NTELOS 10-Q 7 May 14 2014 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_And_Entity_Informatio

Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	2-May-14
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]	'	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q1	'
Entity Registrant Name	'NTELOS HOLDINGS CORP	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001328571	'
Trading Symbol	'ntls	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'
Entity Filer Category	'Accelerated Filer	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	21,666,882
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	'Yes	'
Entity Voluntary Filers	'No	'
Entity Current Reporting Status	'Yes	'

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current Assets	'	'
Cash	$121,038	$88,441
Restricted cash	2,167	2,167
Accounts receivable, net	36,545	37,740
Inventories and supplies	15,663	23,962
Deferred income taxes	9,751	10,650
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	21,513	20,808
Total current assets	206,677	183,768
Securities and Investments	1,499	1,499
Property, Plant and Equipment, net	322,331	319,376
Intangible Assets	'	'
Goodwill	63,700	63,700
Radio spectrum licenses	131,834	131,834
Customer relationships and trademarks, net	6,232	6,985
Deferred Charges and Other Assets	11,628	9,089
TOTAL ASSETS	743,901	716,251
Current Liabilities	'	'
Current portion of long-term debt	5,824	5,410
Accounts payable	29,816	33,677
Dividends payable	9,096	9,034
Advance billings and customer deposits	13,590	13,333
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	17,231	18,056
Total current liabilities	75,557	79,510
Long-term Liabilities	'	'
Long-Term Debt	523,036	484,956
Retirement Benefits	12,535	11,995
Deferred Income Taxes	61,946	62,893
Other Long-Term Liabilities	33,133	33,104
Liabilities, Noncurrent, Total	630,650	592,948
Commitments and Contingencies	'	'
Equity	'	'
Preferred stock, par value $.01 per share, authorized 100 shares, none issued	0	0
Common stock, par value $.01 per share, authorized 55,000 shares; 21,666 shares issued and 21,657 shares outstanding (21,519 shares issued and 21,510 shares outstanding at December 31, 2013)	214	214
Additional paid in capital	38,198	44,462
Treasury stock, at cost, 9 shares (9 shares at December 31, 2013)	-147	-147
Retained earnings	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-1,517	-1,246
Total NTELOS Holdings Corp. Stockholders’ Equity	36,748	43,283
Noncontrolling Interests	946	510
Total Stockholders' Equity, including portion attributable to noncontrolling interest	37,694	43,793
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	$743,901	$716,251

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance1

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	100,000	100,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	55,000,000	55,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	21,666,000	21,519,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	21,657,000	21,510,000
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	9,000	9,000

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Operations (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Income Statement [Abstract]	'	'
Operating Revenues	$122,082	$119,345
Operating Expenses	'	'
Cost of sales and services	47,324	44,535
Customer operations	34,091	30,954
Corporate operations	9,737	7,904
Depreciation and amortization	19,067	18,456
Operating expenses, total	110,219	101,849
Operating income	11,863	17,496
Other Expense	'	'
Interest expense	-7,959	-7,361
Other expense, net	-1,072	-369
Nonoperating Income (Expense), Total	-9,031	-7,730
Income before Income Taxes	2,832	9,766
Income Taxes	1,110	3,744
Net Income	1,722	6,022
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests	-436	-529
Net Income Attributable to NTELOS Holdings Corp.	$1,286	$5,493
Earnings per Share Attributable to NTELOS Holdings Corp.	'	'
Basic (in dollars per share)	$0.06	$0.26
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic (in shares)	21,080	20,960
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$0.06	$0.25
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted (in shares)	22,023	21,550
Cash Dividends Declared per Share - Common Stock (in dollars per share)	$0.42	$0.42

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'
Net Income Attributable to NTELOS Holdings Corp.	$1,286	$5,493
Other Comprehensive Income:	'	'
Amortization of unrealized (gain)/loss from defined benefit plans, net of $172 of deferred income taxes in 2014 ($42 in 2013)	-271	66
Comprehensive Income Attributable to NTELOS Holdings Corp.	1,015	5,559
Comprehensive Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests	436	529
Comprehensive Income	$1,451	$6,088

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme2

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'
Amortization of unrealized loss from defined benefit plans taxes	$172	$42

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme3

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities	'	'
Net income	$1,722	$6,022
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	19,067	18,456
Deferred income taxes	86	3,263
Equity-based compensation	1,311	1,321
Amortization of loan origination costs and debt discount	801	672
Write off of unamortized debt issuance costs	895	0
Retirement benefits and other	700	774
Changes in operating assets and liabilities	'	'
Accounts receivable	1,195	7,322
Inventories and supplies	8,299	824
Other current assets	-3,609	-1,993
Income taxes	313	592
Accounts payable	-11,229	-3,402
Other current liabilities	-1,230	7,557
Retirement benefit contributions and distributions	173	-86
Net cash provided by operating activities	18,494	41,322
Cash flows from investing activities	'	'
Purchases of property, plant and equipment	-13,961	-16,913
Other, net	2,547	-33
Net cash used in investing activities	-11,414	-16,946
Cash flows from financing activities	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt, net of original issue discount	187,655	0
Debt issuance and refinancing costs	-3,551	0
Repayments on senior secured term loans	-149,476	-1,250
Cash dividends paid on common stock	-9,034	0
Capital distributions to Noncontrolling Interests	0	-277
Other, net	-77	410
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities	25,517	-1,117
Increase in cash	32,597	23,259
Cash, beginning of period	88,441	'
Cash, end of period	$121,038	'

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme4

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (USD $)		Total	Common Stock [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Additional Paid In Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Member]	Total NTELOS Holdings Corp. Stockholders’ Equity [Member]	Noncontrolling Interests [Member]
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2013		$43,793	$214	($147)	$44,462	$0	($1,246)	$43,283	$510
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2013		'	21,519	9	'	'	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]		'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation	[1]	1,594	'	'	1,594	'	'	1,594	'
Equity-based compensation, shares	[1]	'	147	'	'	'	'	'	'
Cash dividends declared		-9,144	'	'	-7,858	-1,286	'	-9,144	'
Net income attributable to NTELOS Holdings Corp.		1,286	'	'	'	1,286	'	1,286	'
Amortization of unrealized gain from defined benefit plans, net of $172 of deferred income taxes		-271	'	'	'	'	-271	-271	'
Comprehensive income attributable to Noncontrolling Interests		436	'	'	'	'	'	0	436
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2014		$37,694	$214	($147)	$38,198	$0	($1,517)	$36,748	$946
Ending balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2014		'	21,666	9	'	'	'	'	'
[1]	*Includes restricted shares issued, employee stock purchase plan issuances, shares issued through 401(k) matching contributions, stock options exercised and other activity.

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme5

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Amortization of unrealized loss from defined benefit plans taxes	$172	$42

Organization

Organization	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Organization	'
	Organization
	NTELOS Holdings Corp. (hereafter referred to as “Holdings Corp.” or the “Company”), through NTELOS Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary (“NTELOS Inc.”) and its subsidiaries, is a regional provider of digital wireless communications services to consumers and businesses primarily in Virginia, West Virginia and certain portions of surrounding states. The Company’s primary services are wireless voice and data digital personal communications services (“PCS”) provided through NTELOS branded retail operations and on a wholesale basis to other PCS providers, most notably through an arrangement with Sprint Spectrum L.P. (“Sprint Spectrum”), and Sprint Spectrum on behalf of and as an agent for SprintCom, Inc. (“SprintCom”)
	(Sprint Spectrum and SprintCom collectively, “Sprint”), which arrangement is referred to herein as the “Strategic Network
	Alliance” or "SNA." See Note 11 for additional information regarding this arrangement. The Company does not have any
	independent operations.

Supplemental_Financial_Informa

Supplemental Financial Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Supplemental Financial Information [Abstract]	'
Supplemental Financial Information	'
	Basis of Presentation and Other Information
	Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary to present fairly the financial position have been included.
	The results of operations for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2014. The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 has been derived from the audited financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 (the “2013 Form 10-K”). These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s 2013 Form 10-K.
	Cash
	The Company’s cash was held in market rate savings accounts and non-interest bearing deposit accounts. The total held in the market rate savings accounts at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $66.5 million and $36.5 million, respectively. The remaining $54.5 million and $51.9 million of cash at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, was held in non-interest bearing deposit accounts.
	Restricted Cash
	The Company is eligible to receive up to $5.0 million in connection with its winning bid in the Connect America Fund's Mobility Fund Phase I Auction ("Auction 901"). Pursuant to the terms of Auction 901, the Company was required to obtain a Letter of Credit (“LOC”) for the benefit of the Universal Service Administrative Company (“USAC”) to cover each disbursement plus the amount of the performance default penalty (10% of the total eligible award). USAC may draw upon the LOC in the event the Company fails to demonstrate the required coverage by the applicable deadline in 2016. The Company obtained the LOC in the amount of $2.2 million, representing the first disbursement of $1.7 million received in September 2013, plus the performance default penalty of $0.5 million. In accordance with the terms of the LOC, the Company deposited $2.2 million into a separate account at the issuing bank to serve as cash collateral. Such funds will be released when the LOC is terminated without being drawn upon by USAC.
	Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
	The Company includes bad debt expense in customer operations expense in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations. Bad debt expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was $4.0 million and $3.2 million, respectively. The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts was $6.2 million and $6.5 million at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.
	Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
	(In thousands)	31-Mar-14			31-Dec-13
	Accrued interest	5,103			4,584
	Accrued payroll	4,237			5,760
	Accrued taxes	4,421			3,842
	Other	3,470			3,870
	Total	$	17,231		$	18,056
	Pension Benefits and Retirement Benefits Other Than Pensions
	For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the components of the Company’s net periodic benefit cost for its defined benefit pension plan were as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Service cost	$	—		$	—
	Interest cost	344			331
	Recognized net actuarial loss	—			76
	Expected return on plan assets	(472		)	(399		)
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	(128	)	$	8
	Pension plan assets were valued at $25.0 million at March 31, 2014.
	For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the components of the Company’s net periodic benefit cost for its other postretirement benefit plans were as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Service cost	$	10		$	14
	Interest cost	24			21
	Recognized net actuarial loss	8			4
	Fees	8			—
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	50		$	39
	The total expense recognized for the Company’s nonqualified pension plans was $0.1 million for each of the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, a portion of which related to the amortization of unrealized loss.
	The total amount reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income related to actuarial losses from the defined benefit plans was $0.3 million and $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, all of which has been reclassified to cost of sales and services, customer operations, and corporate operations on the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of income for the respective periods.
	The Company also sponsors a contributory defined contribution plan under Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Section 401(k) for substantially all employees. The Company’s current policy is to make matching contributions in shares of the Company’s common stock.
	Equity-Based Compensation
	The Company accounts for equity-based compensation plans under FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 718, Stock Compensation. Equity-based compensation expense from stock-based awards is recorded with an offsetting increase to additional paid in capital on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Company recognizes compensation cost on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award.
	Total equity-based compensation expense related to all of the Company’s stock-based equity awards for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 and the Company’s 401(k) matching contributions was allocated as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Cost of sales and services	$	151		$	141
	Customer operations	250			247
	Corporate operations	910			933
	Equity-based compensation expense	$	1,311		$	1,321
	Future charges for equity-based compensation related to securities outstanding at March 31, 2014 for the remainder of 2014 and for the years 2015 through 2018 are estimated to be $3.2 million, $3.1 million, $1.4 million, $0.2 million and less than $0.1 million, respectively.

Supplemental_Cash_Flow_Informa

Supplemental Cash Flow Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]	'
Supplemental Cash Flow Information	'
	Supplemental Cash Flow Information
	The following information is presented as supplementary disclosures for the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014		2013
	Cash payments for:
	Interest (net of amounts capitalized)	$	6,771	$	2,591
	Income taxes	11		13
	Cash received from income tax refunds	—		288
	Supplemental investing and financing activities:
	Additions to property, plant and equipment included in accounts payable	16,244		4,551
	Dividends declared not paid	9,142		9,053
	The amount of interest capitalized was immaterial for each of the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

Property_Plan_And_Equipment

Property, Plan And Equipment	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'
	Property, Plant and Equipment
	The components of property, plant and equipment, and the related accumulated depreciation, were as follows:
	(In thousands)	Estimated Useful	31-Mar-14		31-Dec-13
		Life
	Land and buildings *	39 to 50 years	$	33,079	$	34,223
	Network plant and equipment	5 to 17 years	474,174		471,032
	Furniture, fixtures and other equipment	2 to 18 years	93,674		103,181
			600,927		608,436
	Under construction		23,987		6,430
			624,914		614,866
	Less: accumulated depreciation		302,583		295,490
	Property, plant and equipment, net		$	322,331	$	319,376
	* Leasehold improvements, which are categorized in land and buildings, are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful lives or the remaining lease terms.
	Depreciation expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was $18.3 million and $17.7 million, respectively. During the quarter ended March 31, 2014, the Company revised the estimated useful lives of certain assets in order to better match our depreciation expense with the periods these assets are expected to generate revenue based on planned and historical service periods. The new estimated useful lives were established based on historical service periods and external benchmark data of these assets. The increase in depreciation expense resulting from this change for the three months ended March 31, 2014 was approximately $0.4 million. The Company believes that no impairment indicators existed as of March 31, 2014 that would require it to perform impairment testing.

Intangible_Assets

Intangible Assets	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Intangible Assets	'
	Intangible Assets
	Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
	Goodwill and radio spectrum licenses are considered indefinite-lived intangible assets. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are not subject to amortization but instead are tested for impairment annually, on October 1, or more frequently if an event indicates that the asset might be impaired. The Company believes that no impairment indicators existed as of March 31, 2014 that would require it to perform impairment testing.
	Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization
	Customer relationships and trademarks are considered amortizable intangible assets. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, customer relationships and trademarks were comprised of the following:
			March 31, 2014							31-Dec-13
	(In thousands)	Estimated	Gross Amount		Accumulated			Net		Gross Amount		Accumulated			Net
		Useful Life			Amortization							Amortization
	Customer relationships	7 to 8 years	$	36,900	$	(33,507	)	$	3,393	$	36,900	$	(32,871	)	$	4,029
	Trademarks	15 years	7,000		(4,161		)	2,839		7,000		(4,044		)	2,956
	Total		$	43,900	$	(37,668	)	$	6,232	$	43,900	$	(36,915	)	$	6,985
	The Company amortizes its amortizable intangible assets using the straight-line method. Amortization expense for both the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was $0.8 million.

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Long-Term Debt	'
	Long-Term Debt
	At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company’s outstanding long-term debt consisted of the following:
	(In thousands)	31-Mar-14		31-Dec-13
	Senior secured term loans, net of unamortized debt discount	$	528,041	$	489,441
	Capital lease obligations	819		925
		528,860		490,366
	Less: current portion of long-term debt	5,824		5,410
	Long-term debt	$	523,036	$	484,956
	Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Lease Obligations
	On November 9, 2012, NTELOS Inc. entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”), which amended and restated, in its entirety, that certain Credit Agreement dated August 7, 2009 (the “Original Credit Agreement”). The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement provided for (1) a term loan A in the aggregate amount of $150.0 million (the “Term Loan A”); and (2) a term loan B in the aggregate amount of $350.0 million (the “Term Loan B” and, together with the Term Loan A, the “Term Loans”).
	On January 31, 2014, the Company completed the refinancing of Term Loan A, which converted the outstanding principal balance of $148.1 million of Term Loan A into Term Loan B, and borrowed an additional $40.0 million under Term Loan B. The additional Term Loan B borrowings bear the same interest rate, maturity and other terms as the Company’s existing Term Loan B borrowings. In connection with the refinancing, the Company incurred approximately $3.8 million in creditor and third party fees, of which $3.7 million was deferred and is being amortized to interest expense over the life of the debt using the effective interest method. The Company also deferred $0.5 million in debt discounts related to the new Term Loan B borrowings, which are being accreted to the Term Loan B using the effective interest method over the life of the debt and are reflected in interest expense. Additionally, the Company wrote off a proportionate amount of the unamortized deferred fees and debt discount from the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement totaling $0.5 million and $0.2 million, respectively, which are reflected in other expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of income.
	The aggregate maturities of long-term debt outstanding at March 31, 2014, excluding capital lease obligations, based on the contractual terms of the instruments were as follows:
	(In thousands)	Term Loan
	Remainder of 2014	$	4,054
	2015	5,405
	2016	5,405
	2017	5,405
	2018	5,405
	Thereafter	506,725
	Total	$	532,399
	The Company’s blended average effective interest rate on its long-term debt was approximately 6.3% and 6.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
	The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement has a Restricted Payments basket, which can be used to make Restricted Payments (as defined in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement), including the ability to pay dividends, repurchase stock or advance funds to the Company. This Restricted Payments basket increases by $6.5 million per quarter and decreases by any actual Restricted Payments and by certain investments and any mandatory prepayments on the Term Loans, to the extent the lenders decline to receive such prepayment. In addition, on a quarterly basis the Restricted Payments basket increases by the positive amount, if any, of the Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement). For the three months ended March 31, 2014 there was no excess cash flow. The balance of the Restricted Payments basket as of March 31, 2014 was $58.8 million.
	Capital Lease Obligations
	In addition to the long-term debt discussed above, the Company has entered into capital leases on vehicles with original lease terms of four to five years. At March 31, 2014, the carrying value and accumulated depreciation of these assets was $2.6 million and $1.5 million, respectively. The total net present value of the Company’s future minimum lease payments is $0.8 million. At March 31, 2014, the principal portion of these capital lease obligations was payable as follows: $0.3 million for the remainder of 2014, $0.3 million in 2015 and $0.2 million in 2016.

Financial_Instruments

Financial Instruments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Financial Instruments	'
	Financial Instruments
	The Company is exposed to market risks with respect to certain of the financial instruments that it holds. Cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities are reflected in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements at cost, which approximates fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments. The fair values of other financial instruments are determined using observable market prices or using a valuation model, which is based on a conventional discounted cash flow methodology and utilizes assumptions of current market conditions. The following is a summary by balance sheet category:
	Long-Term Investments
	At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had an investment in CoBank, ACB (“CoBank”) of $1.5 million. This investment is primarily related to a required investment under the Original Credit Agreement and declared and unpaid patronage distributions of restricted equity related to the portion of the term loans previously held by CoBank. This investment is carried under the cost method as it is not practicable to estimate fair value. This investment is subject to redemption in accordance with CoBank’s capital recovery plans.
	Interest Rate Derivatives
	In February 2013, the Company purchased an interest rate cap for $0.9 million with a notional amount of $350.0 million, which caps the three month Eurodollar rate at 1.0% and expires in August 2015. The Company did not designate the interest rate cap agreement as a cash flow hedge for accounting purposes. Therefore, the change in market value of the agreement is recorded as a gain or loss in other expense. The Company recorded a $0.1 million loss for the three months ended March 31, 2014.
	The following table indicates the difference between face amount, carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s financial instruments at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.
		Face			Carrying		Fair
	(In thousands)	Amount			Amount		Value
	31-Mar-14
	Nonderivatives:
	Financial assets:
	Cash	$	121,038		$	121,038	$	121,038
	Restricted cash	2,167			2,167		2,167
	Long-term investments for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value	N/A			1,499		N/A
	Financial liabilities:
	Senior secured term loan, net of unamortized debt discount	532,399			528,041		527,075
	Capital lease obligations	819			819		819
	Derivative related to debt:
	Interest rate cap asset	350,000		*	82		82
	31-Dec-13
	Nonderivatives:
	Financial assets:
	Cash	$	88,441		$	88,441	$	88,441
	Restricted cash	2,167			2,167		2167
	Long-term investments for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value	N/A			1,499		N/A
	Financial liabilities:
	Senior secured term loan, net of unamortized debt discount	493,750			489,441		495,848
	Capital lease obligations	925			925		925
	Derivative related to debt:
	Interest rate cap asset	350,000		*	229		229
	* Notional amount
	The fair values of the Term Loans under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement were derived based on bid prices at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The fair value of the derivative instrument was based on a quoted market price at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. These instruments are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy described in FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.

Equity_and_Earnings_Per_Share

Equity and Earnings Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]	'
Equity and Earnings Per Share	'
	Equity and Earnings Per Share
	On May 1, 2014, the board of directors declared a cash dividend in the amount of $0.42 per share to be paid on July 11, 2014 to stockholders of record on June 13, 2014.
	The computations of basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Numerator:
	Net income applicable to common shares for earnings per share computation	$	1,286		$	5,493
	Denominator:
	Total shares outstanding	21,657			21,446
	Less: unvested shares	(570		)	(478		)
	Less: effect of calculating weighted average shares	(7		)	(8		)
	Denominator for basic earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	21,080			20,960
	Plus: weighted average unvested shares	628			374
	Plus: common stock equivalents of stock options	315			216
	Denominator for diluted earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	22,023			21,550
	In accordance with FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, unvested share-based payment awards that contain rights to receive non-forfeitable dividends or dividend equivalents, whether paid or unpaid, are considered a “participating security” for purposes of computing earnings or loss per common share pursuant to the two-class method. The Company's unvested restricted stock awards have rights to receive non-forfeitable dividends. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company has calculated basic earnings per share using weighted average shares outstanding and the two-class method and determined there was no significant difference in the per share amounts calculated under the two methods.
	For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the denominator for diluted earnings per common share excludes approximately 1.8 million shares and 2.6 million shares, respectively, related to stock options that were antidilutive for the respective periods presented. In addition, the performance-based portion of the performance stock units ("PSUs") is excluded from diluted earnings per share until the performance criteria are satisfied.

Stock_Plans

Stock Plans	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Stock Plans	'
	Stock Plans
	The Company has employee equity incentive plans (referred to as the “Employee Equity Incentive Plans”) administered by the Compensation Committee of the Company’s board of directors (the “Committee”), which permits the grant of long-term incentives to employees, including stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, incentive awards, other stock-based awards and dividend equivalents. The Company also has a non-employee director equity plan (the “Non-Employee Director Equity Plan”). The Non-Employee Director Equity Plan together with the Employee Equity Incentive Plans are referred to as the “Equity Incentive Plans.” Awards under these plans are issuable to employees or non-employee directors as applicable.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company issued 347,023 stock options under the Employee Equity Incentive Plans and 27,170 stock options under the Non-Employee Director Equity Plan. The options issued under the Employee Equity Incentive Plans vest one-fourth annually beginning one year after the grant date, and the options issued under the Non-Employee Director Equity Plan cliff vest on the first anniversary of the grant date.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company issued 118,146 shares of restricted stock under the Employee Equity Incentive Plans and 10,095 shares of restricted stock under the Non-Employee Director Equity Plan. The restricted shares granted under the Employee Equity Incentive Plans cliff vest on the third anniversary of the grant date. The restricted shares granted under the Non-Employee Director Equity Plan cliff vest on the first anniversary of the grant date. Dividend and voting rights applicable to restricted stock are equivalent to the Company’s common stock.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company granted 83,151 PSUs under the Employee Equity Incentive Plans to certain key employees. These PSUs vest on December 31, 2016 and are subject to certain performance and market conditions. Each PSU represents the contingent right to receive one share (or more based on maximum achievement) of the Company’s common stock if vesting is satisfied. The PSUs have no voting rights. Dividends, if any, that would have been paid on the underlying shares will be paid as dividend equivalent units on PSUs that vest, on or after the vesting date. At March 31, 2014, the Company had accrued approximately $0.2 million in dividend equivalent units.
	The summary of the activity and status of the Company’s stock option awards for the three months ended March 31, 2014 is as follows:
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Options		Weighted		Weighted	Aggregate
				Average		Average	Intrinsic
				Exercise		Remaining	Value
				Price per		Contractual
				Share		Term
	Stock options outstanding at January 1, 2014	2,603		$	19.45
	Granted during the period	374		13.42
	Exercised during the period	—		—
	Forfeited during the period	—		—
	Stock options outstanding at March 31, 2014	2,977		$	18.69	7.7 years	$	—
	Exercisable at March 31, 2014	1,465		$	21.11	6.6 years	$	—
	Total expected to vest after March 31, 2014	1,361		$	18.16
	The fair value of each common stock option award granted during the three months ended March 31, 2014 was estimated on the respective grant date using a generally accepted valuation model with assumptions related to risk-free interest rate, expected volatility, expected dividend yield and expected terms. The weighted average grant date fair value per share of stock options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was $1.02 and $0.71, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was less than $0.1 million. The total fair value of options that vested during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was $1.1 million and $1.3 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2014, there was $2.4 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.3 years.
	The summary of the activity and status of the Company’s restricted stock awards for the three months ended March 31, 2014 is as follows:
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Shares		Weighted Average  Grant
				Date Fair Value per
				Share
	Restricted stock awards outstanding at January 1, 2014	325		$	17.41
	Granted during the period	128		13.5
	Vested during the period	(50	)	20.47
	Forfeited during the period	(1	)	12.47
	Restricted stock awards outstanding at March 31, 2014	402		$	15.8
	At March 31, 2014, there was $3.9 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted stock awards, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.1 years. The fair value of the restricted stock award is equal to the market value of common stock on the date of grant.
	The summary of the activity and status of the Company’s performance stock unit awards for the three months ended March 31, 2014 is as follows:
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Units		Weighted Average  Grant
				Date Fair Value per
				PSU
	Performance stock units outstanding at January 1, 2014	110		$	12.79
	Granted during the period	83		9.1
	Vested during the period	—		—
	Forfeited during the period	—		—
	Performance stock units outstanding at March 31, 2014	193		$	11.2
	At March 31, 2014, there was $1.7 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested PSUs, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.2 years. The fair value of the PSU is estimated at the grant date using a Monte Carlo simulation model.
	In addition to the Equity Incentive Plans discussed above, the Company has an employee stock purchase plan, which commenced in July 2006 with 100,000 shares available. Shares are priced at 85% of the closing price on the last trading day of the month and generally settle on the second business day of the following month. During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, 2,108 shares and 1,816 shares, respectively, were issued under the employee stock purchase plan. Compensation expense associated with the employee stock purchase plan for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was immaterial.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 was $1.1 million representing the statutory tax rate applied to pre-tax income and the effects of certain non-deductible compensation, non-controlling interest, and state minimum taxes. The Company expects its recurring non-deductible expenses to relate primarily to certain non-cash equity-based compensation and other non-deductible compensation.

Strategic_Network_Alliance

Strategic Network Alliance	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Stategic Network Alliance [Abstract]	'
Strategic Network Alliance	'
	Strategic Network Alliance
	The Company provides wireless digital PCS services on a wholesale basis to other PCS providers, most notably through the Strategic Network Alliance ("SNA") with Sprint in which the Company is the exclusive PCS service provider in the Company’s western Virginia and West Virginia service area for all Sprint Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) wireless customers through July 31, 2015, subject to subsequent automatic three-year extensions unless the non-renewal notice provisions are exercised.
	The Company generated 32.2% and 33.6% of its revenue from the SNA for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Commitments_And_Contingencies

Commitments And Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments And Contingencies	'
	Commitments and Contingencies
	On occasion, the Company makes claims or receives disputes related to its billings to other carriers, including billings under the SNA agreement, for access to the Company’s network. These disputes may involve amounts which, if resolved unfavorably to the Company, could have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements. The Company does not recognize revenue related to such matters until the period that it is reasonably assured of the collection of these claims. In the event that a claim is made related to revenues previously recognized, the Company assesses the validity of the claim and adjusts the amount of revenue recognized to the extent that the claim adjustment is considered probable and reasonably estimable.
	The Company is involved in disputes, claims, either asserted or unasserted, and legal and tax proceedings and filings arising from normal business activities. While the outcome of such matters is currently not determinable, and it is reasonably possible that the cost to resolve such matters could be material, management believes that adequate provision for any probable and reasonably estimable losses has been made in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Supplemental_Financial_Informa1

Supplemental Financial Information (Policy)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Supplemental Financial Information [Abstract]	'
Cash	'
	Cash
	The Company’s cash was held in market rate savings accounts and non-interest bearing deposit accounts. The total held in the market rate savings accounts at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $66.5 million and $36.5 million, respectively. The remaining $54.5 million and $51.9 million of cash at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, was held in non-interest bearing deposit accounts.
Trade Accounts Receivable	'
	Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
	The Company includes bad debt expense in customer operations expense in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations. Bad debt expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was $4.0 million and $3.2 million, respectively. The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts was $6.2 million and $6.5 million at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.
Pension Benefits And Retirement Benefits Other Than Pensions	'
	Pension Benefits and Retirement Benefits Other Than Pensions
	For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the components of the Company’s net periodic benefit cost for its defined benefit pension plan were as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Service cost	$	—		$	—
	Interest cost	344			331
	Recognized net actuarial loss	—			76
	Expected return on plan assets	(472		)	(399		)
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	(128	)	$	8
	Pension plan assets were valued at $25.0 million at March 31, 2014.
	For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the components of the Company’s net periodic benefit cost for its other postretirement benefit plans were as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Service cost	$	10		$	14
	Interest cost	24			21
	Recognized net actuarial loss	8			4
	Fees	8			—
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	50		$	39
	The total expense recognized for the Company’s nonqualified pension plans was $0.1 million for each of the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, a portion of which related to the amortization of unrealized loss.

Supplemental_Financial_Informa2

Supplemental Financial Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Supplemental Financial Information [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Other Current Assets	'
	Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
	(In thousands)	31-Mar-14			31-Dec-13
	Accrued interest	5,103			4,584
	Accrued payroll	4,237			5,760
	Accrued taxes	4,421			3,842
	Other	3,470			3,870
	Total	$	17,231		$	18,056
Schedule of Net Benefit Costs	'
	For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the components of the Company’s net periodic benefit cost for its other postretirement benefit plans were as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Service cost	$	10		$	14
	Interest cost	24			21
	Recognized net actuarial loss	8			4
	Fees	8			—
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	50		$	39
	For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the components of the Company’s net periodic benefit cost for its defined benefit pension plan were as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Service cost	$	—		$	—
	Interest cost	344			331
	Recognized net actuarial loss	—			76
	Expected return on plan assets	(472		)	(399		)
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	(128	)	$	8
Schedule Of Equity-Based Compensation Expense	'
	Total equity-based compensation expense related to all of the Company’s stock-based equity awards for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 and the Company’s 401(k) matching contributions was allocated as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Cost of sales and services	$	151		$	141
	Customer operations	250			247
	Corporate operations	910			933
	Equity-based compensation expense	$	1,311		$	1,321

Supplemental_Cash_Flow_Informa1

Supplemental Cash Flow Information - (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]	'
Schedule Of Supplementary Cash Flow Information [Table Text Block]	'
	The following information is presented as supplementary disclosures for the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014		2013
	Cash payments for:
	Interest (net of amounts capitalized)	$	6,771	$	2,591
	Income taxes	11		13
	Cash received from income tax refunds	—		288
	Supplemental investing and financing activities:
	Additions to property, plant and equipment included in accounts payable	16,244		4,551
	Dividends declared not paid	9,142		9,053

Property_Plan_And_Equipment_Ta

Property, Plan And Equipment (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment	'
	The components of property, plant and equipment, and the related accumulated depreciation, were as follows:
	(In thousands)	Estimated Useful	31-Mar-14		31-Dec-13
		Life
	Land and buildings *	39 to 50 years	$	33,079	$	34,223
	Network plant and equipment	5 to 17 years	474,174		471,032
	Furniture, fixtures and other equipment	2 to 18 years	93,674		103,181
			600,927		608,436
	Under construction		23,987		6,430
			624,914		614,866
	Less: accumulated depreciation		302,583		295,490
	Property, plant and equipment, net		$	322,331	$	319,376

Intangible_Assets_Tables

Intangible Assets (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization	'
	Customer relationships and trademarks are considered amortizable intangible assets. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, customer relationships and trademarks were comprised of the following:
			March 31, 2014							31-Dec-13
	(In thousands)	Estimated	Gross Amount		Accumulated			Net		Gross Amount		Accumulated			Net
		Useful Life			Amortization							Amortization
	Customer relationships	7 to 8 years	$	36,900	$	(33,507	)	$	3,393	$	36,900	$	(32,871	)	$	4,029
	Trademarks	15 years	7,000		(4,161		)	2,839		7,000		(4,044		)	2,956
	Total		$	43,900	$	(37,668	)	$	6,232	$	43,900	$	(36,915	)	$	6,985

LongTerm_Debt_Tables

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule Of Long-Term Debt	'
	At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company’s outstanding long-term debt consisted of the following:
	(In thousands)	31-Mar-14		31-Dec-13
	Senior secured term loans, net of unamortized debt discount	$	528,041	$	489,441
	Capital lease obligations	819		925
		528,860		490,366
	Less: current portion of long-term debt	5,824		5,410
	Long-term debt	$	523,036	$	484,956
Schedule of Maturities of Long-Term Debt	'
	The aggregate maturities of long-term debt outstanding at March 31, 2014, excluding capital lease obligations, based on the contractual terms of the instruments were as follows:
	(In thousands)	Term Loan
	Remainder of 2014	$	4,054
	2015	5,405
	2016	5,405
	2017	5,405
	2018	5,405
	Thereafter	506,725
	Total	$	532,399

Financial_Instruments_Tables

Financial Instruments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Schedule Of Difference Between Face Amount, Carrying Amount And Fair Value Of Financial Instruments	'
	The following table indicates the difference between face amount, carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s financial instruments at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.
		Face			Carrying		Fair
	(In thousands)	Amount			Amount		Value
	31-Mar-14
	Nonderivatives:
	Financial assets:
	Cash	$	121,038		$	121,038	$	121,038
	Restricted cash	2,167			2,167		2,167
	Long-term investments for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value	N/A			1,499		N/A
	Financial liabilities:
	Senior secured term loan, net of unamortized debt discount	532,399			528,041		527,075
	Capital lease obligations	819			819		819
	Derivative related to debt:
	Interest rate cap asset	350,000		*	82		82
	31-Dec-13
	Nonderivatives:
	Financial assets:
	Cash	$	88,441		$	88,441	$	88,441
	Restricted cash	2,167			2,167		2167
	Long-term investments for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value	N/A			1,499		N/A
	Financial liabilities:
	Senior secured term loan, net of unamortized debt discount	493,750			489,441		495,848
	Capital lease obligations	925			925		925
	Derivative related to debt:
	Interest rate cap asset	350,000		*	229		229
	* Notional amount

Equity_and_Earnings_Per_Share_

Equity and Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]	'
Schedule Of Computation Of Basic And Diluted Earnings Per Share	'
	The computations of basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(In thousands)	2014			2013
	Numerator:
	Net income applicable to common shares for earnings per share computation	$	1,286		$	5,493
	Denominator:
	Total shares outstanding	21,657			21,446
	Less: unvested shares	(570		)	(478		)
	Less: effect of calculating weighted average shares	(7		)	(8		)
	Denominator for basic earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	21,080			20,960
	Plus: weighted average unvested shares	628			374
	Plus: common stock equivalents of stock options	315			216
	Denominator for diluted earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	22,023			21,550

Stock_Plans_Tables

Stock Plans (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Summary Of Stock Options Activity	'
	The summary of the activity and status of the Company’s stock option awards for the three months ended March 31, 2014 is as follows:
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Options		Weighted		Weighted	Aggregate
				Average		Average	Intrinsic
				Exercise		Remaining	Value
				Price per		Contractual
				Share		Term
	Stock options outstanding at January 1, 2014	2,603		$	19.45
	Granted during the period	374		13.42
	Exercised during the period	—		—
	Forfeited during the period	—		—
	Stock options outstanding at March 31, 2014	2,977		$	18.69	7.7 years	$	—
	Exercisable at March 31, 2014	1,465		$	21.11	6.6 years	$	—
	Total expected to vest after March 31, 2014	1,361		$	18.16
Summary Of Restricted Stock Awards Activity	'
	The summary of the activity and status of the Company’s restricted stock awards for the three months ended March 31, 2014 is as follows:
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Shares		Weighted Average  Grant
				Date Fair Value per
				Share
	Restricted stock awards outstanding at January 1, 2014	325		$	17.41
	Granted during the period	128		13.5
	Vested during the period	(50	)	20.47
	Forfeited during the period	(1	)	12.47
	Restricted stock awards outstanding at March 31, 2014	402		$	15.8
Summary of Performance Stock Units Activity	'
	The summary of the activity and status of the Company’s performance stock unit awards for the three months ended March 31, 2014 is as follows:
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Units		Weighted Average  Grant
				Date Fair Value per
				PSU
	Performance stock units outstanding at January 1, 2014	110		$	12.79
	Granted during the period	83		9.1
	Vested during the period	—		—
	Forfeited during the period	—		—
	Performance stock units outstanding at March 31, 2014	193		$	11.2

Supplemental_Financial_Informa3

Supplemental Financial Information (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
				Connect America Fund's Mobility Fund Phase I Auction (Auction 90) [Member]	Connect America Fund's Mobility Fund Phase I Auction (Auction 90) [Member]	Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans [Member]	Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans [Member]	Maximum [Member]
								Connect America Fund's Mobility Fund Phase I Auction (Auction 90) [Member]
Supplemental Financial Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Market rate savings account	$66,500,000	'	$36,500,000	'	'	'	'	'
Non-interest bearing deposit accounts insured by FDIC	54,500,000	'	51,900,000	'	'	'	'	'
Amount Company is eligible to receive under Government funding auction	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	5,000,000
Performance default penalty under Government funding auction, as a percentage of total funding	'	'	'	'	10.00%	'	'	'
Line of credit obtained pursuant to the terms of the Government funding auction, current borrowing capacity	'	'	'	'	2,200,000	'	'	'
First scheduled disbursement under Government funding auction	'	'	'	1,700,000	'	'	'	'
Performance default penalty under Government funding auction, amount	'	'	'	'	500,000	'	'	'
Cash collateral under the terms of the line of credit	'	'	'	'	2,200,000	'	'	'
Bad debt expense	4,000,000	3,200,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Allowance for doubtful accounts	6,200,000	'	6,500,000	'	'	'	'	'
Other accrued liabilities	3,470,000	'	3,870,000	'	'	'	'	'
Pension plan assets value	25,000,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Nonqualified pension plans expense	100,000	100,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total amount reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income related to actuarial losses	'	'	'	'	'	300,000	100,000	'
Future charges for equity-based compensation, remainder of 2014	3,200,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Future charges for equity-based compensation, 2015	3,100,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Future charges for equity-based compensation, 2016	1,400,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Future charges for equity-based compensation, 2017	200,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Future charges for equity-based compensation, 2018	$100,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'

Supplemental_Financial_Informa4

Supplemental Financial Information (Schedule Of Accrued Expenses And Other Current Liabilities) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Supplemental Financial Information [Abstract]	'	'
Accrued interest	$5,103	$4,584
Accrued payroll	4,237	5,760
Accrued taxes	4,421	3,842
Other	3,470	3,870
Total	$17,231	$18,056

Supplemental_Financial_Informa5

Supplemental Financial Information (Schedule of Net Periodic Benefit Cost) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'
Service cost	$0	$0
Interest cost	344	331
Recognized net actuarial loss	0	76
Expected return on plan assets	-472	-399
Net periodic benefit cost	-128	8
Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Member]	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'
Service cost	10	14
Interest cost	24	21
Recognized net actuarial loss	8	4
Defined Benefit Plan, Other Costs	8	0
Net periodic benefit cost	$50	$39

Supplemental_Financial_Informa6

Supplemental Financial Information (Schedule Of Equity-Based Compensation Expense) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]	'	'
Equity-based compensation expense	$1,311	$1,321
Cost Of Sales and Services [Member]	'	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]	'	'
Equity-based compensation expense	151	141
Customer Operations [Member]	'	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]	'	'
Equity-based compensation expense	250	247
Corporate Operations [Member]	'	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]	'	'
Equity-based compensation expense	$910	$933

Supplemental_Cash_Flow_Informa2

Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Supplementary Disclosures Of Condensed Consolidated statements of Cash Flows) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Additional Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]	'	'	'
Interest (net of amounts capitalized)	$6,771	$2,591	'
Income taxes	11	13	'
Cash received from income tax refunds	0	288	'
Supplemental investing and financing activities:	'	'	'
Additions to property, plant and equipment included in accounts payable	16,244	4,551	'
Dividends declared not paid	$9,142	'	$9,053

Property_Plan_And_Equipment_Na

Property, Plan And Equipment (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]	'	'
Depreciation	$18.30	$17.70
Additional Depreciation From Change in Accounting Estimate	$0.40	'

Property_Plan_And_Equipment_De

Property, Plan And Equipment (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified			Land and Building [Member]		Network Plant and Equipment [Member]	Network Plant and Equipment [Member]	Furniture and Fixtures [Member]	Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
			Minimum [Member]		Maximum [Member]	Minimum [Member]	Maximum [Member]	Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'		'	'	'	'
Land and buildings	$33,079	$34,223	'		'	'	'	'
Network plant and equipment	474,174	471,032	'		'	'	'	'
Furniture, fixtures and other equipment	93,674	103,181	'		'	'	'	'
Total in service	600,927	608,436	'		'	'	'	'
Under construction	23,987	6,430	'		'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment, gross	624,914	614,866	'		'	'	'	'
Less: accumulated depreciation	302,583	295,490	'		'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment, net	$322,331	$319,376	'		'	'	'	'
Estimated Useful Life	'	'	'39 years	[1]	'17 years	'5 years	'18 years	'2 years
[1]	* Leasehold improvements, which are categorized in land and buildings, are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful lives or the remaining lease terms.

Intangible_Assets_Narrative_De

Intangible Assets (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Amortization expense	$0.80	$0.80

Intangible_Assets_FiniteLived_

Intangible Assets (Finite-Lived Intangible Assets) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Gross Amount	$43,900,000	'	$43,900,000
Accumulated Amortization	37,668,000	'	36,915,000
Customer relationships and trademarks, net	6,232,000	'	6,985,000
Amortization of Intangible Assets	800,000	800,000	'
Customer Relationships [Member]	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Gross Amount	36,900,000	'	36,900,000
Accumulated Amortization	-33,507,000	'	-32,871,000
Customer relationships and trademarks, net	-3,393,000	'	-4,029,000
Trademarks [Member]	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Estimated Useful Life	'15 years	'	'
Gross Amount	7,000,000	'	7,000,000
Accumulated Amortization	-4,161,000	'	-4,044,000
Customer relationships and trademarks, net	($2,839,000)	'	($2,956,000)
Maximum [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member]	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Estimated Useful Life	'8 years	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member]	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Estimated Useful Life	'7 years	'	'

LongTerm_Debt_Narrative_Detail

Long-Term Debt (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Nov. 09, 2012	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2014	Nov. 09, 2012	Jan. 31, 2014	Nov. 09, 2012
				Vehicles [Member]	Term Loan A [Member]	Term Loan A [Member]	Term Loan B [Member]	Term Loan B [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Term A Loan, Unamortized Discount Written Off	'	'	'	'	$0.20	'	'	'
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount	'	'	'	'	'	'	0.5	'
Term A Loan, Unamortized Deferred Fees Written Off	'	'	'	'	0.5	'	'	'
Deferred Finance Costs, Noncurrent, Net	'	'	'	'	'	'	3.7	'
Debt Instrument, Fee Amount	'	'	'	'	'	'	3.8	'
New term loan amount	'	'	'	'	'	150	'	350
Term Loan A Balance Outstanding Transferred to Term Loan B	'	'	'	'	148.1	'	'	'
Additional Term Loan Borrowings	'	'	'	'	'	'	40	'
Blended average interest rate	'	6.30%	6.00%	'	'	'	'	'
Addition to restricted payment basket	6.5	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Balance of restricted payment basket	'	58.8	'	'	'	'	'	'
Carrying value of capital leases	'	'	'	2.6	'	'	'	'
Accumulated depreciation	'	'	'	1.5	'	'	'	'
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
2015	'	'	'	0.3	'	'	'	'
Capital Leases Future Minimum Payments Due Remainder of Year	'	'	'	0.3	'	'	'	'
Total future minimum lease payments	'	'	'	0.8	'	'	'	'
2016	'	'	'	$0.20	'	'	'	'

LongTerm_Debt_Schedule_Of_Long

Long-Term Debt (Schedule Of Long-Term Debt) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Senior secured term loans, net of unamortized debt discount	$528,041	$489,441
Capital lease obligations	819	925
Debt and capital lease obligations, Total	528,860	490,366
Less: current portion of long-term debt	5,824	5,410
Long-term debt	$523,036	$484,956

LongTerm_Debt_Schedule_Of_Futu

Long-Term Debt (Schedule Of Future Amortization Expense) (Details) (Term Loan B [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Term Loan B [Member]	'
Long-term Debt, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]	'
Remainder of 2014	$4,054
2014	5,405
2015	5,405
2016	5,405
2017	5,405
Thereafter	506,725
Total	$532,399

Financial_Instruments_Narrativ

Financial Instruments (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Feb. 28, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
			CoBank [Member]	CoBank [Member]
Summary of Investment Holdings [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Equity method investments	'	'	$1.50	$1.50
Interest rate cap purchased, cost	0.9	'	'	'
Notional amount of interest rate cap	350	'	'	'
Interest rate cap rate	1.00%	'	'	'
Gain (loss) on interest rate swap derivatives	'	$0.10	'	'

Financial_Instruments_Schedule

Financial Instruments (Schedule Of Difference Between Face Amount, Carrying Amount And Fair Value Of Financial Instruments) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Face Amount [Member]	'		'
Financial assets:	'		'
Cash	$121,038		$88,441
Restricted cash	2,167		2,167
Financial liabilities:	'		'
Senior secured term loan, net of unamortized debt discount	532,399		493,750
Capital lease obligations	819		925
Interest rate cap asset	350,000	[1]	350,000	[1]
Carrying Amount [Member]	'		'
Financial assets:	'		'
Cash	121,038		88,441
Restricted cash	2,167		2,167
Long-term investments for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value	1,499		1,499
Financial liabilities:	'		'
Senior secured term loan, net of unamortized debt discount	528,041		489,441
Capital lease obligations	819		925
Interest rate cap asset	82		229
Fair Value [Member]	'		'
Financial assets:	'		'
Cash	121,038		88,441
Restricted cash	2,167		2,167
Financial liabilities:	'		'
Senior secured term loan, net of unamortized debt discount	527,075		495,848
Capital lease obligations	819		925
Interest rate cap asset	$82		$229
[1]	* Notional amount

Equity_and_Earnings_Per_Share_1

Equity and Earnings Per Share (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	1-May-14
			Subsequent Event [Member]
Earnings Per Share, Basic, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]	'	'	'
Cash dividend amount, per share	'	'	$0.42
Excluded from computation of diluted earnings per common share	1.8	2.6	'

Equity_and_Earnings_Per_Share_2

Equity and Earnings Per Share (Schedule Of Computation Of Basic And Diluted Earnings Per Share) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Numerator:	'	'	'	'
Net income applicable to common shares for earnings per share computation	$1,286	$5,493	'	'
Denominator:	'	'	'	'
Total shares outstanding	21,657	'	21,510	21,446
Less: unvested shares	-570	-478	'	'
Less: effect of calculating weighted average shares	-7	-8	'	'
Denominator for basic earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	21,080	20,960	'	'
Plus: weighted average unvested shares	628	374	'	'
Plus: common stock equivalents of stock options	315	216	'	'
Denominator for diluted earnings per common share - weighted average shares outstanding	22,023	21,550	'	'

Stock_Plans_Narrative_Details

Stock Plans (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended					12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014
			Stock Options [Member]	Restricted Stock [Member]	Performance Shares [Member]	Performance Shares [Member]	Employee Equity Incentive Plan [Member]	Employee Equity Incentive Plan [Member]	Employee Equity Incentive Plan [Member]	Non-Employee Director Equity Plan [Member]	Non-Employee Director Equity Plan [Member]
							Stock Options [Member]	Restricted Stock [Member]	Performance Shares [Member]	Stock Options [Member]	Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of stock options issued	'	'	'	'	'	'	347,023	'	'	27,170	'
Options issued under Employee Equity Incentive Plan vest fractionally annually	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	25.00%	'
Beginning of vesting period after grant date for Employee Equity Incentive Plan, in years	'1 year	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of shares issued during the period	'	'	'	128,000	83,000	'	'	118,146	83,151	'	10,095
Weighted-average grant date fair value per share of stock options granted	$1.02	$0.71	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total intrinsic value of options exercised (less than $0.1 million)	$0.10	$0.10	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total fair value of options vested	1.1	1.3	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock options	'	'	2.4	3.9	'	1.7	'	'	'	'	'
Unrecognized compensation cost recognition period, in years	'	'	'2 years 3 months	'2 years 1 month	'	'2 years 2 months	'	'	'	'	'
Shares available for employee stock purchase plan	100,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Shares price percentage	85.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Shares issued under the employee stock purchase plan	2,108	1,816	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Dividends Payable, Share Based Compensation	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$0.20	'	'

Stock_Plans_Summary_Of_Stock_O

Stock Plans (Summary Of Stock Options Activity) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Options	'
Stock options outstanding at January 1, 2013 (in shares)	2,603
Granted during the period (in shares)	374
Exercised during the period (in shares)	0
Forfeited during the period (in shares)	0
Stock options outstanding at June 30, 2013(in shares)	2,977
Exercisable at June 30, 2013 (in shares)	1,465
Total expected to vest after June 30, 2013 (in shares)	1,361
Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share	'
Stock options outstanding at January 1, 2013 (in dollars per share)	$19.45
Granted during the period (in dollars per share)	$13.42
Exercised during the period (in dollars per share)	$0
Forfeited during the period (in dollars per share)	$0
Stock options outstanding at June 30, 2013 (in dollars per share)	$18.69
Exercisable at June 30, 2013 (in dollars per share)	$21.11
Total expected to vest after June 30, 2013 (in dollars per share)	$18.16
Additional Stock Options Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Stock options outstanding at June 30, 2013, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	'7 years 8 months 12 days
Exercisable at June 30, 2013, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	'6 years 7 months 6 days
Stock options outstanding at June 30, 2013, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$0
Exercisable at June 30, 2013, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$0

Stock_Plans_Summary_Of_Restric

Stock Plans (Summary Of Restricted Stock Awards Activity) (Details) (Restricted Stock [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Restricted Stock [Member]	'
Units	'
Number of shares outstanding at January 1, 2013 (in shares)	325,000
Granted during the period (in shares)	128,000
Vested during the period (in shares)	-50,000
Forfeited during the period (in shares)	-1,000
Number of shares outstanding at June 30, 2013 (in shares)	402,000
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per PSU	'
Shares outstanding at January 1, 2013 (in dollars per share)	$17.41
Granted during the period (in dollars per share)	$13.50
Vested during the period (in dollars per share)	$20.47
Forfeited during the period (in dollars per share)	$12.47
Shares outstanding at June 30, 2013 (in dollars per share)	$15.80

Stock_Plans_Summary_of_Perform

Stock Plans (Summary of Performance Stock Awards Activity) (Details) (Performance Shares [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Performance Shares [Member]	'
Units	'
Number of shares outstanding at January 1, 2013 (in shares)	110,000
Granted during the period (in shares)	83,000
Vested during the period (in shares)	0
Forfeited during the period (in shares)	0
Number of shares outstanding at June 30, 2013 (in shares)	193,000
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per PSU	'
Shares outstanding at January 1, 2013 (in dollars per share)	$12.79
Granted during the period (in dollars per share)	$9.10
Vested during the period (in dollars per share)	$0
Forfeited during the period (in dollars per share)	$0
Shares outstanding at June 30, 2013 (in dollars per share)	$11.20

Income_Taxes_Details

Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income tax reconciliation of statutory tax rate	$1.10

Strategic_Network_Alliance_Det

Strategic Network Alliance (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Stategic Network Alliance [Abstract]	'	'
Percentage of revenue	32.20%	33.60%