| SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation of Consolidated Financial Statements and Use of Estimates The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates are used when establishing allowances for doubtful accounts, accruals for billing disputes and exit activities, determining useful lives for depreciation and amortization, assessing the need for impairment charges (including those related to intangible assets and goodwill), determining the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations, accounting for income taxes and related valuation allowances against deferred tax assets, and estimating the grant date fair values used to compute the share-based compensation expense. Management evaluates these estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis and makes estimates based on historical experience, current conditions, and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities as well as identifying and assessing the accounting treatment with respect to commitments and contingencies. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Changes in Basis of Presentation and Accounting Revenue recognition standards include guidance relating to taxes or surcharges assessed by a governmental authority that are directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer and may include, but are not limited to, certain excise taxes and surcharges. Such charges may be presented gross (included in revenue and expense) or net (excluded from revenue and expense) based upon the Company’s accounting policy election. In 2017, the Company changed its presentation of excise taxes and surcharges from the net method to the gross method. The presentation was changed to the gross method for internal and external consistency. Historical periods have been reclassified for consistency with the current year presentation. As a result of policy alignments related to acquired businesses, certain prior period amounts in the consolidated statements of cash flows, have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation to better reflect the nature of these activities. The Company has reclassified $6.9 million and $5.6 million from the "Deferred revenue and other liabilities" line to the "Non-cash deferred revenue" line and $2.8 million and $2.5 million from the "Deferred costs and other assets" line to the "Non-cash deferred costs" line for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 , respectively. These reclassifications had no impact on the net change in cash and cash equivalents or cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities for any periods presented. Segment Reporting The Company reports operating results and financial data in one operating and reportable segment. The Company's Chief Executive Officer is the chief operating decision maker and manages the Company as a single profit center in order to promote collaboration, provide comprehensive service offerings across its entire customer base, and provide incentives to employees based on the success of the organization as a whole. Although certain information regarding selected products or services is discussed for purposes of promoting an understanding of the Company's complex business, the chief operating decision maker manages the Company and allocates resources at the consolidated level. Revenue Recognition The Company delivers eight primary services to its customers — private networking; internet; optical transport; SD-WAN; managed services; voice and unified communications; video transport services; and access services. Certain of its current commercial activities have features that may be considered multiple elements, specifically when the Company sells its connectivity services in addition to customer premise equipment ("CPE"). The Company believes that there is sufficient evidence to determine each element’s fair value and, as a result, in those arrangements where there are multiple elements, the service revenue is recorded ratably over the term of the agreement and the equipment is accounted for as a sale, at the time of sale as long as collectability is reasonably assured. The Company's services are provided under contracts that typically include an installation charge along with payments of recurring charges on a monthly basis for use of the services over a committed term. Its contracts with customers specify the terms and conditions for providing such services, including installation date, recurring and non-recurring fees, payment terms, and length of term. These contracts call for the Company to provide the service in question (e.g., data transmission between point A and point Z), to manage the activation process, and to provide ongoing support (in the form of service maintenance and trouble-shooting) during the service term. The contracts do not typically provide the customer any rights to use specifically identifiable assets. Furthermore, the contracts generally provide the Company with discretion to engineer (or re-engineer) a particular network solution to satisfy each customer’s data transmission requirement, and typically prohibit physical access by the customer to the network infrastructure used by the Company and its suppliers to deliver the services. The Company recognizes revenue as follows: Recurring Revenue. Recurring revenue represents the substantial majority of the Company's revenue, and consists of fees charged for ongoing services that are generally fixed in price and billed on a recurring monthly basis (one month in advance) for a specified term. At the end of the term, most contracts provide for a continuation of services on the same terms, either for a specified renewal period (e.g., one year) or on a month-to-month basis. The Company records recurring revenue based on the fees agreed to in each contract, as long as the contract is in effect, for the period the service is provided. Usage Revenue. Usage revenue represents variable charges for certain services, based on specific usage of those services, or usage above a fixed threshold, billed monthly in arrears. The Company records usage revenue based on actual usage charges billed using the rates and/or thresholds specified in each contract. Non-recurring Revenue. Non-recurring revenue consists of charges for installation in connection with the delivery of recurring communications services, late payments, cancellation fees, early termination fees, and equipment sales. Fees billed for installation services are initially recorded as deferred revenue and then recognized ratably over the contractual term of the recurring service. Fees charged for late payments, cancellation (pre-installation) or early termination (post-installation) are typically fixed or determinable per the terms of the respective contract, and are recognized as revenue when billed. In addition, from time to time the Company sells communications and/or networking equipment to its customers in connection with its data networking services. The Company recognizes revenue from the sale of equipment at the contracted selling price when title to the equipment passes to the customer (generally F.O.B. origin). Prepaid Capacity Sales and Indefeasible Right to Us e. From time to time the Company sells capacity on a long-term basis, where a certain portion of the contracted revenue is prepaid upon acceptance of the service by the customer. This prepaid amount is initially recorded as deferred revenue and amortized ratably over the term of the contract. Certain of these prepaid capacity sales are in the form of Indefeasible Rights to Use ("IRUs"), where the customer has the right to use the capacity for the life of the fiber optic cable. The Company records revenues from these prepaid leases of fiber optic cable IRUs over the term that the customer is given exclusive access to the assets, generally 20 years, consistent with our assumed useful life of the associated fiber optic cable. Universal Service Fund (USF), Gross Receipts Taxes and Other Surcharges. The Company is liable in certain cases for collecting regulatory fees and/or certain sales taxes from its customers and remitting the fees and taxes to the applicable governing authorities. The Company records certain excise taxes and surcharges on a gross basis and includes them in its telecommunications services revenue and costs of telecommunications services. Excise taxes and surcharges billed to customers and recorded on a gross basis (as service telecommunications services revenue and cost of telecommunications services) were $17.5 million , $5.6 million , and $3.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively. The Company records revenue only when collectability is reasonably assured, irrespective of the type of revenue. Cost of Telecommunications Services Cost of telecommunications services includes direct costs incurred in accessing other telecommunications providers’ networks in order to maintain the Company's global Tier 1 IP network and provide telecommunications services to the Company's customers including access, co-location, usage-based charges, and certain excise taxes and surcharges recorded on a gross basis. Marketing and Advertising Costs Costs related to marketing and advertising are expensed as incurred and included in selling, general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. Our marketing and advertising expense was $3.3 million , $2.2 million , and $1.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 , and 2015 , respectively. Share-Based Compensation The Company issues three types of equity grants under its share-based compensation plan: time-based restricted stock, time-based stock options, and performance-based restricted stock. The time-based restricted stock and stock options generally vest over a four -year period, contingent upon meeting the requisite service period requirement. Performance awards typically vest over a shorter period, e.g. one to two years, starting when the performance criteria established in the grant have been met and maintained. The share price of our common stock as reported on the NYSE on the date of grant is used as the fair value for all restricted stock. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the estimated fair value for stock options. Critical inputs into the Black-Scholes option-pricing model include the following: option exercise price, fair value of the stock price, expected life of the option, annualized volatility of the stock, annual rate of quarterly dividends on the stock, and risk-free interest rate. Implied volatility is calculated as of each grant date based on our historical stock price volatility along with an assessment of a peer group. Other than the expected life of the option, volatility is the most sensitive input to our option grants. The risk-free interest rate used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model is determined by referencing the U.S. Treasury yield curve rates with the remaining term equal to the expected life assumed at the date of grant. Forfeitures are estimated based on our historical analysis of attrition levels. Forfeiture estimates are updated quarterly for actual forfeitures. The expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense for performance awards when the achievement of the performance criteria is considered probable. Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method pursuant to GAAP. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future consequences attributable to the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the period of the change. Further, deferred tax assets are recognized for the expected realization of available net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. A valuation allowance is recorded on gross deferred tax assets when it is "more likely than not" that such asset will not be realized. When evaluating the realizability of deferred tax assets, all evidence, both positive and negative, is evaluated. Items considered in this analysis include the ability to carry back losses, the reversal of temporary differences, tax planning strategies and expectations of future earnings. The Company reviews its deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis to determine if a valuation allowance is required based upon these factors. Changes in the Company's assessment of the need for a valuation allowance could give rise to a change in such allowance, potentially resulting in additional expense or benefit in the period of change. The Company's income tax provision includes U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign income taxes and is based on pre-tax income or loss. In determining the annual effective income tax rate, the Company analyzed various factors, including its annual earnings and taxing jurisdictions in which the earnings were generated, the impact of state and local income taxes and its ability to use tax credits and net operating loss carryforwards. Under GAAP, the amount of tax benefit to be recognized is the amount of benefit that is "more likely than not" to be sustained upon examination. The Company analyzes its tax filing positions in all of the U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign tax jurisdictions where it is required to file income tax returns, as well as for all open tax years in these jurisdictions. If, based on this analysis, the Company determines that uncertainties in tax positions exist, a liability is established in the consolidated financial statements. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax positions in the provision for income taxes. Comprehensive (Loss) Income In addition to net (loss) income, comprehensive (loss) income includes charges or credits to equity occurring other than as a result of transactions with stockholders. For the Company, this consists of foreign currency translation adjustments. (Loss) Earnings Per Share Basic (loss) earnings per share is computed by dividing net (loss) income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted (loss) earnings per share reflect, in periods with earnings and in which they have a dilutive effect, the effect of common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options and warrants. The table below details the calculations of earnings (loss) per share (in millions, except for share and per share amounts): Year Ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Numerator for basic and diluted EPS – (loss) income available to common stockholders $ (71.5 ) $ 5.3 $ 19.3 Denominator for basic EPS – weighted average shares 41,912,952 37,055,663 34,973,284 Effect of dilutive securities — 513,252 828,111 Denominator for diluted EPS – weighted average shares 41,912,952 37,568,915 35,801,395 Earnings (loss) per share: basic $ (1.71 ) $ 0.14 $ 0.55 Earnings (loss) per share: diluted $ (1.71 ) $ 0.14 $ 0.54 All of the stock options were anti-dilutive as of December 31, 2017 due to the net loss incurred during the period. There were approximately 0 and 256,000 anti-dilutive common shares that were excluded from the computation of earnings per share as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 , respectively. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents may include deposits with financial institutions as well as short-term money market instruments, certificates of deposit and debt instruments with maturities of three months or less when purchased. The Company invests its cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments in accordance with the terms and conditions of its Credit Agreement, which seeks to ensure both liquidity and safety of principal. The Company’s policy limits investments to instruments issued by the U.S. government and commercial institutions with strong investment grade credit ratings, and places restrictions on the length of maturity. As of December 31, 2017 , the Company held no direct investments in auction rate securities, collateralized debt obligations, structured investment vehicles or non-government guaranteed mortgage-backed securities. Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents that are contractually restricted from operating use are classified as restricted cash and cash equivalents. In December 2016, the Company completed a private offering of $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.875% senior unsecured notes due in 2024. The proceeds of the private offering plus 60 days of prepaid interest were deposited into escrow, where the funds remained until all the escrow release conditions were satisfied, specifically the closing of the acquisition of Hibernia Networks ("Hibernia") that occurred in January 2017. The proceeds were released from escrow at closing to fund the Hibernia acquisition. Accounts Receivable, Net Accounts receivable balances are stated at amounts due from the customer net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. Credit extended is based on an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition and is granted to qualified customers on an unsecured basis. The Company, pursuant to its standard service contracts, is entitled to impose a finance charge of a certain percentage per month with respect to all amounts that are past due. The Company’s standard terms require payment within 30 days of the date of the invoice. The Company treats invoices as past due when they remain unpaid, in whole or in part, beyond the payment date set forth in the applicable service contract. The Company determines its allowance for doubtful accounts by considering a number of factors, including the length of time trade receivables are past due, the customer’s payment history and current ability to pay its obligation to the Company, and the condition of the general economy. Specific reserves are also established on a case-by-case basis by management. Credit losses have historically been within management’s expectations. Actual bad debts, when determined, reduce the allowance, the adequacy of which management then reassesses. The Company writes off accounts after a determination by management that the amounts at issue are no longer likely to be collected, following the exercise of reasonable collection efforts, and upon management’s determination that the costs of pursuing collection outweigh the likelihood of recovery. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $5.1 million and $2.7 million as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively. Deferred Costs Installation costs related to provisioning of communications services that the Company incurs from third-party suppliers, directly attributable and necessary to fulfill particular service contract, and which costs would not have been incurred but for the occurrence of that service contract, are recorded as deferred contract costs and expensed ratably over the contractual term of service in the same manner as the deferred revenue arising from that contract. Based on historical experience, the Company believes the initial contractual term is the best estimate for the period of earnings. If any installation costs exceed the amount of corresponding deferred revenue, the excess cost is recognized in the current period. Property and Equipment Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation on these assets is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Assets are recorded at acquired cost plus any internal labor to prepare the asset for installation to become functional. Assets and liabilities under capital leases are recorded at the lesser of the present value of the aggregate future minimum lease payments or the fair value of the assets under lease. Leasehold improvements and assets under capital leases are amortized over the shorter of the term of the lease, excluding optional extensions, or the useful life. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Depreciable lives used by the Company for its classes of assets are as follows: Buildings 30 years Furniture and Fixtures 7 years Fiber Optic Cable 20 years Fiber Optic Network Equipment 3 - 15 years Leasehold Improvements up to 10 years Computer Hardware and Software 3-5 years The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of an asset were to exceed its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, the asset would be considered to be impaired. Impairment losses would then be measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. Assets to be disposed of, if any, are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. Software Capitalization Software development costs include costs to develop software to be used solely to meet the Company's internal needs. The Company capitalizes development costs related to these software applications once the preliminary project stage is complete and it is probable that the project will be completed. Subsequent additions, modifications, or upgrades to internal-use software are capitalized only to the extent that they allow the software to perform a function it previously did not perform. Software maintenance, data conversion, and training costs are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. The Company capitalized software costs of $2.1 million , $1.5 million , and $1.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 , and 2015 , respectively. Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least annually, in October, or more frequently if a triggering event occurs between impairment testing dates. The Company operates as a single operating segment and as a single reporting unit for the purpose of evaluating goodwill impairment. The Company's impairment assessment begins with a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more like than not that fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. The qualitative assessment includes comparing the overall financial performance of the Company against the planned results used in the last quantitative goodwill impairment test. Additionally, the Company's fair value is assessed in light of certain events and circumstances, including macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, and other relevant entity and Company specific events. The selection and assessment of qualitative factors used to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds the carrying value involves significant judgment and estimates. If it is determined under the qualitative assessment that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then a two-step quantitative impairment test is performed. Under the first step, the estimated fair value of the Company would be compared with its carrying value (including goodwill). If the fair value of the Company exceeds its carrying value, step two does not need to be performed. If the estimated fair value of the Company is less than its carrying value, an indication of goodwill impairment exists for the Company and it would need to perform step two of the impairment test. Under step two, an impairment loss would be recognized for any excess of the carrying amount of the Company's goodwill over the implied fair value of that goodwill. Fair value of the Company under the two-step assessment is determined using a combination of both income and market-based approaches. There were no goodwill impairments identified for the years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 , and 2015 . Intangible assets arising from business combinations, such as acquired customer contracts and relationships, (collectively "customer relationships"), trade names, intellectual property or know-how are initially recorded at fair value. The Company amortizes these intangible assets over the determined useful life, which ranges from three to eight years. The Company reviews its intangible assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be fully recoverable. If the total of the expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference between fair value and the carrying value of the asset. There were no intangible asset impairments recognized for the years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 , and 2015 . Business Combinations The Company includes the results of operations of the businesses that it acquires as of the respective dates of acquisition. The Company allocates the fair value of the purchase price of its acquisitions to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of the purchase price over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. Asset Purchases Periodically we acquire customer contracts that we account for as an asset purchase and record a corresponding intangible asset that is amortized over its assumed useful life. Any excess of the fair value of the purchase price over the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities is allocated on a relative fair value basis. No goodwill is recorded in an asset acquisition. During 2017, the Company acquired customer contracts for an aggregate purchase price of $37.4 million , of which $14.9 million was paid in 2017 on the respective closing dates. Of the remaining $22.5 million , $4.5 million was subsequently paid during the year ended December 31, 2017. The remaining $18.0 million is expected to be paid in 2018, subject to any indemnification claims made through the final payment date. During 2016, the Company acquired customer contracts for an aggregate purchase price of $41.3 million , of which $20.0 million was paid in 2016 on the respective closing dates. The remaining $21.3 million was paid during the year ended December 31, 2017. We did not have any asset purchases in 2015. Accrued Supplier Expenses The Company accrues estimated charges owed to its suppliers for services. The Company bases this accrual on the supplier contract, the individual service order executed with the supplier for that service, and the length of time the service has been active. Disputed Supplier Expenses In the normal course of business, the Company identifies errors by suppliers with respect to the billing of services. The Company performs bill verification procedures to ensure that errors in the Company's suppliers' billed invoices are identified and resolved. If the Company concludes that a vendor has billed inaccurately, the Company will record a liability only for the amount that it believes is owed. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016 , the Company had open disputes not accrued for of $5.3 million and $5.8 million , respectively. Acquisition Earn-outs and Holdbacks Acquisition earn-outs and holdbacks represent either contingent consideration subject to fair value measurements, or fixed deferred consideration to be paid out at some point in the future, typically on the one-year anniversary of an acquisition. Contingent consideration is remeasured to fair value at each reporting period. The portion of the deferred consideration due within one year is recorded as a current liability until paid, and any consideration due beyond one year is recorded in other long-term liabilities. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016 , there was no contingent consideration subject to re-measurement outstanding. Debt Issuance Costs Debt issuance costs represent costs that qualify for deferral associated with the issuance of new debt or the modification of existing debt facilities. The unamortized balance of debt issuance costs is presented as a reduction to the carrying value of long-term debt. Debt issuance costs are amortized and recognized on the consolidated statements of operations as interest expense. The unamortized debt issuance costs were $33.8 million and $9.3 million as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively. Original Issuance Discounts and Premiums Original issuance discounts and premiums ("OID") is the difference between the face value of debt and the amount of principal received when the loan was originated. When the debt reaches maturity, the face value of the debt is payable. The Company recognizes OID by accretion of the discount or premium as interest expense, net over the term of the debt. The unamortized portion of the OID was a $9.3 million net premium and a $7.0 million discount as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively. Translation of Foreign Currencies For non-U.S. subsidiaries, the local currency is the functional currency for financial reporting purposes. These consolidated financial statements have been reported in U.S. Dollars by translating asset and liability amounts of foreign subsidiaries at the closing currency exchange rate, equity amounts at historical rates, and the results of operations and cash flow at the average currency exchange rate prevailing during the periods reported. The net effect of such translation gains and losses are reflected in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the stockholders' equity section of the consolidated balance sheets. Transactions denominated in foreign currencies other than a subsidiary's functional currency are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing at the time of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange prevailing at the balance sheet date. Exchange differences arising upon settlement of a transaction are reported in the consolidated statements of operations in other expense, net. Fair Value Measurements Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Company classifies certain assets and liabilities based on the following hierarchy of fair value: Level 1: Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that can be assessed at the measurement date. Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data. Level 3: Inputs reflect management's best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The inputs are unobservable in the market and significant to the instrument's valuation. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required to be recorded at fair value, management considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and considers risks, restrictions, or other assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability. C oncentrations of Credit Risk Financial instruments potentially subject to concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, and trade accounts receivable. At times during the periods presented, the Company had funds in excess of $250,000 insured by the U.S. Federal D |
