes $ 850 $ 863 $ (13) 2.250% Senior Notes 700 714 (16) 4.875% Senior Notes 850 913 (66) Total $ 2,400 $ 2,490 $ (95) (a) Exclusive of accrued interest. (b) Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs. Year Ended December 31, 2019 Principal Amount Cash Paid (a) Gains (losses) (b) Secured Notes, Series 2009-1, Class A-1 $ 12 $ 12 $ (1) 2016 Term Loan A — — (1) Total $ 12 $ 12 $ (2) (a) Exclusive of accrued interest. (b) Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs.

Fair Value Disclosures (Tables)

Fair Value Disclosures (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Estimated Fair Values and Carrying Amounts of Assets and Liabilities	The following table shows the estimated fair values of the Company's financial instruments, along with the carrying amounts of the related assets (liabilities). See also note 2. Level in Fair Value Hierarchy December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Carrying Fair Carrying Fair Assets: Cash and cash equivalents 1 $ 292 $ 292 $ 232 $ 232 Restricted cash, current and non-current 1 174 174 149 149 Liabilities: Total debt and other obligations 2 20,629 21,588 19,280 21,302

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes by geographic area is summarized in the table below. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Domestic $ 1,144 $ 1,046 $ 850 Foreign (a) 35 30 31 Total $ 1,179 $ 1,076 $ 881 (a) Inclusive of income (loss) before income taxes from Puerto Rico.
Benefit (Provision) for Income Taxes	The benefit (provision) for income taxes consists of the following: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Current: Federal $ (5) $ (6) $ (6) Foreign (8) (6) (8) State (4) (5) (5) Total current (17) (17) (19) Deferred: Foreign (4) (3) (2) Total deferred (4) (3) (2) Total tax benefit (provision) $ (21) $ (20) $ (21)
Effective Tax Rate	A reconciliation between the benefit (provision) for income taxes and the amount computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate to the income (loss) before income taxes is as follows: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Benefit (provision) for income taxes at statutory rate $ (248) $ (225) $ (185) Tax effect of foreign income (losses) — — 1 Tax adjustment related to REIT operations 243 219 178 State tax (provision) benefit, net of federal (4) (5) (5) Foreign tax (12) (9) (10) Total $ (21) $ (20) $ (21)
Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	The components of the net deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows: December 31, 2021 2020 Deferred income tax liabilities: Property and equipment $ 7 $ 7 Deferred site rental receivable 8 7 Total deferred income tax liabilities 15 14 Deferred income tax assets: Intangible assets 1 3 Net operating loss carryforwards (a) 13 15 Straight-line rent expense liability 4 3 Accrued liabilities 6 6 Other 2 2 Total deferred income tax assets, net 26 29 Net deferred income tax asset (liabilities) $ 11 $ 15 (a) Balance results from the Company's foreign NOLs. Due to the Company's REIT status, no federal or state NOLs result in the Company recording a deferred income tax asset. See further discussion surrounding the Company's NOL balances below.
Jurisdictional Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	The components of the net deferred income tax assets (liabilities) are as follows: December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Classification Gross Valuation Net Gross Valuation Net Federal $ 25 $ — $ 25 $ 25 $ — $ 25 State 1 — 1 1 — 1 Foreign (15) — (15) (11) — (11) Total $ 11 $ — $ 11 $ 15 $ — $ 15

Stockholders' Equity Stockholde

Stockholders' Equity Stockholders Equity (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Dividends Declared [Abstract]
Dividends Declared	During the year ended December 31, 2021, the following dividends/distributions were declared or paid: Equity Type Declaration Date Record Date Payment Date Dividends Per Share Aggregate Payment Amount (a) Common Stock February 18, 2021 March 15, 2021 March 31, 2021 $ 1.33 $ 581 Common Stock May 21, 2021 June 14, 2021 June 30, 2021 $ 1.33 $ 579 Common Stock August 5, 2021 September 15, 2021 September 30, 2021 $ 1.33 $ 578 Common Stock October 18, 2021 December 15, 2021 December 31, 2021 $ 1.47 $ 639 (a) Inclusive of dividends accrued for holders of unvested RSUs, which will be paid when and if the RSUs vest.
Tax Treatment of Dividends Paid [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes, for income tax purposes, the nature of dividends paid during 2021 on the Company's common stock . Equity Type Payment Date Cash Distribution (per share) Ordinary Taxable Dividend (per share) Qualified Taxable Dividend (per share) (a) Section 199A Dividend (per share) Non-Taxable Distribution (per share) Common Stock March 31, 2021 $ 1.330000 $ 0.784306 $ 0.012321 $ 0.771985 $ 0.545694 Common Stock June 30, 2021 $ 1.330000 $ 0.784306 $ 0.012321 $ 0.771985 $ 0.545694 Common Stock September 30, 2021 $ 1.330000 $ 0.784306 $ 0.012321 $ 0.771985 $ 0.545694 Common Stock December 31, 2021 $ 1.470000 $ 0.866865 $ 0.013617 $ 0.853248 $ 0.603135 (a) Qualified taxable dividend and section 199A dividend amounts are included in ordinary taxable dividend amounts.

Stock-based Compensation (Table

Stock-based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]
Summary of Restricted Stock Awards Activity	The following is a summary of the RSU activity during the year ended December 31, 2021. RSUs (In millions) Outstanding at the beginning of year 2 Granted 1 Vested (1) Forfeited — Outstanding at end of year 2
Summary of the Assumptions Used in the Monte Carlo Simulation to Determine the Grant-Date Fair Value	The following table summarizes the assumptions used in the Monte Carlo simulation to determine the grant-date fair value for the RSUs with market conditions granted during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Risk-free rate 0.2 % 1.4 % 2.5 % Expected volatility 30 % 19 % 18 % Expected dividend rate 3.4 % 3.5 % 4.0 %
Summary of Restricted Stock Vested	The following table is a summary of the RSUs vested during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Years Ended December 31, Total Shares Fair Value on (In millions 2021 1 $ 199 2020 1 220 2019 1 135
Stock Based Compensation Expense	The following table discloses the components of stock-based compensation expense. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Stock-based compensation expense: Site rental costs of operations $ 14 $ 16 $ 19 Services and other costs of operations 8 8 7 Selling, general and administrative expenses 109 109 90 Total stock-based compensation $ 131 $ 133 $ 116

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Leases [Abstract]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Maturity [Table Text Block]	The following table is a summary of the Company's maturities of operating lease liabilities as of December 31, 2021: Years Ending December 31, 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Thereafter Total undiscounted lease payments Less: Imputed interest Total operating lease liabilities Operating leases (a) $ 556 $ 553 $ 545 $ 530 $ 520 $ 5,749 $ 8,453 $ (2,073) $ 6,380 (a) Excludes the Company's contingent payments for operating leases (such as payments based on revenues derived from the communications infrastructure located on the leased asset) as such arrangements are excluded from the Company's operating lease liability. Such contingencies are recognized as expense in the period they are resolved.
Lease, Cost [Table Text Block]	The components of the Company's operating lease expense are as follows: Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Lease cost: Operating lease expense (a) $ 646 $ 640 $ 632 Variable lease expense (b) 164 153 149 Total lease expense (c) $ 810 $ 793 $ 781 (a) Represents the Company's operating lease expense related to its ROU assets for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. (b) Represents the Company's expense related to contingent payments for operating leases (such as payments based on revenues derived from the communications infrastructure located on the leased asset) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Such contingencies are recognized as expense in the period they are resolved. (c) Excludes those direct operating expenses accounted for pursuant to accounting guidance outside the scope of ASC 842.

Operating Segments and Concen_2

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment [Table Text Block]	Year Ended December 31, 2021 Towers Fiber Other Consolidated Segment site rental revenues $ 3,804 $ 1,915 $ 5,719 Segment services and other revenues 601 20 621 Segment revenues 4,405 1,935 6,340 Segment site rental costs of operations 889 633 1,522 Segment services and other costs of operations 414 17 431 Segment costs of operations (a)(b) 1,303 650 1,953 Segment site rental gross margin 2,915 1,282 4,197 Segment services and other gross margin 187 3 190 Segment selling, general and administrative expenses (b) 107 174 281 Segment operating profit (loss) 2,995 1,111 4,106 Other selling, general and administrative expenses (b) $ 290 290 Stock-based compensation expense 131 131 Depreciation, amortization and accretion 1,644 1,644 Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs 657 657 Other (income) expenses to reconcile to income (loss) before income taxes (c) 205 205 Income (loss) before income taxes $ 1,179 Capital expenditures $ 221 $ 956 $ 52 $ 1,229 Total assets (at year end) $ 22,318 $ 15,876 $ 846 $ 39,040 Total goodwill (at year end) $ 5,127 $ 4,951 $ — $ 10,078 (a) Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately. (b) Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $22 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $18 million. For the year ended December 31, 2021, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $109 million. (c) See consolidated statement of operations for further information.	Year Ended December 31, 2020 Towers Fiber Other Consolidated Segment site rental revenues $ 3,497 $ 1,823 $ 5,320 Segment services and other revenues 500 20 520 Segment revenues 3,997 1,843 5,840 Segment site rental costs of operations 866 620 1,486 Segment services and other costs of operations 429 12 441 Segment costs of operations (a)(b) 1,295 632 1,927 Segment site rental gross margin 2,631 1,203 3,834 Segment services and other gross margin 71 8 79 Segment selling, general and administrative expenses (b) 100 186 286 Segment other operating (income) expense (c) — (362) (362) Segment operating profit (loss) 2,602 1,387 3,989 Other selling, general and administrative expenses (b) $ 283 283 Stock-based compensation expense 133 133 Depreciation, amortization and accretion 1,608 1,608 Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs 689 689 Other (income) expenses to reconcile to income (loss) before income taxes (d) 200 200 Income (loss) before income taxes $ 1,076 Capital expenditures $ 335 $ 1,232 $ 57 $ 1,624 Total assets (at year end) $ 22,242 $ 15,746 $ 780 $ 38,768 Total goodwill (at year end) $ 5,127 $ 4,951 $ — $ 10,078 (a) Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately. (b) Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $24 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $18 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $109 million. (c) See note 15 for further information. (d) See consolidated statement of operations for further information.	Year Ended December 31, 2019 Towers Fiber Other Consolidated Segment site rental revenues $ 3,389 $ 1,704 $ 5,093 Segment services and other revenues 653 17 670 Segment revenues 4,042 1,721 5,763 Segment site rental costs of operations 864 559 1,423 Segment services and other costs of operations 506 11 517 Segment costs of operations (a)(b) 1,370 570 1,940 Segment site rental gross margin 2,525 1,145 3,670 Segment services and other gross margin 147 6 153 Segment selling, general and administrative expenses (b) 96 195 291 Segment operating profit (loss) 2,576 956 3,532 Other selling, general and administrative expenses (b) $ 233 233 Stock-based compensation expense 116 116 Depreciation, amortization and accretion 1,572 1,572 Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs 683 683 Other (income) expenses to reconcile to income (loss) before income taxes (c) 47 47 Income (loss) before income taxes $ 881 Capital expenditures $ 543 $ 1,473 $ 41 $ 2,057 Total assets (at year end) $ 22,357 $ 15,389 $ 711 $ 38,457 Total goodwill (at year end) $ 5,127 $ 4,951 $ — $ 10,078 (a) Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately. (b) Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $26 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $20 million. For the year ended December 31, 2019, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $90 million. (c) See consolidated statement of operations for further information.
A Summary of the Percentage of the Consolidated Revenues for Those Customers Accounting for More than 10% of the Consolidated Revenues	The following table summarizes the percentage of the consolidated revenues for those tenants accounting for more than 10% of the consolidated revenues. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 (a) 2019 T-Mobile 35 % 36 % 22 % AT&T 20 % 22 % 21 % Verizon Wireless 20 % 19 % 19 % Sprint — % — % 14 % Total 75 % 77 % 76 % (a) For the year ended December 31, 2020, revenues attributable to T-Mobile include revenues previously derived from Sprint. On April 1, 2020, T-Mobile and Sprint announced the completion of their previously disclosed merger.

Statement of Cash Flows, Supp_2

Statement of Cash Flows, Supplemental Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information and Non-cash Investing and Financing Activities	The following table is a summary of the supplemental cash flow information during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash payments related to operating lease liabilities (a) $ 550 $ 538 $ 541 Interest paid 661 653 661 Income taxes paid 20 19 16 Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities: New ROU assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities 573 627 431 Increase in accounts payable for purchases of property and equipment 3 27 2 Purchase of property and equipment under finance leases and installment land purchases 25 33 33 (a) Excludes the Company's contingent payments pursuant to operating leases, which are recorded as expense in the period such contingencies are resolved.
Schedule of Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash [Table Text Block]	The reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within various lines on the consolidated balance sheet to amounts reported in the consolidated statement of cash flows is shown below. As of December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Cash and cash equivalents $ 292 $ 232 $ 196 Restricted cash, current 169 144 137 Restricted cash reported within other assets, net 5 5 5 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 466 $ 381 $ 338

Schedule II - Valuation and Q_2

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]
Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Text Block]	Additions Deductions Balance at Charged to Written Off Balance at Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable: 2021 $ 17 $ 5 $ (5) $ 17 2020 $ 18 $ 4 $ (5) $ 17 2019 $ 14 $ 7 $ (3) $ 18 Additions Deductions Balance at Charged to Credited to Balance at Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance: 2021 $ — $ — $ — $ — 2020 $ — $ — $ — $ — 2019 $ 1 $ — $ (1) $ —

Schedule III - Schedule of Re_2

Schedule III - Schedule of Real Estate and Depreciation Schedule of Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
SEC Schedule, 12-28, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation [Line Items]
SEC Schedule, 12-28, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation Disclosure [Text Block]	Description Encumbrances Initial Cost to Company Cost Capitalized Subsequent to Acquisition Gross Amount Carried at Close of Current Period Accumulated Depreciation at Close of Current Period Date of Construction Date Acquired Life on Which Depreciation in Latest Income Statement is Computed Communications infrastructure (a) $ 2,994 (b) (c) (c) $ 26,679 $ (11,582) Various Various Up to 20 years (a) Includes more than 40,000 towers and 80,000 route miles of fiber. No single asset exceeds 5% of the aggregate gross amounts at which the assets were carried at the close of the period set forth in the table above. (b) Encumbrances are reported at face value, without contemplating the effect of deferred financing costs, discounts or premiums. Certain of the Company's debt is secured by (1) a security interest in substantially all of the applicable issuers' assignable personal property, (2) a pledge of the equity interests in each applicable issuer and (3) a security interest in the applicable issuers' leases with tenants to lease tower space (space licenses). (c) The Company has omitted this information, as it would be impracticable to compile such information on an asset-by-asset basis. 2021 2020 Gross amount at beginning $ 25,441 $ 23,854 Additions during period: Acquisitions through foreclosure — — Other acquisitions (a) 75 68 Communications infrastructure construction and improvements 1,047 1,438 Purchase of land interests 66 64 Sustaining capital expenditures 69 66 Other (b) 32 47 Total additions 1,289 1,683 Deductions during period: Cost of real estate sold or disposed (51) (96) Other — — Total deductions (51) (96) Balance at end $ 26,679 $ 25,441 (a) Includes acquisitions of communications infrastructure. (b) Predominately relates to the purchase of property and equipment under finance leases and installment land purchases. 2021 2020 Gross amount of accumulated depreciation at beginning $ (10,478) $ (9,382) Additions during period: Depreciation (1,137) (1,114) Total additions (1,137) (1,114) Deductions during period: Amount for assets sold or disposed 25 18 Other 8 — Total deductions 33 18 Balance at end $ (11,582) $ (10,478)

Basis of Presentation (Details)

Basis of Presentation (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
AT&T [Member]
Purchase Option, Percentage of Towers	22.00%
T-Mobile [Member]
Purchase Option, Percentage of Towers	15.00%
Sprint assumed by T-Mobile [Member]
Purchase Option, Percentage of Towers	16.00%
Subject to Capital Lease with TMO or AT&T [Member]
Purchase Option, Percentage of Towers	53.00%
AT&T Prior to 2025 [Member]
Purchase Option Price	$ 10
AT&T lease or sublease in accordance with TMO Agreement [Member]
Purchase Option Price	$ 405
Tower count as a percentage of total towers	1.00%
T-Mobile [Member]
Purchase Option Price	$ 2,000
Period of tower lease	28 years
Sprint assumed by T-Mobile [Member]
Purchase Option Price	$ 2,300
Period of tower lease	32 years
AT&T [Member]
Purchase Option Price	$ 4,200
Period of tower lease	28 years

Accounting Policies (Details)

Accounting Policies (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands, shares in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Capitalized Labor Costs	$ 238,000	$ 270,000	$ 246,000
Asset write-down charges	$ 21,000	74,000	19,000
Revenue Recognition Non-cancelable Term - Fiber	three to 20 years
Deferred site rental receivables	$ 1,588,000	1,408,000
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Amount	2,600,000	2,800,000	2,900,000
Contract with Customer, Liability, Revenue Recognized	595,000	575,000
Employee Severance Payments	20,000
Interest expense on debt obligations	644,000	683,000	682,000
Amortization of deferred financing costs and adjustments on long-term debt, net	25,000	23,000	21,000
Capitalized interest	(12,000)	(17,000)	(20,000)
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs	$ 657,000	689,000	683,000
Percentage of tax position that is likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement	50.00%
Income (loss) from continuing operations	$ 1,096,000	1,056,000	860,000
Dividends, Preferred Stock	0	(57,000)	(113,000)
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Available to Common Shareholders, Basic	1,158,000	999,000	747,000
Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders, Basic	$ 1,096,000	$ 999,000	$ 747,000
Basic (in shares)	432	423	416
Diluted (in shares)	434	425	418
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 2.54	$ 2.36	$ 1.80
Diluted (in dollars per share)	2.53	2.35	1.79
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Declared	$ 5.46	$ 4.93	$ 4.58
Portion of company site rental costs that are Towers ground lease expenses	50.00%
Ground Lease Agreement Initial Term	five to 10 years
Useful life of site rental contracts and customer relationships (years)	20 years
Revenue Recognition Non-cancelable Lease Term	five to 15 years
Revenue, Performance Obligation, Description of Payment Terms	45 to 60 days
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate, Percent	2100.00%
Minimum [Member]
Ground Lease Agreement Initial Term	five years
Maximum [Member]
Ground Lease Agreement Initial Term	10 years
Preferred Stock [Member]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)			14
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Effect of assumed dilution from potential common shares relating to stock options and restricted stock awards	2	2	2
Sprint Cancellation [Member]
Asset write-down charges		$ 63,000
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member]
Asset write-down charges	$ 19,000	77,000	$ 17,000
Other Current Assets [Member]
Deferred site rental receivables, current	92,000	152,000
Deferred Revenue [Domain]
Deferred site rental receivables	$ 1,600,000	$ 1,400,000
Communication Infrastructure [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	20 years
Communication Infrastructure [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	1 year
Communication Infrastructure [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	20 years
Towers [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	20 years

Revenue (Details)

Revenue (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Contracted revenues, Year 1	$ 4,551	[1]
Contracted revenues, Year 2	4,013	[1]
Contracted revenues, Year 3	3,499	[1]
Contracted revenues, Year 4	3,355	[1]
Contracted revenues, Year 5	3,239	[1]
Contracted revenues, Thereafter	12,689	[1]
Contracted revenues	$ 31,346	[1]
Weighted Average Remaining Term Of Tenant Leases at the Tenant's Option	5
[1]	Based on the nature of the contract, tenant contracts are accounted for pursuant to relevant lease accounting (ASC 842) or revenue accounting (ASC 606) guidance. Excludes amounts related to services, as those contracts generally have a duration of one year or less.

Property and Equipment (Details

Property and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment		$ 27,206	$ 25,965
Less: accumulated depreciation		(11,937)	(10,803)
Total property and equipment, net		15,269	15,162
Depreciation expense		1,200	1,200	$ 1,100
Land owned in fee and perpetual easements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment	[1]	2,259	2,171
Buildings [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment		$ 218	147
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life		40 years
Communication Infrastructure [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment		$ 23,289	22,027
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life		20 years
Information technology assets and other [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment		$ 587	557
Construction in Process [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment		$ 853	$ 1,063
Minimum [Member] | Communication Infrastructure [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life		1 year
Minimum [Member] | Information technology assets and other [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life		2 years
Maximum [Member] | Communication Infrastructure [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life		20 years
Maximum [Member] | Information technology assets and other [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life		7 years
[1]	Includes land owned through fee interests and perpetual easements.

Intangible Assets, Goodwill a_3

Intangible Assets, Goodwill and Other (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Goodwill and Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets, gross	$ 7,997,000	$ 7,940,000
Accumulated amortization of intangible assets	(3,951,000)	(3,507,000)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net	4,046,000	4,433,000
Amortization expense	444,000	439,000	$ 428,000
Estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets - Year 1	447,000
Estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets - Year 2	445,000
Estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets - Year 3	396,000
Estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets - Year 4	374,000
Estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets - Year 5	370,000
Site Rental Contracts and Customer Relationships [Member]
Goodwill and Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets, gross	7,854,000	7,797,000
Accumulated amortization of intangible assets	(3,872,000)	(3,432,000)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net	3,982,000	4,365,000
Other Intangible Assets [Member]
Goodwill and Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets, gross	143,000	143,000
Accumulated amortization of intangible assets	(79,000)	(75,000)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net	$ 64,000	$ 68,000

Other Liabilities (Details)

Other Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Liabilities [Line Items]
Other Liabilities, non-current	$ 2,168	$ 2,379
Asset Retirement Obligation, Accretion Expense	20	18	$ 15
Estimated Future Undiscounted Cash Flows Expected To Be Paid Relating To Asset Retirement Obligations	1,000
Amortization of Below Market Tenant Lease	54	58	$ 65
Below Market Lease, Amortization Income, Year Four	33
Below Market Lease, Amortization Income, after Year Five	25
Accrued Payroll and Other Compensation	192
Below Market Lease, Amortization Income, Year One	49
Below-market tenant leases - amortization income - year 2	45
Below Market Lease, Amortization Income, Year Three	41
Deferred rental revenues [Domain]
Other Liabilities [Line Items]
Other Liabilities, non-current	1,568	1,707
Deferred credits, net [Member]
Other Liabilities [Line Items]
Other Liabilities, non-current	311	375
Asset retirement obligation [Member]
Other Liabilities [Line Items]
Other Liabilities, non-current	269	259
Deferred tax liability, noncurrent [Member]
Other Liabilities [Line Items]
Other Liabilities, non-current	14	11
Other long-term liabilities[Member]
Other Liabilities [Line Items]
Other Liabilities, non-current	$ 6	$ 27

Debt and Other Obligations (Ind

Debt and Other Obligations (Indebtedness) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2012
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 20,629,000		$ 19,280,000
Less: current maturities and short-term debt and other current obligations		72,000		129,000
Non-current portion of long-term debt and other long-term obligations		$ 20,557,000		19,151,000
Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		0.00%
Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		0.75%
Collateral Pledged [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, PPE Collaterized Amount		$ 855,000
Maximum Downward Adjustment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		0.01%
Target Maximum Upward Adjustment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		0.05%
Maximum Downward Adjustment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.00%
Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 2,982,000		3,278,000
Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 17,647,000		16,002,000
Minimum [Member] | Finance Lease Obligations and Other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Maturity Date Range		one year
Maximum [Member] | Finance Lease Obligations and Other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument Maturity Date Range		25 years
3.849% Secured Notes [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 998,000		997,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.90%	[1]						3.849%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 1,000,000
Fixed Rate Debt 2009 Securitized Notes A-2 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 53,000		60,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	[1]	9.00%
2015 Tower Revenue Notes 3.222% due 2042 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations	[2],[3]	$ 0		299,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage					3.222%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 300,000
2018 Tower Revenue Notes 3.720% due 2043 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		250,000
2018 Tower Revenue Notes 3.720% due 2043 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations	[2],[3]	$ 249,000		248,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.70%	[1]		3.72%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 250,000
2015 Tower Revenue Notes 3.663% due 2045 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 700,000
2015 Tower Revenue Notes 3.663% due 2045 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations	[2],[3]	$ 696,000		695,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.70%	[1]		3.663%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								700,000
2018 Tower Revenue Notes 4.241% due 2048 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 750,000
2018 Tower Revenue Notes 4.241% due 2048 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations	[2],[3]	$ 744,000		743,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.20%	[1]		4.241%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 750,000
Finance Lease Obligations and Other [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		10.00%
2016 Term Loan A [Member] | Bank Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 1,222,000		$ 2,252,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	[1],[4]	1.20%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 2,000,000
2016 Term Loan A [Member] | Bank Debt [Member] | Additional Principal Incurred [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 500,000
Senior Unsecured 2016 Notes 3.40% [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				3.40%
2.250% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				2.25%
4.875% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				4.875%
5.250% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 0		$ 1,646,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.25%							5.25%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 1,650,000
3.150% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 747,000		746,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.20%	[1]			3.15%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 750,000
August 2017 Senior Unsecured 3.200% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 747,000		745,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.20%	[1]				3.20%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 750,000
Senior Unsecured 2016 Notes 4.450% [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 895,000		894,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	[1]	4.50%
Senior Unsecured 2016 Notes 3.7% [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 746,000		745,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	[1]	3.70%
4.000% Senior Unsecured Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 496,000		496,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.00%	[1]				4.00%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 500,000
August 2017 Senior Unsecured 3.650% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 995,000		994,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.70%	[1]				3.65%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 1,000,000
3.800% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 992,000		991,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.80%	[1]			3.80%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 1,000,000
February 2019 Senior Unsecured 4.300% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 593,000		593,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.30%	[1]		4.30%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 600,000
August 2019 Senior Unsecured 3.100% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 545,000		544,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.10%	[1]		3.10%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 550,000
4.750% Senior Unsecured Notes [Member] [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 344,000		344,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.80%	[1]				4.75%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 350,000
February 2019 Senior Unsecured 5.200% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 395,000		395,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.20%	[1]		5.20%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 400,000
August 2019 Senior Unsecured 4.000% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 345,000		345,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.00%	[1]		4.00%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 350,000
Tower Revenue Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Increase (Decrease)		5.00%
Secured Debt [Member] | Finance Lease Obligations and Other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations	[5]	$ 242,000		236,000
June 2020 Senior Unsecured 1.350% Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 496,000		$ 494,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		1.40%	[1]	1.35%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 500,000
April 2020 Senior Unsecured 3.300% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 738,000		$ 737,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.30%	[1]	3.30%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 750,000
June 2020 Senior Unsecured 2.250% Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 1,089,000		$ 1,088,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.30%	[1]	2.25%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 1,100,000
April 2020 Senior Unsecured 4.150% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 490,000		$ 489,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.20%	[1]	4.15%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 500,000
June 2020 Senior Unsecured 3.250% Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 890,000		$ 889,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.30%	[1]	3.25%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 900,000
2016 Revolver [Member] | Bank Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	[1],[4]	1.20%
Commercial Paper [Member] | Bank Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	[1]	0.50%
February 2021 Senior Unsecured 2.100% Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 988,000		0
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.10%
June 2021 Senior Unsecured 2.500% Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 741,000		0
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.50%
February 2021 Senior Unsecured 2.900% Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 1,233,000		0
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.90%
February 2021 Senior Unsecured 1.050% Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		$ 990,000		0
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		1.10%
February 2021 Senior Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 3,250,000
February 2021 Senior Unsecured 1.050% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		1.05%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 1,000,000
February 2021 Senior Unsecured 2.100% Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.10%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 1,000,000
February 2021 Senior Unsecured 2.900% Notes | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.90%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 1,250,000
June 2021 Senior Unsecured 2.500% Notes | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.50%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 750,000
2016 Senior Unsecured Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 1,500,000
3.400% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage								3.40%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 250,000
3.400% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member] | February 2016 Senior Note Upsizing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage								3.40%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 600,000
4.450% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage								4.45%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 900,000
May 2016 Senior Unsecured Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 1,000,000
3.700% Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage								3.70%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 750,000
Senior Unsecured 364-Day Revolving Credit Facility [Domain] | Bank Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity							1,000,000
May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 1,000,000
July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					1,000,000
2018 Tower Revenue Notes Risk Retention Tranche [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					53,000
April 2020 Senior Notes [Domain] [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				1,250,000
June 2020 Senior Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				2,500,000
February 2019 Senior Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					1,000,000
August 2019 Senior Notes [Domain] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					900,000
August 2017 Senior Notes [Member] | Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							1,750,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations		665,000	[6]	290,000
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		4,300,000
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 5,000,000		5,000,000	4,250,000	3,500,000	$ 2,500,000
Line of Credit Facility, Increase (Decrease), Net				750,000	$ 750,000	$ 1,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Commitment Fee Percentage		0.08%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Commitment Fee Percentage		0.30%
Commercial Paper [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt and other obligations	[7]	$ 265,000		285,000
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity				$ 1,000,000
Commercial Paper		$ 265,000
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		0.875%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		1.75%
[1]	Represents the weighted-average stated interest rate.
[2]	If the respective series of Tower Revenue Notes are not paid in full on or prior to an applicable anticipated repayment date, then Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture governing the terms of such notes) of the issuers of such notes will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the Tower Revenue Notes, and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the respective Tower Revenue Notes. As of December 31, 2021, the Tower Revenue Notes have principal amounts of $250 million, $700 million and $750 million, with anticipated repayment dates in 2023, 2025 and 2028, respectively.
[3]	The Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-2 ("May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes") and Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-1 and 2018-2 ("July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes") are collectively referred to herein as "Tower Revenue Notes."
[4]	Both the 2016 Revolver and 2016 Term Loan A bear interest, at our option, at either (1) LIBOR plus a credit spread ranging from 0.875% to 1.750% per annum or (2) an alternate base rate plus a credit spread ranging from 0.000% to 0.750% per annum, in each case, with the applicable credit spread based on the Company's senior unsecured debt rating. The Company pays a commitment fee ranging from 0.080% to 0.300%, based on the Company's senior unsecured debt rating, per annum on the undrawn available amount under the 2016 Revolver. See further discussion below regarding (1) potential adjustments to such percentages and (2) LIBOR transition provisions.
[5]	The Company's finance leases and other obligations relate to land, fiber, vehicles, and other assets and bear interest rates ranging up to 10% and mature in periods ranging from less than one year to approximately 25 years.
[6]	As of December 31, 2021, the undrawn availability under the 2016 Revolver was $4.3 billion.
[7]	The maturities of the Commercial Paper Notes, as defined below, when outstanding, may vary but may not exceed 397 days from the date of issuance.

Debt and Other Obligations (Tex

Debt and Other Obligations (Textuals) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2012
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount		$ 1,950,000		$ 2,400,000	$ 12,000
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 20,629,000		19,280,000
Maximum Upward Adjustment - Commitment Fee
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		0.01%
Tower Revenue Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Increase (Decrease)		5.00%
2018 Tower Revenue Notes 3.720% due 2043 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 250,000
2018 Tower Revenue Notes 4.241% due 2048 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		750,000
Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 2,982,000		3,278,000
Secured Debt [Member] | 3.849% Secured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 1,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.90%	[1]						3.849%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 998,000		997,000
Secured Debt [Member] | July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					1,000,000
Secured Debt [Member] | 2018 Tower Revenue Notes 3.720% due 2043 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 250,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.70%	[1]		3.72%
Debt and Lease Obligation	[2],[3]	$ 249,000		248,000
Secured Debt [Member] | 2018 Tower Revenue Notes 4.241% due 2048 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 750,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.20%	[1]		4.241%
Debt and Lease Obligation	[2],[3]	$ 744,000		743,000
Secured Debt [Member] | 2018 Tower Revenue Notes Risk Retention Tranche [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 53,000
Secured Debt [Member] | May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 1,000,000
Secured Debt [Member] | 2015 Tower Revenue Notes 3.222% due 2042 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							300,000
Principal amount		300,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage					3.222%
Debt and Lease Obligation	[2],[3]	$ 0		299,000
Bank Debt [Member] | 2016 Term Loan A [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 2,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	[1],[4]	1.20%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 1,222,000		$ 2,252,000
Bank Debt [Member] | Senior Unsecured 364-Day Revolving Credit Facility [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity								1,000,000
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity								1,000,000
Bank Debt [Member] | 2016 Revolver [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount							500,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	[1],[4]	1.20%
Bonds [Member] | May 2016 Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							1,000,000
Bonds [Member] | 4.875% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				4.875%
Bonds [Member] | 4.000% Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 500,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.00%	[1]					4.00%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 496,000		$ 496,000
Bonds [Member] | 2016 Senior Unsecured Notes [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							1,500,000
Bonds [Member] | 3.400% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 250,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage							3.40%
Bonds [Member] | 3.700% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 750,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage							3.70%
Bonds [Member] | 2.250% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				2.25%
Bonds [Member] | 4.450% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 900,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage							4.45%
Bonds [Member] | 4.750% Senior Unsecured Notes [Member] [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 350,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.80%	[1]					4.75%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 344,000		$ 344,000
Bonds [Member] | August 2017 Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 1,750,000
Bonds [Member] | August 2017 Senior Unsecured 3.200% Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 750,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.20%	[1]					3.20%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 747,000		745,000
Bonds [Member] | August 2017 Senior Unsecured 3.650% Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 1,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.70%	[1]					3.65%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 995,000		994,000
Bonds [Member] | 3.150% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 750,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.20%	[1]			3.15%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 747,000		746,000
Bonds [Member] | 3.800% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 1,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.80%	[1]			3.80%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 992,000		991,000
Bonds [Member] | August 2019 Senior Notes [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 900,000
Bonds [Member] | August 2019 Senior Unsecured 3.100% Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 550,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.10%	[1]		3.10%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 545,000		544,000
Bonds [Member] | August 2019 Senior Unsecured 4.000% Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 350,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.00%	[1]		4.00%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 345,000		345,000
Bonds [Member] | February 2019 Senior Notes [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 1,000,000
Bonds [Member] | February 2019 Senior Unsecured 4.300% Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 600,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.30%	[1]		4.30%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 593,000		593,000
Bonds [Member] | February 2019 Senior Unsecured 5.200% Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 400,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.20%	[1]		5.20%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 395,000		395,000
Bonds [Member] | June 2020 Senior Notes [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				2,500,000
Bonds [Member] | June 2020 Senior Unsecured 1.350% Notes [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 500,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		1.40%	[1]	1.35%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 496,000		$ 494,000
Bonds [Member] | June 2020 Senior Unsecured 2.250% Notes [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 1,100,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		2.30%	[1]	2.25%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 1,089,000		$ 1,088,000
Bonds [Member] | June 2020 Senior Unsecured 3.250% Notes [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 900,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		3.30%	[1]	3.25%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 890,000		$ 889,000
Bonds [Member] | Senior Unsecured 2016 Notes 3.40% [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				3.40%
Bonds [Member] | April 2020 Senior Unsecured 4.150% Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 500,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.20%	[1]	4.15%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 490,000		$ 489,000
Bonds [Member] | April 2020 Senior Notes [Domain] [Domain]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				1,250,000
Bonds [Member] | 5.250% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 1,650,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.25%							5.25%
Debt and Lease Obligation		$ 0		1,646,000
Collateral Pledged [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, PPE Collaterized Amount		855,000
Additional Principal Incurred [Member] | Bank Debt [Member] | 2016 Term Loan A [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 500,000
February 2016 Senior Note Upsizing [Member] | Bonds [Member] | 3.400% Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 600,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage							3.40%
Commercial Paper [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity				1,000,000
Commercial Paper		265,000
Debt and Lease Obligation	[5]	265,000		285,000
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity				1,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Increase (Decrease), Net				750,000	$ 750,000	1,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		5,000,000		5,000,000	4,250,000	3,500,000		$ 2,500,000
Debt and Lease Obligation		665,000	[6]	290,000
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 5,000,000		$ 5,000,000	$ 4,250,000	$ 3,500,000		$ 2,500,000
[1]	Represents the weighted-average stated interest rate.
[2]	If the respective series of Tower Revenue Notes are not paid in full on or prior to an applicable anticipated repayment date, then Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture governing the terms of such notes) of the issuers of such notes will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the Tower Revenue Notes, and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the respective Tower Revenue Notes. As of December 31, 2021, the Tower Revenue Notes have principal amounts of $250 million, $700 million and $750 million, with anticipated repayment dates in 2023, 2025 and 2028, respectively.
[3]	The Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2015-2 ("May 2015 Tower Revenue Notes") and Tower Revenue Notes, Series 2018-1 and 2018-2 ("July 2018 Tower Revenue Notes") are collectively referred to herein as "Tower Revenue Notes."
[4]	Both the 2016 Revolver and 2016 Term Loan A bear interest, at our option, at either (1) LIBOR plus a credit spread ranging from 0.875% to 1.750% per annum or (2) an alternate base rate plus a credit spread ranging from 0.000% to 0.750% per annum, in each case, with the applicable credit spread based on the Company's senior unsecured debt rating. The Company pays a commitment fee ranging from 0.080% to 0.300%, based on the Company's senior unsecured debt rating, per annum on the undrawn available amount under the 2016 Revolver. See further discussion below regarding (1) potential adjustments to such percentages and (2) LIBOR transition provisions.
[5]	The maturities of the Commercial Paper Notes, as defined below, when outstanding, may vary but may not exceed 397 days from the date of issuance.
[6]	As of December 31, 2021, the undrawn availability under the 2016 Revolver was $4.3 billion.

Debt and Other Obligations (Sch

Debt and Other Obligations (Scheduled Contractual Maturities) (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Contractual Maturities - Year 1	$ 338	[1]
Contractual Maturities - Year 2	1,841
Contractual Maturities - Year 3	844
Contractual Maturities - Year 4	637
Contractual Maturities - Year 5	1,659
Contractual Maturities - Thereafter	15,478
Total Cash Obligations	20,797
Total Debt and Other Obligations Outstanding	20,629
Unamortized Discounts	$ (168)
Tower Revenue Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Increase (Decrease)	5.00%
Debt, interest rate increase if not paid by anticipated repayment date	5.00%
[1]	Predominately consists of outstanding indebtedness under the CP Program. Such amounts may be issued, repaid or re-issued from time to time

Debt and Other Obligations (Deb

Debt and Other Obligations (Debt Purchases and Repayments) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Extinguishment of Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount		$ 1,950	$ 2,400	$ 12
Cash paid	[1]	2,089	2,490	12
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[2]	(145)	(95)	(2)
Fixed Rate Debt 2009 Securitized Notes A-1 [Member]
Extinguishment of Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount				12
Cash paid	[1]			12
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[2]			(1)
3.400% Senior Notes [Member]
Extinguishment of Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount			850
Cash paid	[1]		863
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[2]		(13)
2.250% Senior Notes [Member]
Extinguishment of Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount			700
Cash paid	[1]		714
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[2]		(16)
4.875% Senior Notes [Member]
Extinguishment of Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount			850
Cash paid			913
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations			$ (66)
2016 Term Loan A [Member]
Extinguishment of Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount		0		0
Cash paid	[1]	0		0
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[2]	(1)		$ (1)
5.250% Senior Notes [Member]
Extinguishment of Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount		1,650
Cash paid	[1]	1,789
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[2]	(143)
2015 Tower Revenue Notes 3.222% due 2042 [Member]
Extinguishment of Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount		300
Cash paid	[1]	300
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[2]	$ (1)
[1]	Exclusive of accrued interest.
[2]	Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs.

Fair Value Disclosures (Estimat

Fair Value Disclosures (Estimated Fair Values and Carrying Amounts of Assets and Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, carrying value	$ 292	$ 232	$ 196
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	292	232
Restricted cash, carrying value	174	149
Restricted cash, fair value amount	174	149
Debt and other obligations, carrying amount	20,629	19,280
Debt and other obligations, fair value amount	$ 21,588	$ 21,302

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Detai

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021AUD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)$ / shares
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Payments for ATO Settlement	$ 62,000	$ 83,000
Sale of Stock, Percentage of Ownership before Transaction			77.60%
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses | $			$ 1,200,000
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax, Per Basic Share | $ / shares			$ 979,000,000

Income Taxes (Income (Loss) fro

Income Taxes (Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Domestic		$ 1,144	$ 1,046	$ 850
Foreign	[1]	35	30	31
Income (loss) before income taxes		$ 1,179	$ 1,076	$ 881
[1]	Inclusive of income (loss) before income taxes from Puerto Rico

Income Taxes (Benefit (Provisio

Income Taxes (Benefit (Provision) for Income Taxes) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Current Federal	$ (5)	$ (6)	$ (6)
Current Foreign	(8)	(6)	(8)
Current State	(4)	(5)	(5)
Total current	(17)	(17)	(19)
Deferred Foreign	(4)	(3)	(2)
Total deferred	(4)	(3)	(2)
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	$ (21)	$ (20)	$ (21)

Income Taxes Income Taxes Effec

Income Taxes Income Taxes Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Foreign tax	$ (12)	$ (9)	$ (10)
Benefit (provision) for income taxes at statutory rate	(248)	(225)	(185)
Tax effect of foreign income (losses)	0	0	1
Tax adjustment related to REIT operations	(243)	(219)	(178)
State tax (provision) benefit, net of federal	(4)	(5)	(5)
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	$ (21)	$ (20)	$ (21)

Income Taxes (Components of Def

Income Taxes (Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Property and equipment		$ 7	$ 7
Deferred site rental receivable		8	7
Total deferred income tax liabilities		15	14
Intangible assets		1	3
Net operating loss carryforwards	[1]	13	15
Straight-line rent expense liability		4	3
Accrued liabilities		6	6
Other		2	2
Valuation allowances		0	0
Total deferred income tax assets, net		26	29
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)		$ 11	$ 15
[1]	Balance results from the Company's foreign NOLs. Due to the Company's REIT status, no federal or state NOLs result in the Company recording a deferred income tax asset. See further discussion surrounding the Company's NOL balances below.

Income Taxes (Jurisdictional Co

Income Taxes (Jurisdictional Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Income Taxes (Jurisdictional components of deferred taxes)
Deferred Tax Assets, Gross	$ 11	$ 15
Valuation allowances	0	0
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	11	15
U.S. Federal [Member]
Income Taxes (Jurisdictional components of deferred taxes)
Operating Loss Carryforwards	1,500
Deferred Tax Assets, Gross	25	25
Valuation allowances	0	0
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	25	25
State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]
Income Taxes (Jurisdictional components of deferred taxes)
Operating Loss Carryforwards	600
Deferred Tax Assets, Gross	1	1
Valuation allowances	0	0
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	1	1
Foreign Tax Authority [Member]
Income Taxes (Jurisdictional components of deferred taxes)
Operating Loss Carryforwards	34
Deferred Tax Assets, Gross	15	11
Valuation allowances	0	0
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net	(15)	$ (11)
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Member]
Income Taxes (Jurisdictional components of deferred taxes)
Operating Loss Carryforwards	$ 237

Stockholders' Equity (Details)

Stockholders' Equity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2018
Purchases of common stock, shares	400,000	500,000	400,000
Purchases of common stock, value	$ 70	$ 76	$ 44
At the Market Stock Offering Program, aggregate value of common stock	$ 750				$ 750
Availability Under ATM				$ 750
Conversion factor, 6.785% Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock		8.8043
Common Stock [Member] | Conversion of 6.875% Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock [Domain]
Conversion of Stock, Shares Issued		14,000,000
6.875% Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock [Member] | Conversion of 6.875% Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock [Domain]
Conversion of Stock, Shares Converted		2,000,000

Stockholders' Equity Tax Treatm

Stockholders' Equity Tax Treatment of Dividends Paid (Details) - $ / shares		3 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Sep. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2021	Mar. 31, 2021
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Cash Paid		$ 1.47	$ 1.33	$ 1.33	$ 1.33
Common Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Payment Date		Dec. 31, 2021	Sep. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2021	Mar. 31, 2021
Common Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Non-Taxable Distribution		$ 0.603135	$ 0.545694	$ 0.545694	$ 0.545694
Ordinary Taxable Dividend Per Share [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Cash Paid		0.866865	0.784306	0.784306	0.784306
Qualified Taxable Dividend Per Share [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Cash Paid	[1]	0.013617	0.012321	0.012321	0.012321
Long-Term Capital Gain Distribution Per Share [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Cash Paid		$ 0.853248	$ 0.771985	$ 0.771985	$ 0.771985
[1]	Qualified taxable dividend and section 199A dividend amounts are included in ordinary taxable dividend amounts.

Stockholders' Equity Declaratio

Stockholders' Equity Declaration and Payment of Dividends (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021		Sep. 30, 2021		Jun. 30, 2021		Mar. 31, 2021		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Dividends, Common Stock, Cash	$ 639	[1]	$ 578	[1]	$ 579	[1]	$ 581	[1]	$ 2,377	$ 2,106	$ 1,917
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Cash Paid	$ 1.47		$ 1.33		$ 1.33		$ 1.33
Dividends, Preferred Stock, Cash										$ 57	$ 113
Common Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Dividends Payable, Date Declared	Oct. 18, 2021		Aug. 5, 2021		May 21, 2021		Feb. 18, 2021
Dividends Payable, Date of Record	Dec. 15, 2021		Sep. 15, 2021		Jun. 14, 2021		Mar. 15, 2021
Payment Date	Dec. 31, 2021		Sep. 30, 2021		Jun. 30, 2021		Mar. 31, 2021
[1]	Inclusive of dividends accrued for holders of unvested RSUs, which will be paid when and if the RSUs vest.

Stock-based Compensation (Narra

Stock-based Compensation (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting Period	three
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares available for future issuance (in shares)	2
Shares granted, number of shares	1,000,000
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted, weighted-average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 155.01	$ 160.78	$ 106.55
Weighted-average requisite service period (years)	2 years 3 months 18 days
Restricted stock or unit expense	$ 110	$ 111	$ 96
Compensation cost not yet recognized	$ 97
Period for recognition	1 year
Performance Awards [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted, number of shares	0.4
Time Vesting Awards [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted, number of shares	0.6
Long-Term Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares available for future issuance (in shares)	7

Stock-based Compensation (Summa

Stock-based Compensation (Summary of Restricted Stock Awards Activity) (Details) - Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] shares in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross	1
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period	(1)
Shares outstanding at the beginning of the year, number of shares	2
Shares outstanding at the end of year, number of shares	2
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Nonvested Options Forfeited, Number of Shares	0

Stock-based Compensation (Sum_2

Stock-based Compensation (Summary of the Assumptions Used in the Monte Carlo Simulation to Determine the Grant-Date Fair Value) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]
Risk-free rate	0.20%	1.40%	2.50%
Expected volatility	30.00%	19.00%	18.00%
Expected dividend rate	3.40%	3.50%	4.00%

Stock-based Compensation (Sum_3

Stock-based Compensation (Summary of Restricted Stock Awards Vested) (Details) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]
Total shares vested	1	1	1
Fair value on vesting date	$ 199	$ 220	$ 135

Stock-based Compensation (Stock

Stock-based Compensation (Stock-Based Compensation Expense) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Expense	$ 131	$ 133	$ 116
Site Rental Cost of Operations [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Expense	14	16	19
Services and Other Costs of Operations [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Expense	8	8	7
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Expense	$ 109	$ 109	$ 90

Commitments and Contingencies T

Commitments and Contingencies Tower purchase option (Details)	Dec. 31, 2021
Subject to Capital Lease with TMO or AT&T [Member]
Purchase Option, Percentage of Towers	53.00%

Leases Lessee Operating Leases

Leases Lessee Operating Leases (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Operating Lease, Expense	[1]	$ 646	$ 640	$ 632
Variable Lease, Cost	[2]	164	153	149
Lease, Cost	[3]	$ 810	$ 793	$ 781
[1]	Represents the Company's operating lease expense related to its ROU assets for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
[2]	Represents the Company's expense related to contingent payments for operating leases (such as payments based on revenues derived from the communications infrastructure located on the leased asset) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Such contingencies are recognized as expense in the period they are resolved.
[3]	Excludes those direct operating expenses accounted for pursuant to accounting guidance outside the scope of ASC 842.

Leases Lessee Finance Leases (D

Leases Lessee Finance Leases (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Finance Lease, Right-of-Use Asset, Depreciation	$ 200	$ 211
Property, Plant, and Equipment and Finance Lease Right-of-Use Asset, Accumulated Depreciation and Amortization	2,500	2,300
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member]
Gross amount of finance lease ROU asset	$ 4,300	$ 4,400

Leases Other Lessee Information

Leases Other Lessee Information (Details)	Dec. 31, 2021
Leases [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term	16 years
Lessee, Operating Lease, Discount Rate	3.40%

Leases Maturities of Lease Liab

Leases Maturities of Lease Liabilities (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year One	$ 556
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Two	553
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Three	545
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Four	530
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Five	520
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, after Year Five	5,749
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Undiscounted Excess Amount	(2,073)
Operating Lease, Liability	6,380
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year One	556
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Two	553
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Three	545
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Four	530
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Five	520
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, after Year Five	5,749
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid	8,453
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Undiscounted Excess Amount	2,073
Operating Lease, Liability	$ 6,380

Operating Segments and Concen_3

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk (Major Customers) (Details) - Revenue Benchmark - Customer Concentration Risk	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	[1]	Dec. 31, 2019
Concentration Risk, Percentage	75.00%	77.00%		76.00%
AT&T [Member]
Concentration Risk, Percentage	20.00%	22.00%		21.00%
T-Mobile [Member]
Concentration Risk, Percentage	35.00%	36.00%		22.00%
Verizon Wireless [Member]
Concentration Risk, Percentage	20.00%	19.00%		19.00%
Sprint [Member]
Concentration Risk, Percentage	0.00%	0.00%		14.00%
[1]	(a) For the year ended December 31, 2020, revenues attributable to T-Mobile include revenues previously derived from Sprint. On April 1, 2020, T-Mobile and Sprint announced the completion of their previously disclosed merger.

Operating Segments and Concen_4

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk Operating Segment Results (Details) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)		Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)		Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Tower Count		40,000
Fiber Miles		80,000
Net Revenues		$ 6,340,000		$ 5,840,000		$ 5,763,000
Segment services and other cost of operations	[1]	439,000		448,000		524,000
Selling, general and administrative		680,000		678,000		614,000
Other Operating (Income) Expense		0		(362,000)		0
Assets		39,040,000		38,768,000
Goodwill		10,078,000		10,078,000
Amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments		18,000		18,000		20,000
Stock-based compensation expense		129,000		138,000		117,000
Site rental revenues		5,719,000		5,320,000		5,093,000
Services and other		621,000		520,000		670,000
Site rental	[1]	1,554,000		1,521,000		1,462,000
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		1,644,000		1,608,000		1,572,000
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs		657,000		689,000		683,000
Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent, before Tax, Total		1,179,000		1,076,000		881,000
Capital expenditures		1,229,000		1,624,000		2,057,000
Site rental revenues		5,719,000		5,320,000		5,093,000
Services and other		621,000		520,000		670,000
Site rental	[1]	1,554,000		1,521,000		1,462,000
Stock-based compensation expense		129,000		138,000		117,000
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		1,644,000		1,608,000		1,572,000
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs		657,000		689,000		683,000
Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent, before Tax, Total		1,179,000		1,076,000		881,000
Capital expenditures		1,229,000		1,624,000		2,057,000
Segments [Domain]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net Revenues		6,340,000		5,840,000		5,763,000
Segment Services and Other Cost of Operations		431,000		441,000		517,000
Segment cost of operations	[2]	1,953,000	[3]	1,927,000	[4]	1,940,000	[5]
Segment site rental gross margin		4,197,000		3,834,000		3,670,000
Segment services and other gross margin		190,000		79,000		153,000
Selling, general and administrative		290,000	[3]	283,000	[4]	233,000	[5]
Segment General and Administrative Expenses		281,000	[3]	286,000	[4]	291,000	[5]
Other Operating (Income) Expense	[6]			(362,000)
Segment Operating Profit		4,106,000		3,989,000		3,532,000
Assets		39,040,000		38,768,000		38,457,000
Goodwill		10,078,000		10,078,000		10,078,000
Stock-based compensation expense		131,000		133,000		116,000
Site rental revenues		5,719,000		5,320,000		5,093,000
Services and other		621,000		520,000		670,000
Segment Site Rental Cost of Operations		1,522,000		1,486,000		1,423,000
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		1,644,000		1,608,000		1,572,000
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs		657,000		689,000		683,000
Other Expenses	[7]	205,000		200,000		47,000
Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent, before Tax, Total		1,179,000		1,076,000		881,000
Capital expenditures		1,229,000		1,624,000		2,057,000
Site rental revenues		5,719,000		5,320,000		5,093,000
Services and other		621,000		520,000		670,000
Stock-based compensation expense		131,000		133,000		116,000
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		1,644,000		1,608,000		1,572,000
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs		657,000		689,000		683,000
Other Expenses	[7]	205,000		200,000		47,000
Segment Site Rental Cost of Operations		1,522,000		1,486,000		1,423,000
Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent, before Tax, Total		1,179,000		1,076,000		881,000
Capital expenditures		1,229,000		1,624,000		2,057,000
Towers [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net Revenues		4,405,000		3,997,000		4,042,000
Segment services and other cost of operations		414,000		429,000		506,000
Segment cost of operations	[2]	1,303,000	[3]	1,295,000	[4]	1,370,000	[5]
Segment site rental gross margin		2,915,000		2,631,000		2,525,000
Segment services and other gross margin		187,000		71,000		147,000
Selling, general and administrative		107,000	[3]	100,000	[4]	96,000	[5]
Other Operating (Income) Expense	[6]			0
Segment Operating Profit		2,995,000		2,602,000		2,576,000
Assets		22,318,000		22,242,000		22,357,000
Goodwill		5,127,000		5,127,000		5,127,000
Site rental revenues		3,804,000		3,497,000		3,389,000
Services and other		601,000		500,000		653,000
Site rental		889,000		866,000		864,000
Capital expenditures		221,000		335,000		543,000
Site rental revenues		3,804,000		3,497,000		3,389,000
Services and other		601,000		500,000		653,000
Site rental		889,000		866,000		864,000
Capital expenditures		221,000		335,000		543,000
Fiber [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net Revenues		1,935,000		1,843,000		1,721,000
Segment services and other cost of operations		17,000		12,000		11,000
Segment cost of operations	[2]	650,000	[3]	632,000	[4]	570,000	[5]
Segment site rental gross margin		1,282,000		1,203,000		1,145,000
Segment services and other gross margin		3,000		8,000		6,000
Selling, general and administrative		174,000	[3]	186,000	[4]	195,000	[5]
Other Operating (Income) Expense	[6]			(362,000)
Segment Operating Profit		1,111,000		1,387,000		956,000
Assets		15,876,000		15,746,000		15,389,000
Goodwill		4,951,000		4,951,000		4,951,000
Site rental revenues		1,915,000		1,823,000		1,704,000
Services and other		20,000		20,000		17,000
Site rental		633,000		620,000		559,000
Capital expenditures		956,000		1,232,000		1,473,000
Site rental revenues		1,915,000		1,823,000		1,704,000
Services and other		20,000		20,000		17,000
Site rental		633,000		620,000		559,000
Capital expenditures		956,000		1,232,000		1,473,000
Corporate and Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Selling, general and administrative		290,000	[3]	283,000	[4]	233,000	[5]
Assets		846,000		780,000		711,000
Goodwill		0		0		0
Stock-based compensation expense		131,000		133,000		116,000
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		1,644,000		1,608,000		1,572,000
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs		657,000		689,000		683,000
Other Expenses	[7]	205,000		200,000		47,000
Capital expenditures		52,000		57,000		41,000
Stock-based compensation expense		131,000		133,000		116,000
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		1,644,000		1,608,000		1,572,000
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs		657,000		689,000		683,000
Other Expenses	[7]	205,000		200,000		47,000
Capital expenditures		52,000		57,000		41,000
Segment cost of operations share-based compensation [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense		22,000		24,000		26,000
Stock-based compensation expense		22,000		$ 24,000		$ 26,000
Segment G&A share-based compensation [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense		109,000
Stock-based compensation expense		$ 109,000
[1]	Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately.
[2]	Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately.
[3]	Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $22 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $18 million. For the year ended December 31, 2021, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $109 million.
[4]	Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $24 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $18 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $109 million.
[5]	Segment costs of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 excludes (1) stock-based compensation expense of $26 million and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $20 million. For the year ended December 31, 2019, segment selling, general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $90 million.
[6]	See note 15 for further information.
[7]	See consolidated statement of operations for further information.

Other Income and Expenses (Deta

Other Income and Expenses (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Sprint Cancellation [Member]
Small Cell Node Count	5,700
Payment received [Member]
Other Operating Income	$ 308
Unamortized portion of payment received [Member]
Other Operating Income	$ 54

Statement of Cash Flows, Supp_3

Statement of Cash Flows, Supplemental Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Cash payments related to operating lease liabilities	[1]	$ 550	$ 538	$ 541
Interest paid		661	653	661
Income taxes paid (refund)		20	19	16
New ROU assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities		573	627	431
Increase (Decrease) in accounts payable for purchases of property and equipment		3	27	2
Purchase of property and equipment under capital leases and installment purchases		25	33	33
Cash and cash equivalents		292	232	196
Restricted cash		169	144	137
Restricted Cash, Noncurrent		5	5	5
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents		$ 466	$ 381	$ 338	$ 413
[1]	Excludes the Company's contingent payments pursuant to operating leases, which are recorded as expense in the period such contingencies are resolved.

Subsequent Events (Details)

Subsequent Events (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Mar. 21, 2022	Feb. 08, 2022	Dec. 31, 2012
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	[1]		$ (145,000)		$ (95,000)	$ (2,000)
Secured Debt [Member] | 3.849% Secured Notes [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 1,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage			3.90%	[2]					3.849%
Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations		$ 29,000
Dividends Payable, Amount Per Share								$ 1.47
Subsequent Event | Secured Debt [Member] | 3.849% Secured Notes [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 1,000,000
[1]	Inclusive of the write-off of the respective deferred financing costs.
[2]	Represents the weighted-average stated interest rate.

Schedule II - Valuation and Q_3

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Allowance, Credit Loss [Member]
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of year	$ 17	$ 18	$ 14
Charged to operations	5	4	7
Credited to operations	(5)	(5)	(3)
Balance at end of year	17	17	18
Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance [Member]
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of year	0	0	1
Charged to operations	0	0	0
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Valuation Allowances and Reserves, Addition, Recovery	0	0	1
Balance at end of year	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Schedule III - Schedule of Re_3

Schedule III - Schedule of Real Estate and Depreciation (Details) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
SEC Schedule, 12-28, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation [Line Items]
SEC Schedule, 12-28, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation, Amount of Encumbrances	[1]	$ 2,994
Gross Amount of Property Carried		26,679	$ 25,441	$ 23,854
Gross Amount of Accumulated Depreciation Carried		$ (11,582)	(10,478)	$ (9,382)
Tower Count		40,000
Fiber Miles		80,000
Other Acquisitions	[2]	$ 75	68
Communications Infrastructure Construction and Improvements		1,047	1,438
Purchase of land interests		66	64
Sustaining Capital Expenditures		69	66
Other Additions	[3]	32	47
Total Additions		1,289	1,683
SEC Schedule, 12-28, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Real Estate, Write-down or Reserve, Amount		(51)	(96)
Cost of Real Estate Sold or Disposed		(51)	(96)
SEC Schedule, 12-28, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Real Estate, Other Deduction		0	0
Depreciation		(1,137)	(1,114)
Amount of Accumulated Depreciation Sold or Disposed		25	18
Other Deductions to Accumulated Depreciation		8	0
Real Estate Period Deductions to Accumulated Depreciation		$ 33	$ 18
[1]	Encumbrances are reported at face value, without contemplating the effect of deferred financing costs, discounts or premiums. Certain of the Company's debt is secured by (1) a security interest in substantially all of the applicable issuers' assignable personal property, (2) a pledge of the equity interests in each applicable issuer and (3) a security interest in the applicable issuers' leases with tenants to lease tower space (space licenses).
[2]	Includes acquisitions of communications infrastructure.
[3]	Predominately relates to the purchase of property and equipment under finance leases and installment land purchases.