Cable One (CABO) 10-K 26 Feb 21 2020 FY Annual report Financial data

Document And Entity Information

Document And Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Feb. 19, 2021	Jun. 30, 2020
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Central Index Key	0001632127
Entity Registrant Name	CABLE ONE, INC.
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Type	10-K
Document Annual Report	true
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2020
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	001-36863
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	13-3060083
Entity Address, Address Line One	210 E. Earll Drive
Entity Address, City or Town	Phoenix
Entity Address, State or Province	AZ
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	85012
City Area Code	602
Local Phone Number	364-6000
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, par value $0.01
Trading Symbol	CABO
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Public Float			$ 8,000,000,000
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		6,034,653

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 574,909	$ 125,271
Accounts receivable, net	38,768	38,452
Income taxes receivable	41,245	2,146
Prepaid and other current assets	17,891	15,619
Total Current Assets	672,813	181,488
Equity investments	807,781	206
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,265,460	1,201,271
Intangible assets, net	1,278,198	1,312,381
Goodwill	430,543	429,597
Other noncurrent assets	33,543	26,888
Total Assets	4,488,338	3,151,831
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	174,139	136,993
Deferred revenue	21,051	23,640
Current portion of long-term debt	26,392	28,909
Total Current Liabilities	221,582	189,542
Long-term debt	2,148,798	1,711,937
Deferred income taxes	366,675	303,314
Interest rate swap liability	155,357	78,612
Other noncurrent liabilities	100,627	26,857
Total Liabilities	2,993,039	2,310,262
Commitments and contingencies (see note 17)
Stockholders' Equity
Preferred stock ($0.01 par value; 4,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding)	0	0
Common stock ($0.01 par value; 40,000,000 shares authorized; 6,175,399 and 5,887,899 shares issued; and 6,027,704 and 5,715,377 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively)	62	59
Additional paid-in capital	535,586	51,198
Retained earnings	1,228,172	980,355
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(140,683)	(68,158)
Treasury stock, at cost (147,695 and 172,522 shares held as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively)	(127,838)	(121,885)
Total Stockholders' Equity	1,495,299	841,569
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity	$ 4,488,338	$ 3,151,831

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parentheticals) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	4,000,000	4,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	40,000,000	40,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	6,175,399	5,887,899
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	6,027,704	5,715,377
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	147,695	172,522

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Revenues	$ 1,325,229	$ 1,167,997	$ 1,072,295
Costs and Expenses:
Operating (excluding depreciation and amortization)	418,704	388,552	370,269
Selling, general and administrative	255,163	245,120	222,216
Depreciation and amortization	265,658	216,687	197,731
(Gain) loss on asset sales and disposals, net	(1,072)	7,187	14,167
Gain on sale of business	(82,574)	0	0
Total Costs and Expenses	855,879	857,546	804,383
Income from operations	469,350	310,451	267,912
Interest expense	(73,607)	(71,729)	(60,415)
Other income (expense), net	(16,411)	(4,907)	4,487
Income before income taxes and equity method investment earnings	379,332	233,815	211,984
Income tax provision	76,317	55,233	47,224
Income before equity method investment earnings	303,015	178,582	164,760
Equity method investment earnings	1,376	0	0
Net income	$ 304,391	$ 178,582	$ 164,760
Net income per common share:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 51.73	$ 31.45	$ 28.98
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 51.27	$ 31.12	$ 28.77
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	5,884,780	5,678,990	5,684,375
Diluted (in shares)	5,937,582	5,737,856	5,725,963
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges and other, net of tax	$ (72,525)	$ (68,062)	$ 256
Comprehensive income	$ 231,866	$ 110,520	$ 165,016

Consolidated Statements of Stoc

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment [Member]Retained Earnings [Member]	Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment [Member]	Common Stock Outstanding [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Total
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2017			5,731,442
Balance at Dec. 31, 2017			$ 59	$ 28,412	$ 728,386	$ (352)	$ (80,058)	$ 676,447
Net income					164,760			164,760
Changes in pension, net of tax						256		256
Equity-based compensation				10,486				10,486
Issuance of equity awards, net of forfeitures (in shares)			20,800
Repurchases of common stock (in shares)			(38,814)
Repurchases of common stock							(26,582)	$ (26,582)
Withholding tax for equity awards (in shares)			(10,026)					(10,026)
Withholding tax for equity awards							(7,155)	$ (7,155)
Dividends paid to stockholders					(42,854)			(42,854)
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges and other, net of tax								256
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018			5,703,402
Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 8	$ 8	$ 59	38,898	850,292	(96)	(113,795)	775,358
Net income					178,582			178,582
Equity-based compensation				12,300				12,300
Issuance of equity awards, net of forfeitures (in shares)			21,480
Repurchases of common stock (in shares)			(5,984)
Repurchases of common stock							(5,073)	$ (5,073)
Withholding tax for equity awards (in shares)			(3,521)					(3,521)
Withholding tax for equity awards							(3,017)	$ (3,017)
Dividends paid to stockholders					(48,527)			(48,527)
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges and other, net of tax						(68,062)		(68,062)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2019			5,715,377
Balance at Dec. 31, 2019			$ 59	51,198	980,355	(68,158)	(121,885)	841,569
Net income					304,391			304,391
Equity-based compensation				14,592				$ 14,592
Issuance of equity awards, net of forfeitures (in shares)			28,688
Repurchases of common stock (in shares)								0
Withholding tax for equity awards (in shares)			(3,861)					(3,861)
Withholding tax for equity awards							(5,953)	$ (5,953)
Dividends paid to stockholders					(56,574)			(56,574)
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges and other, net of tax						(72,525)		(72,525)
Issuance of common stock (in shares)			287,500
Issuance of common stock			$ 3	469,796				469,799
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2020			6,027,704
Balance at Dec. 31, 2020			$ 62	$ 535,586	$ 1,228,172	$ (140,683)	$ (127,838)	$ 1,495,299

Consolidated Statements of St_2

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (Parentheticals) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Retained Earnings [Member]
Dividends, per share (in dollars per share)	$ 9.50	$ 8.50	$ 7.50

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ 304,391	$ 178,582	$ 164,760
Depreciation and amortization	265,658	216,687	197,731
Amortization of debt issuance costs	4,305	4,646	4,163
Equity-based compensation	14,592	12,300	10,486
Write-off of debt issuance costs	6,181	4,210	110
Increase in deferred income taxes	(87,182)	(50,011)	(34,973)
(Gain) loss on asset sales and disposals, net	(1,072)	7,187	14,167
Gain on sale of business	(82,574)	0	0
Equity method investment earnings	(1,376)	0	0
Fair value adjustment	17,510	0	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions:
(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable, net	139	(3,520)	(17)
(Increase) decrease in income taxes receivable	(39,099)	8,567	10,618
Increase in prepaid and other current assets	(2,189)	(462)	(2,192)
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and accrued liabilities	11,781	16,452	(27,853)
Increase (decrease) in deferred revenue	(2,961)	(1,432)	3,946
Other, net	(8,097)	(1,487)	(3,123)
Net cash provided by operating activities	574,371	491,741	407,769
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of businesses, net of cash acquired	(38,296)	(883,440)	0
Purchase of equity investments	(612,124)	0	0
Capital expenditures	(293,229)	(262,352)	(217,766)
Change in accrued expenses related to capital expenditures	(9,288)	4,511	2,005
Purchase of wireless licenses	(1,418)	0	0
Proceeds from sales of property, plant and equipment	730	7,039	1,466
Issuance of note and other receivables	(7,288)	0	0
Settlement of note and other receivables	6,000	0	0
Net cash used in investing activities	(954,913)	(1,134,242)	(214,295)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from equity issuance	488,750	0	0
Proceeds from long-term debt borrowings	1,050,000	1,275,000	0
Payment of equity issuance costs	(18,951)	0	0
Payment of debt issuance costs	(15,064)	(11,844)	(2,131)
Payments on long-term debt	(612,028)	(702,880)	(14,391)
Repurchases of common stock	0	(5,073)	(26,582)
Payment of withholding tax for equity awards	(5,953)	(3,017)	(7,155)
Dividends paid to stockholders	(56,574)	(48,527)	(42,854)
Other		0	2,000
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	830,180	503,659	(91,113)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	449,638	(138,842)	102,361
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	125,271	264,113	161,752
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	574,909	125,271	264,113
Supplemental cash flow disclosures:
Cash paid for interest, net of capitalized interest	65,007	67,907	56,412
Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds received	$ 28,230	$ (3,585)	$ 1,811

Note 1 - Description of Busines

Note 1 - Description of Business	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]	1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS Cable One, Inc., together with its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Cable One” or the “Company”), is a fully integrated provider of data, video and voice services to residential and business subscribers in 21 Western, Midwestern and Southern U.S. states. At the end of 2020, On May 1, 2017, January 8, 2019, October 1, 2019, July 1, 2020, 3 6 2020.

Note 2 - Summary of Significant

Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation. December 31, 2020, 2019 2018 may not Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current year presentation. Principles of Consolidation. Segment Reporting. 280 Segment Reporting second 2020, not 280 one Use of Estimates. may Revenue Recognition. 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers . one The Company also generally receives an allocation of scheduled advertising time as part of its distribution agreements with cable and broadcast networks, which the Company sells to local, regional and national advertisers under contracts with terms that are typically less than one third not The unit of accounting for revenue recognition is a performance obligation, which is a requirement to transfer a distinct good or service to a customer. Customers are billed for the services to which they subscribe based upon published or contracted rates, with the sales price being allocated to each performance obligation. For arrangements with multiple performance obligations, the sales price is allocated based on the relative standalone selling price for each subscribed service. Generally, performance obligations are satisfied, and revenue is recognized, over the period of time in which customers simultaneously receive and consume the Company’s defined performance obligations, which are delivered in a similar pattern of transfer. Advertising revenue is recognized at the point in time when the underlying performance obligation is complete. The Company also incurs certain incremental costs to acquire residential and business customers, such as commission costs and third five Fees imposed on the Company by various governmental authorities, including franchise fees, are passed through on a monthly basis to the Company’s customers and are periodically remitted to authorities. As the Company acts as principal, these fees are reported in video and voice revenues on a gross basis with corresponding expenses included within operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. Concentrations of Credit Risk. Programming Costs. Advertising Costs 2020, 2019 2018, Cash Equivalents three Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. may Fair Value Measurements. three 1 2 3 may For assets and liabilities that are measured using quoted prices in active markets, the total fair value is the published market price per unit multiplied by the number of units held, without consideration of transaction costs. Assets and liabilities that are measured using significant other observable inputs are primarily valued by reference to quoted prices of similar assets or liabilities in active markets, adjusted for any terms specific to that asset or liability. Assets and liabilities that are measured using significant unobservable inputs are valued using various valuation techniques, including Monte Carlo simulations. The Company measures certain assets, including property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill, at fair value on a nonrecurring basis when they are deemed to be impaired. The fair value of these assets is determined with valuation techniques using the best information available and may The carrying amounts reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these financial instruments. Equity Investments. not Equity investments that do provide the Company with the ability to exert significant influence over the operating or financial decisions of the investee are accounted for under the equity method. The equity method requires the initial fair value of the investment to be recorded as an asset within the consolidated balance sheet. Based on its ownership percentage, the Company then recognizes its proportionate share of the investee’s net income (loss) each period within equity method investment earnings in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income and a corresponding increase (decrease) to the investment’s carrying value within the consolidated balance sheet. As permitted by GAAP, the Company elected to recognize its proportionate share of such net income (loss) for each of its equity method investments on a one As none Property, Plant and Equipment. Cable distribution systems 10 – 25 Customer premise equipment 3 – 5 Other equipment and fixtures 3 – 10 Buildings and improvements 10 – 20 Capitalized software 3 – 7 Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets 1 – 5 The costs of leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of their useful lives or the remaining terms of the respective leases. Costs associated with the installation and upgrade of services and acquiring and deploying of customer premise equipment, including materials, internal and external labor costs and related indirect and overhead costs, are capitalized. Capitalized labor costs include the direct costs of engineers and technical personnel involved in the design and implementation of plant and infrastructure; the costs of technicians involved in the installation and upgrades of services and customer premise equipment; and the costs of support personnel directly involved in capitalizable activities, such as project managers and supervisors. These costs are capitalized based on internally developed standards by position, which are updated annually (or more frequently if required). These standards are developed utilizing a combination of actual costs incurred where applicable, survey information, operational data and management judgment. Overhead costs are capitalized based on standards developed from historical information. Indirect and overhead costs include payroll taxes; insurance and other benefits; and vehicle, tool and supply expense related to installation activities. Costs for repairs and maintenance, disconnecting service or reconnecting service are expensed as incurred. The Company capitalizes certain internal and external costs incurred to acquire or develop internal-use, on-premises and cloud-based software, including costs associated with coding, software configuration, upgrades and enhancements. Evaluation of Long-Lived Assets. may not not Finite-Lived Intangible Assets. Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets. The Company’s unit of accounting for its franchise agreements was historically established at the geographic division level. Effective in the second 2020, The Company assesses the recoverability of its indefinite-lived intangible assets as of October 1st may first not not not Goodwill. not October 1st may The Company tests goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, which was historically established at the geographic division level. The Company evaluates the determination of its reporting units used to test for impairment periodically or whenever events or substantive changes in circumstances occur. Effective in the second 2020, four four The assessment of recoverability may first not not not Insurance. may Equity-Based Compensation. Income Taxes. The Company records deferred tax assets to the extent that it believes these assets will more likely than not not The Company recognizes a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position when it is more likely than not Asset Retirement Obligations. not not Business Combination Purchase Price Allocation . 805 Business Combinations 805” Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements. August 2018, No. 2018 15, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350 40 2018 15 January 1, 2020 In June 2016, No. 2016 13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326 2016 13 January 1, 2020 not Recently Issued But Not March 2020, No. 2020 04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848 2020 04 2021. may December 31, 2022. 2020 04 2021. In December 2019, No. 2019 12, Income Taxes (Topic 740 2019 12 2019 12 December 15, 2020. may 2019 12 first 2021 not may

Note 3 - Acquisitions

Note 3 - Acquisitions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]	3. ACQUISITIONS The Company accounted for certain acquisitions as business combinations pursuant to ASC 805. 805, no one Customer relationships and franchise agreements are valued using the MPEEM of the income approach. Significant assumptions used in the valuations include projected revenue growth rates, future EBITDA margins, future capital expenditures and an appropriate discount rate. No Goodwill is calculated as the excess of the consideration transferred over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired in a business combination and represents the future economic benefits expected to arise from anticipated synergies and intangible assets acquired that do not not Goodwill Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 172,129 Clearwave acquisition goodwill recognized 185,885 Fidelity acquisition goodwill recognized 71,583 Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 429,597 Valu-Net acquisition goodwill recognized 5,279 Anniston Exchange (as defined in note 6) goodwill disposed (4,333 ) Balance at December 31 , 2020 $ 430,543 Acquisition costs are not 2020, 2019 2018, The following acquisitions occurred during the periods presented: Clearwave . January 8, 2019, A summary of the allocation of the Clearwave purchase price consideration as of the acquisition date, reflecting all measurement period adjustments recorded in 2019, Purchase Price Allocation Assets Acquired Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,913 Accounts receivable 1,294 Prepaid and other current assets 311 Property, plant and equipment 120,472 Intangible assets 89,700 Other noncurrent assets 3,533 Total Assets Acquired 217,223 Liabilities Assumed Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 2,128 Deferred revenue, short-term portion 4,322 Deferred income taxes 32,771 Other noncurrent liabilities 5,057 Total Liabilities Assumed 44,278 Net assets acquired 172,945 Purchase price consideration 358,830 Goodwill recognized $ 185,885 Acquired identifiable intangible assets associated with the Clearwave acquisition consisted of the following (dollars in thousands): Fair Value Useful Life (in years) Customer relationships $ 83,000 17 Trade name $ 6,700 Indefinite The measurement period ended on January 7, 2020, no 2020. The Clearwave acquisition resulted in the recognition of $185.9 million of goodwill, which is not Fidelity . October 1, 2019, A summary of the allocation of the Fidelity purchase price consideration as of the acquisition date, reflecting all measurement period adjustments recorded in 2019, Purchase Price Allocation Assets Acquired Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,869 Accounts receivable 3,691 Prepaid and other current assets 1,756 Property, plant and equipment 173,904 Intangible assets 288,000 Other noncurrent assets 1,895 Total Assets Acquired 474,115 Liabilities Assumed Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 8,795 Deferred revenue, short-term portion 1,796 Other noncurrent liabilities 3,715 Total Liabilities Assumed 14,306 Net assets acquired 459,809 Purchase price consideration 531,392 Goodwill recognized $ 71,583 Acquired identifiable intangible assets associated with the Fidelity acquisition consisted of the following (dollars in thousands): Fair Value Useful Life (in years) Customer relationships $ 119,000 14 Trademark and trade name $ 3,000 3 Franchise agreements $ 166,000 Indefinite The total weighted average original amortization period for the acquired finite-lived intangible assets is 13.7 years. The measurement period ended on September 30, 2020, no 2020. The Fidelity acquisition resulted in the recognition of $71.6 million of goodwill, which is deductible for tax purposes. Valu-Net. July 1, 2020, Acquired identifiable intangible assets associated with the Valu-Net acquisition consisted of the following (dollars in thousands): Fair Value Useful Life (in years) Customer relationships $ 7,700 13.5 Trademark and trade name $ 800 Indefinite Franchise agreements $ 11,200 Indefinite

Note 4 - Revenues

Note 4 - Revenues	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Text Block]	4. REVENUES The Company’s revenues by product line were as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Residential Data $ 669,545 $ 547,240 $ 492,816 Video 332,857 335,190 343,384 Voice 47,603 43,521 41,278 Business services 234,657 204,500 155,952 Other 40,567 37,546 38,865 Total revenues $ 1,325,229 $ 1,167,997 $ 1,072,295 Franchise and other regulatory fees $ 25,206 $ 22,702 $ 16,098 Deferred commission amortization $ 5,478 $ 3,992 $ 3,605 Other revenues are comprised primarily of advertising sales, customer late charges and reconnect fees. Fees imposed on the Company by various governmental authorities, including franchise fees, are passed through on a monthly basis to the Company’s customers and are periodically remitted to authorities. As the Company acts as principal, these fees are reported in video and voice revenues on a gross basis with corresponding expenses included within operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. Net accounts receivable from contracts with customers totaled $31.5 million and $32.3 million at December 31, 2020 2019, A significant portion of the Company’s revenues are derived from customers who may not one five Contract Costs. third Contract Liabilities. December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 2020. Significant Judgments. may not The transaction price for a bundle of services is frequently less than the sum of the standalone selling prices of each individual service. The Company allocates the sales price for such bundles to each individual service provided based on the relative standalone selling price for each subscribed service. Standalone selling prices of the Company’s residential data and video services are directly observable, while standalone selling prices for the Company’s residential voice services are estimated using the adjusted market assessment approach, which relies upon information from peer companies who sell residential voice services individually. The Company also used significant judgment to determine the appropriate period over which to amortize deferred residential and business commission costs, which was determined to be the average customer tenure. Based on historical data and current expectations, the Company determined the average customer tenure for both residential and business customers to be approximately five

Note 5 - Operating Assets and L

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Operating Assets and Liabilities [Text Block]	5. OPERATING ASSETS AND LIABILITIES Accounts receivable consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Trade receivables $ 32,795 $ 33,467 Other receivables 7,225 6,186 Less: Allowance for credit losses (1,252 ) (1,201 ) Total accounts receivable, net $ 38,768 $ 38,452 The changes in the allowance for credit losses were as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Beginning balance $ 1,201 $ 2,045 $ 1,876 Additions - charged to costs and expenses 7,527 6,500 5,101 Deductions - write-offs (13,603 ) (13,504 ) (9,529 ) Recoveries collected 6,127 6,160 4,597 Ending balance $ 1,252 $ 1,201 $ 2,045 Prepaid and other current assets consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Prepaid repairs and maintenance $ 1,013 $ 551 Software implementation costs 1,035 - Prepaid insurance 2,200 1,548 Prepaid rent 1,471 1,499 Prepaid software 4,544 4,672 Deferred commissions 4,026 3,586 All other current assets 3,602 3,763 Total prepaid and other current assets $ 17,891 $ 15,619 Other noncurrent assets consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Operating lease ROU assets $ 13,408 $ 16,924 Deferred commissions 5,798 5,042 Software implementation costs 6,879 - Debt issuance costs 3,249 2,427 All other noncurrent assets 4,209 2,495 Total other noncurrent assets $ 33,543 $ 26,888 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Accounts payable $ 22,686 $ 36,351 Accrued programming costs 20,279 19,620 Accrued compensation and related benefits 26,467 23,189 Accrued sales and other operating taxes 7,425 7,550 Accrued franchise fees 4,021 4,201 Deposits 6,300 6,550 Operating lease liabilities 3,772 4,601 Interest rate swap liability 30,646 11,045 Accrued insurance costs 7,292 6,174 Cash overdrafts 8,847 5,801 Equity investment payable (1) 13,387 - Interest payable 4,128 175 Amount due to Hargray (2) 6,822 - All other accrued liabilities 12,067 11,736 Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 174,139 $ 136,993 ( 1 Consists of the unfunded portion of the Company’s equity investment in Wisper. Refer to note 6 ( 2 Consists of amounts due to Hargray in connection with transition services provided as part of the Anniston Exchange. Refer to note 6 Other noncurrent liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Operating lease liabilities $ 8,701 $ 11,146 Accrued compensation and related benefits 10,086 7,154 Deferred revenue 4,981 5,514 MBI net option (as defined in note 6) (1) 73,310 - All other noncurrent liabilities 3,549 3,043 Total other noncurrent liabilities $ 100,627 $ 26,857 ( 1 Consists of the net value of the Company’s call and put options associated with the remaining equity interests in MBI, valued at $0.7 million and $74.0 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. 6

Note 6 - Equity Investments

Note 6 - Equity Investments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Investment [Text Block]	6. EQUITY INVESTMENTS On May 4, 2020, July 10, 2020, 2020 2021. October 1, 2020, $82.6 November 12, 2020, The carrying value of the Company’s equity investments without readily determinable fair values were determined based on fair valuations as of their respective acquisition dates, and consisted of the following (dollars in thousands): Ownership As of December 31, Percentage 2020 2019 Cost Method Investments Hargray (1) ~15% $ 113,165 $ - Nextlink <10% 27,245 - Others <10% 10,066 206 Total cost method investments $ 150,476 $ 206 Equity Method Investments MBI ( 2 ) 45.0% $ 630,679 $ - Wisper 40.4% 26,626 - Total equity method investments $ 657,305 $ - Total equity investments $ 807,781 $ 206 ( 1 The Company calculated the fair value of Hargray’s total enterprise value using a hybrid of both the discounted cash flow method of the income approach and the guideline public company method of the market approach. Significant assumptions used in the valuation include projected revenue growth rates, future EBITDA margins, future capital expenditures and an appropriate discount rate. The enterprise value less Hargray’s debt and unamortized debt issuance costs was multiplied by Cable One’s minority equity interest percentage to determine the Hargray investment’s carrying value. The resulting non-cash gain was calculated as the difference between this carrying value and the book value of the Anniston System’s net assets, including its proportionate share of the Company’s franchise agreement and goodwill assets. The approximately 15% equity interest in Hargray is on a fully diluted basis. ( 2 ) The Company holds a call option to purchase all but not not January 1, 2023 June 30, 2024. not not not July 1, 2025 September 30, 2025. December 31, 2020 December 31, 2020. The carrying value of MBI exceeded the Company’s underlying equity in MBI’s net assets by $529.7 million as of December 31, 2020. The Company recognized $1.4 million of Wisper net income within equity method investment earnings in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income for 2020, The Company assesses each equity investment for indicators of impairment on a quarterly basis. No

Note 7 - Property, Plant and Eq

Note 7 - Property, Plant and Equipment	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Property, Plant and Equipment Disclosure [Text Block]	7. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Cable distribution systems $ 1,916,048 $ 1,779,964 Customer premise equipment 283,831 266,190 Other equipment and fixtures 463,469 444,799 Buildings and improvements 117,367 113,331 Capitalized software 107,107 99,988 Construction in progress 89,488 93,352 Land 13,293 13,361 ROU assets 10,314 10,187 Property, plant and equipment, gross 3,000,917 2,821,172 Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization (1,735,457 ) (1,619,901 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 1,265,460 $ 1,201,271 The balance at December 31, 2020 Depreciation and amortization expense for property, plant and equipment was $220.2 million, $197.5 million and $186.0 million in 2020, 2019 2018, In 2020, 2019,

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangibl

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Text Block]	8. GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS The carrying amount of goodwill was $430.5 million and $429.6 million at December 31, 2020 2019, not Intangible assets consisted of the following (dollars in thousands): December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Useful Life Range (in years) Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Carrying Amount Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Carrying Amount Finite-Lived Intangible Assets Franchise renewals 1 – 25 $ 2,927 $ 2,927 $ - $ 2,927 $ 2,895 $ 32 Customer relationships 13.5 – 17 369,700 81,865 287,835 362,000 37,470 324,530 Trademarks and trade names 2.7 – 3 4,300 2,552 1,748 4,300 1,552 2,748 Wireless licenses 10 – 15 1,418 15 1,403 - - - Total finite-lived intangible assets $ 378,345 $ 87,359 $ 290,986 $ 369,227 $ 41,917 $ 327,310 Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets Franchise agreements $ 979,712 $ 978,371 Trade names 7,500 6,700 Total indefinite-lived intangible assets $ 987,212 $ 985,071 Total intangible assets, net $ 1,278,198 $ 1,312,381 The increase in intangible assets from December 31, 2019 December 31, 2020 Intangible asset amortization expense was $45.5 million, $19.2 million and $11.7 million in 2020, 2019 2018, The future amortization of existing finite-lived intangible assets as of December 31, 2020 Year Ending December 31, Amount 2021 $ 40,495 2022 35,528 2023 28,816 2024 23,886 2025 21,962 Thereafter 140,299 Total $ 290,986 Actual amortization expense in future periods may

Note 9 - Leases

Note 9 - Leases	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Lessee and Lessor, Operating and Finance Leases [Text Block]	9. LEASES As a lessee, the Company has operating leases for buildings, equipment, data centers, fiber optic networks and towers and finance leases for buildings and fiber optic networks. These leases have remaining lease terms ranging from less than 1 year to 23 years, with some including an option to extend the lease for up to 15 additional years and some including an option to terminate the lease within 1 As a lessor, the Company has operating leases for the use of its fiber optic networks, towers and customer premise equipment. These leases have remaining lease terms ranging from less than 1 year to 14 years, with some including a lessee option to extend the leases for up to 5 additional years and some including an option to terminate the lease within 1 year. Significant judgment is required when determining whether a fiber optic network access contract contains a lease, defining the duration of the lease term and selecting an appropriate discount rate, as discussed below: ● The Company concluded it was the lessee or lessor for fiber optic network access arrangements only when the asset is specifically identifiable and both substantially all the economic benefit is obtained by the lessee and the lessee’s right to direct the use of the asset exists. ● The Company’s lease terms are only for periods in which there are enforceable rights. For accounting purposes, a lease is no no ● Most of the Company’s leases do not As of December 31, 2020, not not not December 31, 2020 2019. Lessee Financial Information . As of December 31, 2020 2019 ROU Assets Property, plant and equipment, net: Finance leases $ 8,979 $ 9,665 Other noncurrent assets: Operating leases $ 13,408 $ 16,924 Lease Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities: Operating leases $ 3,772 $ 4,601 Current portion of long-term debt: Finance leases $ 661 $ 589 Long-term debt: Finance leases $ 4,805 $ 5,354 Other noncurrent liabilities: Operating leases $ 8,701 $ 11,146 Total: Finance leases $ 5,466 $ 5,943 Operating leases $ 12,473 $ 15,747 The components of the Company’s lease expense were as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Finance lease expense: Amortization of ROU assets $ 812 $ 537 Interest on lease liabilities 382 302 Operating lease expense 5,480 5,260 Short-term lease expense 113 940 Variable lease expense 23 168 Total lease expense $ 6,810 $ 7,207 Amortization of ROU assets is included within depreciation and amortization expense; interest on lease liabilities is included within interest expense; and operating, short-term and variable lease expense is included within operating expenses and selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income. Supplemental lessee financial information is as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: Finance leases - financing cash flows $ 604 $ 925 Finance leases - operating cash flows $ 382 $ 302 Operating leases - operating cash flows $ 5,370 $ 5,293 ROU assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities: Finance leases (1) $ 127 $ 5,408 Operating leases ( 2 ) $ 1,131 $ 9,767 ( 1 The amount for 2019 ( 2 ) The amount for 2019 As of December 31, 2020 2019 Weighted average remaining lease term: Finance leases (in years) 12.8 14.1 Operating leases (in years) 4.4 4.7 Weighted average discount rate: Finance leases 6.22 % 6.26 % Operating leases 4.72 % 4.94 % As of December 31, 2020, Year Ending December 31, Finance Leases Operating Leases 2021 $ 1,008 $ 4,258 2022 1,019 3,279 2023 1,026 2,729 2024 1,008 1,298 2025 985 811 Thereafter 8,498 1,483 Total 13,544 13,858 Less: Present value discount (8,078 ) (1,385 ) Lease liability $ 5,466 $ 12,473

Note 10 - Debt

Note 10 - Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Long-term Debt [Text Block]	10. DEBT The carrying amount of long-term debt consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Senior Credit Facilities (as defined below) $ 1,541,621 $ 1,753,045 New Notes (as defined below) 650,000 - Finance lease liabilities 5,466 5,943 Total debt 2,197,087 1,758,988 Less: Unamortized debt issuance costs (21,897 ) (18,142 ) Less: Current portion of long-term debt (26,392 ) (28,909 ) Total long-term debt $ 2,148,798 $ 1,711,937 Original Notes. June 17, 2015, 2022 June 15, 2022 June 15th December 15th On June 15, 2019, Senior Credit Facilities. Chronology On June 30, 2015, five five On May 1, 2017, “2017 2017 five seven 1” On January 7, 2019, No. 2 No. 2” seven 2” On April 12, 2019, No. 3 No. 3” 3” 3 June 14, 2019. On May 8, 2019, 2” 2,” 2, 2” 2 October 1, 2019 one 2. not 1, 2 3. The Revolving Credit Facility was scheduled to mature on May 8, 2024 In January 2020, third 2020 December 31, 2020, no In March 2020, May 2020 14 On October 30, 2020, 3 3 2 3 October 30, 2027, ( 2 October 30, 2025 2 2 October 30, 2020) 2.5% first two third fourth fifth not 2, 2, 3 3 1. 2, 2 3 General Terms The Senior Credit Facilities are guaranteed by the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries (the “Guarantors”) and are secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all of the assets of the Company and the Guarantors. The interest margins applicable to the Senior Credit Facilities are, at the Company’s option, equal to either LIBOR or a base rate, plus an applicable margin equal to, (i) with respect to the Term Loan A- 2 1, x April 22, 2018, 2 3, The Company may, no 1.0. The Third Restatement Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and affirmative and negative covenants, including limitations on indebtedness, liens, restricted payments, prepayments of certain indebtedness, investments, dispositions of assets, restrictions on subsidiary distributions and negative pledge clauses, fundamental changes, transactions with affiliates and amendments to organizational documents. The Third Restatement Agreement also requires the Company to maintain specified ratios of total net indebtedness and first Summary As of December 31, 2020, December 31, 2020 Instrument Draw Date Original Principal Amortization Per Annum (1) Outstanding Principal Final Maturity Date Balance Due Upon Maturity Benchmark Rate Applicable Margin (2) Interest Rate Term Loan A-2 5/8/2019 (3) 10/1/2019 (3) $ 700,000 Varies ( 4 ) $ 676,611 10/30/2025 $ 476,607 LIBOR 1.50% 1.65% Term Loan B-2 1/7/2019 250,000 1.0% 245,625 10/30/2027 228,750 LIBOR 2.00% 2.15% Term Loan B-3 6/14/2019 (5) 10/30/2020 (5) 625,000 1.0% 619,385 10/30/2027 577,472 LIBOR 2.00% 2.15% Total $ 1,575,000 $ 1,541,621 $ 1,282,829 ( 1 Payable in equal quarterly installments (expressed as a percentage of the original principal amount and subject to customary adjustments in the event of any prepayment). All loans may ( 2 ) The Term Loan A- 2 ( 3 On May 8, 2019, October 1, 2019, October 30, 2020, ( 4 Per annum amortization rates for years one five October 30, 2020 ( 5 On June 14, 2019, October 30, 2020, New Notes. November 9, 2020, 2030 November 9, 2020 ( The New Notes bear interest at a rate of 4.00% May 15 November 15 May 15, 2021. $250.0 At any time and from time to time prior to November 15, 2025, may November 15, 2025, may November 15, 2023, may not one 104% Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control and a Below Investment Grade Rating Event (each as defined in the Indenture), the Company is required to offer to repurchase the New Notes at 101% of the principal amount of such New Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the date of repurchase. The Indenture contains covenants that, among other things and subject to certain exceptions, limit (i) the Company’s ability and the ability of its subsidiaries to incur any liens securing indebtedness for borrowed money, (ii) the Company’s ability to consolidate or merge with or into another person or sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries (taken as a whole) and (iii) the ability of the guarantors to consolidate with or merge with or into another person. The Indenture provides for customary events of default which include (subject in certain cases to customary grace and cure periods), among others, nonpayment of principal or interest, breach of other agreements or covenants in respect of the New Notes, failure to pay certain other indebtedness at final maturity, acceleration of certain indebtedness prior to final maturity, failure to pay certain final judgments, failure of certain guarantees to be enforceable and certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency. Debt Issuance Costs. 2020 2019, 2020, 2019 2018, Unamortized debt issuance costs consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Revolving Credit Facility portion : Other noncurrent assets $ 3,249 $ 2,427 Term loans and New Notes portion : Long-term debt (contra account) 21,897 18,142 Total $ 25,146 $ 20,569 The future maturities of outstanding borrowings as of December 31, 2020 Year Ending December 31, Amount 2021 $ 25,731 2022 29,986 2023 47,008 2024 68,285 2025 549,147 Thereafter 1,471,464 Total $ 2,191,621 The Company was in compliance with all debt covenants as of December 31, 2020.

Note 11 - Income Taxes

Note 11 - Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]	11. INCOME TAXES The income tax provision (benefit) consisted of the following (in thousands): Current Deferred Total Year Ended December 31, 2020 U.S. Federal $ (14,633 ) $ 74,164 $ 59,531 State and local 3,764 13,022 16,786 Total $ (10,869 ) $ 87,186 $ 76,317 Year Ended December 31, 2019 U.S. Federal $ 1,249 $ 43,270 $ 44,519 State and local 3,678 7,036 10,714 Total $ 4,927 $ 50,306 $ 55,233 Year Ended December 31, 2018 U.S. Federal $ 10,214 $ 32,176 $ 42,390 State and local 2,284 2,550 4,834 Total $ 12,498 $ 34,726 $ 47,224 The income tax provision is different than the amount of income tax calculated by applying the U.S. Federal statutory rate of 21.0% to income before income taxes as a result of the following items (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 U.S. Federal taxes at statutory rate $ 79,660 $ 49,101 $ 44,517 State and local taxes, net of U.S. Federal tax 13,261 8,464 3,816 CARES Act benefit (as defined and described below) (13,039 ) - - Equity-based compensation (10,993 ) (5,296 ) (3,690 ) Valuation allowance 4,322 - - Section 162(m) limitation 1,564 656 113 Other items 1,542 2,308 2,468 Income tax provision $ 76,317 $ 55,233 $ 47,224 The net deferred income tax liability consisted of the following (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Other benefit obligations $ 1,789 $ 1,890 Equity-based compensation 4,324 4,563 Net operating losses 2,951 25,532 Accrued bonus 3,947 2,313 Reserves 1,194 1,134 Lease liabilities 3,079 4,659 Interest rate swap 45,913 22,101 Capital losses 4,322 - Other items 3,856 2,104 Deferred tax assets, gross 71,375 64,296 Less: Valuation allowance (4,322 ) - Deferred tax assets, net 67,053 64,296 Property, plant and equipment 233,427 201,208 Goodwill and other intangible assets 160,442 159,074 Investments in subsidiaries and partnerships 29,043 - ROU assets 5,121 5,201 Prepaid expenses 3,500 2,127 Other items 2,195 - Deferred tax liabilities 433,728 367,610 Net deferred income tax liability $ 366,675 $ 303,314 The valuation allowance disclosed above relates to capital losses from the MBI net option that may not On March 27, 2020, 19 100% 2021. 2020, 2019 2018 five 2019 There were $0.5 million of tax-effected U.S. Federal tax NOLs available for carryforward at December 31, 2020, 2036. 1986, not December 31, 2020, 2039. The Company endeavors to comply with tax laws and regulations where it does business, but cannot guarantee that, if challenged, the Company’s interpretation of all relevant tax laws and regulations will prevail and that all tax benefits recorded in the consolidated financial statements will ultimately be recognized in full. The Company has taken reasonable efforts to address uncertain tax positions and has determined that there are no no not not not 12

Note 12 - Interest Rate Swaps

Note 12 - Interest Rate Swaps	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Text Block]	12. INTEREST RATE SWAPS The Company is party to two A summary of the significant terms of the Company’s interest rate swap agreements is as follows (dollars in thousands): Entry Date Effective Date Maturity Date (1) Notional Amount Settlement Type Settlement Frequency Fixed Base Rate Swap A 3/7/2019 3/11/2019 3/11/2029 $ 850,000 Receive one-month LIBOR, pay fixed Monthly 2.653 % Swap B 3/6/2019 6/15/2020 2/28/2029 350,000 Receive one-month LIBOR, pay fixed Monthly 2.739 % Total $ 1,200,000 ( 1 Each swap may The combined fair values of the Company’s interest rate swaps are reflected within the consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands): As of December 31, 2020 2019 Liabilities: Current portion: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 30,646 $ 11,045 Noncurrent portion: Interest rate swap liability $ 155,357 $ 78,612 Total $ 186,003 $ 89,657 Stockholders’ Equity: Accumulated other comprehensive loss $ 140,090 $ 67,556 The combined effect of the Company’s interest rate swaps on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income is as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Interest expense $ 22,509 $ 3,105 Unrealized loss on cash flow hedges, gross $ 96,346 $ 89,657 Less: Tax effect (23,812 ) (22,101 ) Unrealized loss on cash flow hedges, net of tax $ 72,534 $ 67,556 The Company does not

Note 13 - Fair Value Measuremen

Note 13 - Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Fair Value Disclosures [Text Block]	13. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS Fina ncial Assets and Liabilities. December 31, 2020 not The carrying amounts, fair values and related fair value hierarchy levels of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2020 December 31, 2020 Carrying Amount Fair Value Fair Value Hierarchy Assets: Cash and cash equivalents: Money market investments $ 544,524 $ 544,524 Level 1 Liabilities: Long-term debt ( including current portion ) : Term loans $ 1,541,621 $ 1,534,113 Level 2 New Notes $ 650,000 $ 669,500 Level 2 Interest rate swap liability ( including current portion ) : Interest rate swaps $ 186,003 $ 186,003 Level 2 Other noncurrent liabilities: MBI net option $ 73,310 $ 73,310 Level 3 Money market investments are held primarily in U.S. Treasury securities and registered money market funds and are valued using a market approach based on quoted market prices (level 1 three 2 2 3 The assumptions used to determine the fair value of the MBI net option as of December 31, 2020 Cable One MBI Equity volatility 28.0 % 30.0 % EBITDA volatility 10.0 % 10.0 % EBITDA risk-adjusted discount rate 5.0 % 6.5 % Cost of debt 4.0 % The Company regularly evaluates each of the assumptions used in establishing the fair value of the MBI net option. Significant changes in any of these assumptions could result in a significantly lower or higher fair value measurement. A change in one not The carrying amounts of accounts receivable, accounts payable and other financial assets and liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments. Nonfinancial Assets and Liabilities. not may No

Note 14 - Stockholders' Equity

Note 14 - Stockholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block]	14. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY Public Equity Offering. May 2020, May 2020 Treasury Stock. December 31, 2020 Share Repurchase Program. July 1, 2015, may December 31, 2020, No 2020. Tax Withholding for Equity Awards . 2020, 2019 2018

Note 15 - Equity-based Compensa

Note 15 - Equity-based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Text Block]	15. EQUITY-BASED COMPENSATION On June 5, 2015, 2015 2015 July 1, 2015. May 2, 2017, 2015 “2015 2015 2015 2015 one 2015 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2015 no may 2015 May 2, 2027. The 2015 may 2015 2015 May 2, 2017, no may December 31, 2020, 2015 Compensation expense associated with equity-based awards is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the award, with forfeitures recognized as incurred. The Company’s equity-based compensation expense, included within selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, was as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Restricted stock (as defined below) $ 11,476 $ 7,994 $ 6,751 SARs 3,116 4,306 3,735 Total $ 14,592 $ 12,300 $ 10,486 The Company recognized income tax benefits of $11.1 million, $5.3 million and $3.7 million related to equity-based awards during 2020, 2019 2018, December 31, 2020. Restricted Stock. three three four first three 2015 2015 May 2, 2017) The Company’s non-employee directors are entitled to an annual cash retainer of $75,000, plus an additional annual cash retainer for each committee chair or the lead independent director, and approximately $125,000 in RSUs. Such RSUs will generally be granted on the date of the Company’s annual stockholders’ meeting and will vest on the earlier of the first one may 2017 Restricted shares, RSUs and DEUs are collectively referred to as “restricted stock.” A summary of restricted stock activity is as follows: Weighted Average Grant Date Restricted Fair Value Stock Per Share Outstanding as of December 31, 2017 51,290 $ 472.89 Granted 17,098 $ 715.74 Forfeited (2,455 ) $ 636.64 Vested and issued (25,057 ) $ 397.53 Outstanding as of December 31, 2018 40,876 $ 610.88 Granted 13,374 $ 885.66 Forfeited (4,111 ) $ 710.87 Vested and issued (11,266 ) $ 493.80 Outstanding as of December 31, 2019 38,873 $ 728.77 Granted 12,352 $ 1,573.50 Forfeited (5,491 ) $ 752.39 Vested and issued (10,790 ) $ 682.84 Outstanding as of December 31, 2020 34,944 $ 1,037.83 Vested and deferred as of December 31, 2020 6,655 $ 618.54 At December 31, 2020, Stock Appreciation Rights. four first 2015 2015 May 2, 2017) A summary of SAR activity is as follows: Stock Appreciation Rights Weighted Average Exercise Price Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands) Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years) Outstanding as of December 31, 2017 102,458 $ 477.62 $ 100.91 $ 23,173 8.1 Granted 21,000 $ 744.47 $ 181.21 $ - 8.7 Exercised (27,060 ) $ 435.11 $ 90.06 $ 9,418 - Forfeited (5,793 ) $ 502.08 $ 108.22 $ Outstanding as of December 31, 2018 90,605 $ 550.60 $ 122.29 $ 24,673 7.2 Granted 29,000 $ 900.90 $ 209.57 $ - 8.8 Exercised (26,092 ) $ 491.12 $ 105.94 20,143 - Forfeited (3,103 ) $ 659.01 $ 154.49 Outstanding as of December 31, 2019 90,410 $ 676.41 $ 153.90 $ 73,419 7.5 Granted 8,000 $ 1,701.74 $ 423.92 $ - 9.5 Exercised (33,154 ) $ 553.69 $ 120.91 $ 39,099 - Forfeited (6,891 ) $ 846.81 $ 199.27 Outstanding as of December 31, 2020 58,365 $ 866.54 $ 204.29 $ 79,446 7.3 Exercisable as of December 31, 2020 21,125 $ 618.52 $ 139.78 $ 33,994 6.1 The grant date fair value of the Company’s SARs is measured using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The weighted average inputs used in the model for grants awarded during 2020, 2019 2018 2020 2019 2018 Expected volatility 26.61 % 21.69 % 22.22 % Risk-free interest rate 0.43 % 2.25 % 2.53 % Expected term (in years) 6.25 6.25 6.25 Expected dividend yield 0.56 % 0.92 % 0.97 % The Black-Scholes model used to estimate the grant date fair value of the Company’s SARs requires the input of highly subjective assumptions. These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. If factors change and different assumptions are used, the Company’s equity-based compensation expense could be materially different for future SAR grants. The assumptions for 2020 ● Fair Value of Common Stock — Valued by reference to the closing price of the Company’s publicly traded common stock on the date of grant. ● Expected Volatility — The Company estimated the expected future stock price volatility for its common stock by using its life-to-date historical volatility based on daily price observations since it became a publicly traded company on July 1, 2015. 2019, ● Risk-Free Interest Rate — The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the yields of U.S. Treasury securities with maturities similar to the expected term of the SARs being valued. ● Expected Term — The expected term represents the period that the Company’s SARs are expected to be outstanding. Prior to becoming a standalone public company on July 1, 2015, not not ● Expected Dividend Yield — The Company expects to continue to pay quarterly dividends in the future and, as such, the expected dividend yield was calculated as the Company’s current annual dividend divided by the Company’s closing stock price on the grant date. At December 31, 2020,

Note 16 - Net Income Per Common

Note 16 - Net Income Per Common Share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Earnings Per Share [Text Block]	16. NET INCOME PER COMMON SHARE Basic net income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The denominator used in calculating diluted net income per common share further includes any common shares available to be issued upon vesting or exercise of outstanding equity-based compensation awards if such inclusion would be dilutive, calculated using the treasury stock method. The computation of basic and diluted net income per common share was as follows (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts): Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Numerator: Net income $ 304,391 $ 178,582 $ 164,760 Denominator: Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic 5,884,780 5,678,990 5,684,375 Effect of dilutive equity-based awards (1) 52,802 58,866 41,588 Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted 5,937,582 5,737,856 5,725,963 Net I ncome per C ommon S hare: Basic $ 51.73 $ 31.45 $ 28.98 Diluted $ 51.27 $ 31.12 $ 28.77 Supplemental Net Income per Common Share Disclosure: Anti-dilutive shares from equity-based compensation awards (1) 288 409 1,811 ( 1 Equity-based awards whose impact is considered to be anti-dilutive under the treasury stock method were excluded from the diluted net income per common share calculation.

Note 17 - Commitments and Conti

Note 17 - Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	17. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Contractual Obligations. not The following table summarizes the Company’s outstanding contractual obligations as of December 31, 2020 Year E nding December 31, Programming P urchase C ommitments (1) L ease Payments (2) Debt Payments ( 3 ) Other P urchase O bligations ( 4 ) Total 2021 $ 138,582 $ 5,266 $ 25,731 $ 22,920 $ 192,499 2022 55,119 4,298 29,986 9,691 99,094 2023 35,992 3,755 47,008 4,517 91,272 2024 15,763 2,306 68,285 847 87,201 2025 3,749 1,796 549,147 503 555,195 Thereafter - 9,981 1,471,464 6,775 1,488,220 Total $ 249,205 $ 27,402 $ 2,191,621 $ 45,253 $ 2,513,481 ( 1 ) Programming purchase commitments represent contracts that the Company has with cable television networks and broadcast stations to provide programming services to subscribers. The amounts reported represent estimates of the future programming costs for these purchase commitments based on estimated subscriber numbers, tier placements as of December 31, 2020 may not ( 2 Lease payments include payment obligations related to the Company’s outstanding finance and operating lease arrangements as of December 31, 2020. ( 3 ) Debt payments include principal repayment obligations for the Company’s outstanding debt instruments as of December 31, 2020. ( 4 ) Other purchase obligations include purchase obligations related to capital projects and other legally binding commitments. Other purchase orders made in the ordinary course of business are excluded from the amounts shown but are included within accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet. The Company incurs the following costs as part of its operations, however, they are not ● The Company rents space on utility poles in order to provide services to subscribers. Generally, pole rentals are cancellable on short notice. However, the Company anticipates that such rentals will recur. Rent expense for pole attachments was $10.5 million, $9.5 million and $8.9 million for 2020, 2019 2018, ● Fees imposed on the Company by various governmental authorities, including franchise fees, are passed through on a monthly basis to the Company’s customers and are periodically remitted to authorities. These fees were $25.2 million, $22.7 million and $16.1 million for 2020, 2019 2018, ● The Company has franchise agreements requiring plant construction and the provision of services to customers within the franchise areas. In connection with these obligations under existing franchise agreements, the Company obtains surety bonds or letters of credit guaranteeing performance to municipalities and public utilities and payment of insurance premiums. Such surety bonds and letters of credit totaled $31.6 million and $18.3 million as of December 31, 2020 2019, not ● The Company issued letters of credit totaling $22.0 million in January 2020 December 31, 2020, no 10 Litigation and Legal Matters no Regulation in the Company’s Industry.

Note 18 - Subsequent Event

Note 18 - Subsequent Event	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Subsequent Events [Text Block]	18. SUBSEQUENT EVENT On February 12, 2021, February 12, 2021 ( not may 1976 second 2021.

Significant Accounting Policies

Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Basis of Presentation. December 31, 2020, 2019 2018 may not Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current year presentation.
Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Principles of Consolidation.
Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Segment Reporting. 280 Segment Reporting second 2020, not 280 one
Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Use of Estimates. may
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Policy Text Block]	Revenue Recognition. 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers . one The Company also generally receives an allocation of scheduled advertising time as part of its distribution agreements with cable and broadcast networks, which the Company sells to local, regional and national advertisers under contracts with terms that are typically less than one third not The unit of accounting for revenue recognition is a performance obligation, which is a requirement to transfer a distinct good or service to a customer. Customers are billed for the services to which they subscribe based upon published or contracted rates, with the sales price being allocated to each performance obligation. For arrangements with multiple performance obligations, the sales price is allocated based on the relative standalone selling price for each subscribed service. Generally, performance obligations are satisfied, and revenue is recognized, over the period of time in which customers simultaneously receive and consume the Company’s defined performance obligations, which are delivered in a similar pattern of transfer. Advertising revenue is recognized at the point in time when the underlying performance obligation is complete. The Company also incurs certain incremental costs to acquire residential and business customers, such as commission costs and third five Fees imposed on the Company by various governmental authorities, including franchise fees, are passed through on a monthly basis to the Company’s customers and are periodically remitted to authorities. As the Company acts as principal, these fees are reported in video and voice revenues on a gross basis with corresponding expenses included within operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.
Concentration Risk, Credit Risk, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Concentrations of Credit Risk.
Programming Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Programming Costs.
Advertising Cost [Policy Text Block]	Advertising Costs 2020, 2019 2018,
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Cash Equivalents three
Receivables, Trade and Other Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Doubtful Accounts, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. may
Fair Value Measurement, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Fair Value Measurements. three 1 2 3 may For assets and liabilities that are measured using quoted prices in active markets, the total fair value is the published market price per unit multiplied by the number of units held, without consideration of transaction costs. Assets and liabilities that are measured using significant other observable inputs are primarily valued by reference to quoted prices of similar assets or liabilities in active markets, adjusted for any terms specific to that asset or liability. Assets and liabilities that are measured using significant unobservable inputs are valued using various valuation techniques, including Monte Carlo simulations. The Company measures certain assets, including property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill, at fair value on a nonrecurring basis when they are deemed to be impaired. The fair value of these assets is determined with valuation techniques using the best information available and may The carrying amounts reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these financial instruments.
Investment, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Equity Investments. not Equity investments that do provide the Company with the ability to exert significant influence over the operating or financial decisions of the investee are accounted for under the equity method. The equity method requires the initial fair value of the investment to be recorded as an asset within the consolidated balance sheet. Based on its ownership percentage, the Company then recognizes its proportionate share of the investee’s net income (loss) each period within equity method investment earnings in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income and a corresponding increase (decrease) to the investment’s carrying value within the consolidated balance sheet. As permitted by GAAP, the Company elected to recognize its proportionate share of such net income (loss) for each of its equity method investments on a one As none
Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Property, Plant and Equipment. Cable distribution systems 10 – 25 Customer premise equipment 3 – 5 Other equipment and fixtures 3 – 10 Buildings and improvements 10 – 20 Capitalized software 3 – 7 Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets 1 – 5 The costs of leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of their useful lives or the remaining terms of the respective leases. Costs associated with the installation and upgrade of services and acquiring and deploying of customer premise equipment, including materials, internal and external labor costs and related indirect and overhead costs, are capitalized. Capitalized labor costs include the direct costs of engineers and technical personnel involved in the design and implementation of plant and infrastructure; the costs of technicians involved in the installation and upgrades of services and customer premise equipment; and the costs of support personnel directly involved in capitalizable activities, such as project managers and supervisors. These costs are capitalized based on internally developed standards by position, which are updated annually (or more frequently if required). These standards are developed utilizing a combination of actual costs incurred where applicable, survey information, operational data and management judgment. Overhead costs are capitalized based on standards developed from historical information. Indirect and overhead costs include payroll taxes; insurance and other benefits; and vehicle, tool and supply expense related to installation activities. Costs for repairs and maintenance, disconnecting service or reconnecting service are expensed as incurred. The Company capitalizes certain internal and external costs incurred to acquire or develop internal-use, on-premises and cloud-based software, including costs associated with coding, software configuration, upgrades and enhancements.
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Evaluation of Long-Lived Assets. may not not
Intangible Assets, Finite-Lived, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Finite-Lived Intangible Assets.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Intangible Assets, Indefinite-Lived, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets. The Company’s unit of accounting for its franchise agreements was historically established at the geographic division level. Effective in the second 2020, The Company assesses the recoverability of its indefinite-lived intangible assets as of October 1st may first not not not
Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Goodwill, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Goodwill. not October 1st may The Company tests goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, which was historically established at the geographic division level. The Company evaluates the determination of its reporting units used to test for impairment periodically or whenever events or substantive changes in circumstances occur. Effective in the second 2020, four four The assessment of recoverability may first not not not
Self Insurance Reserve [Policy Text Block]	Insurance. may
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Policy Text Block]	Equity-Based Compensation.
Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Income Taxes. The Company records deferred tax assets to the extent that it believes these assets will more likely than not not The Company recognizes a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position when it is more likely than not
Asset Retirement Obligation [Policy Text Block]	Asset Retirement Obligations. not not
Business Combinations Policy [Policy Text Block]	Business Combination Purchase Price Allocation . 805 Business Combinations 805”
New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements. August 2018, No. 2018 15, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350 40 2018 15 January 1, 2020 In June 2016, No. 2016 13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326 2016 13 January 1, 2020 not Recently Issued But Not March 2020, No. 2020 04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848 2020 04 2021. may December 31, 2022. 2020 04 2021. In December 2019, No. 2019 12, Income Taxes (Topic 740 2019 12 2019 12 December 15, 2020. may 2019 12 first 2021 not may

Note 2 - Summary of Significa_2

Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives [Table Text Block]	Cable distribution systems 10 – 25 Customer premise equipment 3 – 5 Other equipment and fixtures 3 – 10 Buildings and improvements 10 – 20 Capitalized software 3 – 7 Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets 1 – 5

Note 3 - Acquisitions (Tables)

Note 3 - Acquisitions (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Schedule of Goodwill [Table Text Block]	Goodwill Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 172,129 Clearwave acquisition goodwill recognized 185,885 Fidelity acquisition goodwill recognized 71,583 Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 429,597 Valu-Net acquisition goodwill recognized 5,279 Anniston Exchange (as defined in note 6) goodwill disposed (4,333 ) Balance at December 31 , 2020 $ 430,543
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed [Table Text Block]	Purchase Price Allocation Assets Acquired Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,913 Accounts receivable 1,294 Prepaid and other current assets 311 Property, plant and equipment 120,472 Intangible assets 89,700 Other noncurrent assets 3,533 Total Assets Acquired 217,223 Liabilities Assumed Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 2,128 Deferred revenue, short-term portion 4,322 Deferred income taxes 32,771 Other noncurrent liabilities 5,057 Total Liabilities Assumed 44,278 Net assets acquired 172,945 Purchase price consideration 358,830 Goodwill recognized $ 185,885 Purchase Price Allocation Assets Acquired Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,869 Accounts receivable 3,691 Prepaid and other current assets 1,756 Property, plant and equipment 173,904 Intangible assets 288,000 Other noncurrent assets 1,895 Total Assets Acquired 474,115 Liabilities Assumed Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 8,795 Deferred revenue, short-term portion 1,796 Other noncurrent liabilities 3,715 Total Liabilities Assumed 14,306 Net assets acquired 459,809 Purchase price consideration 531,392 Goodwill recognized $ 71,583
Schedule of Intangible Assets Acquired as Part of Business Combination [Table Text Block]	Fair Value Useful Life (in years) Customer relationships $ 83,000 17 Trade name $ 6,700 Indefinite Fair Value Useful Life (in years) Customer relationships $ 119,000 14 Trademark and trade name $ 3,000 3 Franchise agreements $ 166,000 Indefinite Fair Value Useful Life (in years) Customer relationships $ 7,700 13.5 Trademark and trade name $ 800 Indefinite Franchise agreements $ 11,200 Indefinite

Note 4 - Revenues (Tables)

Note 4 - Revenues (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Revenue from External Customers by Products and Services [Table Text Block]	Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Residential Data $ 669,545 $ 547,240 $ 492,816 Video 332,857 335,190 343,384 Voice 47,603 43,521 41,278 Business services 234,657 204,500 155,952 Other 40,567 37,546 38,865 Total revenues $ 1,325,229 $ 1,167,997 $ 1,072,295 Franchise and other regulatory fees $ 25,206 $ 22,702 $ 16,098 Deferred commission amortization $ 5,478 $ 3,992 $ 3,605

Note 5 - Operating Assets and_2

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Schedule of Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Trade receivables $ 32,795 $ 33,467 Other receivables 7,225 6,186 Less: Allowance for credit losses (1,252 ) (1,201 ) Total accounts receivable, net $ 38,768 $ 38,452
Schedule of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts [Table Text Block]	Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Beginning balance $ 1,201 $ 2,045 $ 1,876 Additions - charged to costs and expenses 7,527 6,500 5,101 Deductions - write-offs (13,603 ) (13,504 ) (9,529 ) Recoveries collected 6,127 6,160 4,597 Ending balance $ 1,252 $ 1,201 $ 2,045
Prepaid and Other Current Assets [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Prepaid repairs and maintenance $ 1,013 $ 551 Software implementation costs 1,035 - Prepaid insurance 2,200 1,548 Prepaid rent 1,471 1,499 Prepaid software 4,544 4,672 Deferred commissions 4,026 3,586 All other current assets 3,602 3,763 Total prepaid and other current assets $ 17,891 $ 15,619
Schedule of Other Assets, Noncurrent [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Operating lease ROU assets $ 13,408 $ 16,924 Deferred commissions 5,798 5,042 Software implementation costs 6,879 - Debt issuance costs 3,249 2,427 All other noncurrent assets 4,209 2,495 Total other noncurrent assets $ 33,543 $ 26,888
Schedule of Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Accounts payable $ 22,686 $ 36,351 Accrued programming costs 20,279 19,620 Accrued compensation and related benefits 26,467 23,189 Accrued sales and other operating taxes 7,425 7,550 Accrued franchise fees 4,021 4,201 Deposits 6,300 6,550 Operating lease liabilities 3,772 4,601 Interest rate swap liability 30,646 11,045 Accrued insurance costs 7,292 6,174 Cash overdrafts 8,847 5,801 Equity investment payable (1) 13,387 - Interest payable 4,128 175 Amount due to Hargray (2) 6,822 - All other accrued liabilities 12,067 11,736 Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 174,139 $ 136,993
Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Operating lease liabilities $ 8,701 $ 11,146 Accrued compensation and related benefits 10,086 7,154 Deferred revenue 4,981 5,514 MBI net option (as defined in note 6) (1) 73,310 - All other noncurrent liabilities 3,549 3,043 Total other noncurrent liabilities $ 100,627 $ 26,857

Note 6 - Equity Investments (Ta

Note 6 - Equity Investments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Equity Securities without Readily Determinable Fair Value [Table Text Block]	Ownership As of December 31, Percentage 2020 2019 Cost Method Investments Hargray (1) ~15% $ 113,165 $ - Nextlink <10% 27,245 - Others <10% 10,066 206 Total cost method investments $ 150,476 $ 206 Equity Method Investments MBI ( 2 ) 45.0% $ 630,679 $ - Wisper 40.4% 26,626 - Total equity method investments $ 657,305 $ - Total equity investments $ 807,781 $ 206

Note 7 - Property, Plant and _2

Note 7 - Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Property, Plant and Equipment [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Cable distribution systems $ 1,916,048 $ 1,779,964 Customer premise equipment 283,831 266,190 Other equipment and fixtures 463,469 444,799 Buildings and improvements 117,367 113,331 Capitalized software 107,107 99,988 Construction in progress 89,488 93,352 Land 13,293 13,361 ROU assets 10,314 10,187 Property, plant and equipment, gross 3,000,917 2,821,172 Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization (1,735,457 ) (1,619,901 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 1,265,460 $ 1,201,271

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangi_2

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Schedule of Intangible Assets and Goodwill [Table Text Block]	December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Useful Life Range (in years) Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Carrying Amount Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Carrying Amount Finite-Lived Intangible Assets Franchise renewals 1 – 25 $ 2,927 $ 2,927 $ - $ 2,927 $ 2,895 $ 32 Customer relationships 13.5 – 17 369,700 81,865 287,835 362,000 37,470 324,530 Trademarks and trade names 2.7 – 3 4,300 2,552 1,748 4,300 1,552 2,748 Wireless licenses 10 – 15 1,418 15 1,403 - - - Total finite-lived intangible assets $ 378,345 $ 87,359 $ 290,986 $ 369,227 $ 41,917 $ 327,310 Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets Franchise agreements $ 979,712 $ 978,371 Trade names 7,500 6,700 Total indefinite-lived intangible assets $ 987,212 $ 985,071 Total intangible assets, net $ 1,278,198 $ 1,312,381
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense [Table Text Block]	Year Ending December 31, Amount 2021 $ 40,495 2022 35,528 2023 28,816 2024 23,886 2025 21,962 Thereafter 140,299 Total $ 290,986

Note 9 - Leases (Tables)

Note 9 - Leases (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Lessee, Leases [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 ROU Assets Property, plant and equipment, net: Finance leases $ 8,979 $ 9,665 Other noncurrent assets: Operating leases $ 13,408 $ 16,924 Lease Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities: Operating leases $ 3,772 $ 4,601 Current portion of long-term debt: Finance leases $ 661 $ 589 Long-term debt: Finance leases $ 4,805 $ 5,354 Other noncurrent liabilities: Operating leases $ 8,701 $ 11,146 Total: Finance leases $ 5,466 $ 5,943 Operating leases $ 12,473 $ 15,747
Lease, Cost [Table Text Block]	Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Finance lease expense: Amortization of ROU assets $ 812 $ 537 Interest on lease liabilities 382 302 Operating lease expense 5,480 5,260 Short-term lease expense 113 940 Variable lease expense 23 168 Total lease expense $ 6,810 $ 7,207
Supplemental Lessee Financial Information [Table Text Block]	Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: Finance leases - financing cash flows $ 604 $ 925 Finance leases - operating cash flows $ 382 $ 302 Operating leases - operating cash flows $ 5,370 $ 5,293 ROU assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities: Finance leases (1) $ 127 $ 5,408 Operating leases ( 2 ) $ 1,131 $ 9,767 As of December 31, 2020 2019 Weighted average remaining lease term: Finance leases (in years) 12.8 14.1 Operating leases (in years) 4.4 4.7 Weighted average discount rate: Finance leases 6.22 % 6.26 % Operating leases 4.72 % 4.94 %
Operating and Finance Lease, Liability, Maturity [Table Text Block]	Year Ending December 31, Finance Leases Operating Leases 2021 $ 1,008 $ 4,258 2022 1,019 3,279 2023 1,026 2,729 2024 1,008 1,298 2025 985 811 Thereafter 8,498 1,483 Total 13,544 13,858 Less: Present value discount (8,078 ) (1,385 ) Lease liability $ 5,466 $ 12,473

Note 10 - Debt (Tables)

Note 10 - Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Senior Credit Facilities (as defined below) $ 1,541,621 $ 1,753,045 New Notes (as defined below) 650,000 - Finance lease liabilities 5,466 5,943 Total debt 2,197,087 1,758,988 Less: Unamortized debt issuance costs (21,897 ) (18,142 ) Less: Current portion of long-term debt (26,392 ) (28,909 ) Total long-term debt $ 2,148,798 $ 1,711,937
Summary of Term Loans [Table Text Block]	Instrument Draw Date Original Principal Amortization Per Annum (1) Outstanding Principal Final Maturity Date Balance Due Upon Maturity Benchmark Rate Applicable Margin (2) Interest Rate Term Loan A-2 5/8/2019 (3) 10/1/2019 (3) $ 700,000 Varies ( 4 ) $ 676,611 10/30/2025 $ 476,607 LIBOR 1.50% 1.65% Term Loan B-2 1/7/2019 250,000 1.0% 245,625 10/30/2027 228,750 LIBOR 2.00% 2.15% Term Loan B-3 6/14/2019 (5) 10/30/2020 (5) 625,000 1.0% 619,385 10/30/2027 577,472 LIBOR 2.00% 2.15% Total $ 1,575,000 $ 1,541,621 $ 1,282,829
Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Revolving Credit Facility portion : Other noncurrent assets $ 3,249 $ 2,427 Term loans and New Notes portion : Long-term debt (contra account) 21,897 18,142 Total $ 25,146 $ 20,569
Schedule of Maturities of Long-term Debt [Table Text Block]	Year Ending December 31, Amount 2021 $ 25,731 2022 29,986 2023 47,008 2024 68,285 2025 549,147 Thereafter 1,471,464 Total $ 2,191,621

Note 11 - Income Taxes (Tables)

Note 11 - Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block]	Current Deferred Total Year Ended December 31, 2020 U.S. Federal $ (14,633 ) $ 74,164 $ 59,531 State and local 3,764 13,022 16,786 Total $ (10,869 ) $ 87,186 $ 76,317 Year Ended December 31, 2019 U.S. Federal $ 1,249 $ 43,270 $ 44,519 State and local 3,678 7,036 10,714 Total $ 4,927 $ 50,306 $ 55,233 Year Ended December 31, 2018 U.S. Federal $ 10,214 $ 32,176 $ 42,390 State and local 2,284 2,550 4,834 Total $ 12,498 $ 34,726 $ 47,224
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 U.S. Federal taxes at statutory rate $ 79,660 $ 49,101 $ 44,517 State and local taxes, net of U.S. Federal tax 13,261 8,464 3,816 CARES Act benefit (as defined and described below) (13,039 ) - - Equity-based compensation (10,993 ) (5,296 ) (3,690 ) Valuation allowance 4,322 - - Section 162(m) limitation 1,564 656 113 Other items 1,542 2,308 2,468 Income tax provision $ 76,317 $ 55,233 $ 47,224
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Other benefit obligations $ 1,789 $ 1,890 Equity-based compensation 4,324 4,563 Net operating losses 2,951 25,532 Accrued bonus 3,947 2,313 Reserves 1,194 1,134 Lease liabilities 3,079 4,659 Interest rate swap 45,913 22,101 Capital losses 4,322 - Other items 3,856 2,104 Deferred tax assets, gross 71,375 64,296 Less: Valuation allowance (4,322 ) - Deferred tax assets, net 67,053 64,296 Property, plant and equipment 233,427 201,208 Goodwill and other intangible assets 160,442 159,074 Investments in subsidiaries and partnerships 29,043 - ROU assets 5,121 5,201 Prepaid expenses 3,500 2,127 Other items 2,195 - Deferred tax liabilities 433,728 367,610 Net deferred income tax liability $ 366,675 $ 303,314

Note 12 - Interest Rate Swaps (

Note 12 - Interest Rate Swaps (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Schedule of Derivative Instruments [Table Text Block]	Entry Date Effective Date Maturity Date (1) Notional Amount Settlement Type Settlement Frequency Fixed Base Rate Swap A 3/7/2019 3/11/2019 3/11/2029 $ 850,000 Receive one-month LIBOR, pay fixed Monthly 2.653 % Swap B 3/6/2019 6/15/2020 2/28/2029 350,000 Receive one-month LIBOR, pay fixed Monthly 2.739 % Total $ 1,200,000
Schedule of Cash Flow Hedging Instruments, Statements of Financial Performance and Financial Position, Location [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2020 2019 Liabilities: Current portion: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 30,646 $ 11,045 Noncurrent portion: Interest rate swap liability $ 155,357 $ 78,612 Total $ 186,003 $ 89,657 Stockholders’ Equity: Accumulated other comprehensive loss $ 140,090 $ 67,556 Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Interest expense $ 22,509 $ 3,105 Unrealized loss on cash flow hedges, gross $ 96,346 $ 89,657 Less: Tax effect (23,812 ) (22,101 ) Unrealized loss on cash flow hedges, net of tax $ 72,534 $ 67,556

Note 13 - Fair Value Measurem_2

Note 13 - Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Fair Value Measurements, Recurring and Nonrecurring [Table Text Block]	December 31, 2020 Carrying Amount Fair Value Fair Value Hierarchy Assets: Cash and cash equivalents: Money market investments $ 544,524 $ 544,524 Level 1 Liabilities: Long-term debt ( including current portion ) : Term loans $ 1,541,621 $ 1,534,113 Level 2 New Notes $ 650,000 $ 669,500 Level 2 Interest rate swap liability ( including current portion ) : Interest rate swaps $ 186,003 $ 186,003 Level 2 Other noncurrent liabilities: MBI net option $ 73,310 $ 73,310 Level 3
MBI Net Option [Member]
Notes Tables
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Table Text Block]	Cable One MBI Equity volatility 28.0 % 30.0 % EBITDA volatility 10.0 % 10.0 % EBITDA risk-adjusted discount rate 5.0 % 6.5 % Cost of debt 4.0 %

Note 15 - Equity-based Compen_2

Note 15 - Equity-based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Expensed and Capitalized, Amount [Table Text Block]	Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Restricted stock (as defined below) $ 11,476 $ 7,994 $ 6,751 SARs 3,116 4,306 3,735 Total $ 14,592 $ 12,300 $ 10,486
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit, Activity [Table Text Block]	Weighted Average Grant Date Restricted Fair Value Stock Per Share Outstanding as of December 31, 2017 51,290 $ 472.89 Granted 17,098 $ 715.74 Forfeited (2,455 ) $ 636.64 Vested and issued (25,057 ) $ 397.53 Outstanding as of December 31, 2018 40,876 $ 610.88 Granted 13,374 $ 885.66 Forfeited (4,111 ) $ 710.87 Vested and issued (11,266 ) $ 493.80 Outstanding as of December 31, 2019 38,873 $ 728.77 Granted 12,352 $ 1,573.50 Forfeited (5,491 ) $ 752.39 Vested and issued (10,790 ) $ 682.84 Outstanding as of December 31, 2020 34,944 $ 1,037.83 Vested and deferred as of December 31, 2020 6,655 $ 618.54
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Stock Appreciation Right, Activity [Table Text Block]	Stock Appreciation Rights Weighted Average Exercise Price Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands) Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years) Outstanding as of December 31, 2017 102,458 $ 477.62 $ 100.91 $ 23,173 8.1 Granted 21,000 $ 744.47 $ 181.21 $ - 8.7 Exercised (27,060 ) $ 435.11 $ 90.06 $ 9,418 - Forfeited (5,793 ) $ 502.08 $ 108.22 $ Outstanding as of December 31, 2018 90,605 $ 550.60 $ 122.29 $ 24,673 7.2 Granted 29,000 $ 900.90 $ 209.57 $ - 8.8 Exercised (26,092 ) $ 491.12 $ 105.94 20,143 - Forfeited (3,103 ) $ 659.01 $ 154.49 Outstanding as of December 31, 2019 90,410 $ 676.41 $ 153.90 $ 73,419 7.5 Granted 8,000 $ 1,701.74 $ 423.92 $ - 9.5 Exercised (33,154 ) $ 553.69 $ 120.91 $ 39,099 - Forfeited (6,891 ) $ 846.81 $ 199.27 Outstanding as of December 31, 2020 58,365 $ 866.54 $ 204.29 $ 79,446 7.3 Exercisable as of December 31, 2020 21,125 $ 618.52 $ 139.78 $ 33,994 6.1
Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Other than Options, Valuation Assumptions [Table Text Block]	2020 2019 2018 Expected volatility 26.61 % 21.69 % 22.22 % Risk-free interest rate 0.43 % 2.25 % 2.53 % Expected term (in years) 6.25 6.25 6.25 Expected dividend yield 0.56 % 0.92 % 0.97 %

Note 16 - Net Income Per Comm_2

Note 16 - Net Income Per Common Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]	Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Numerator: Net income $ 304,391 $ 178,582 $ 164,760 Denominator: Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic 5,884,780 5,678,990 5,684,375 Effect of dilutive equity-based awards (1) 52,802 58,866 41,588 Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted 5,937,582 5,737,856 5,725,963 Net I ncome per C ommon S hare: Basic $ 51.73 $ 31.45 $ 28.98 Diluted $ 51.27 $ 31.12 $ 28.77 Supplemental Net Income per Common Share Disclosure: Anti-dilutive shares from equity-based compensation awards (1) 288 409 1,811

Note 17 - Commitments and Con_2

Note 17 - Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Notes Tables
Contractual Obligation, Fiscal Year Maturity [Table Text Block]	Year E nding December 31, Programming P urchase C ommitments (1) L ease Payments (2) Debt Payments ( 3 ) Other P urchase O bligations ( 4 ) Total 2021 $ 138,582 $ 5,266 $ 25,731 $ 22,920 $ 192,499 2022 55,119 4,298 29,986 9,691 99,094 2023 35,992 3,755 47,008 4,517 91,272 2024 15,763 2,306 68,285 847 87,201 2025 3,749 1,796 549,147 503 555,195 Thereafter - 9,981 1,471,464 6,775 1,488,220 Total $ 249,205 $ 27,402 $ 2,191,621 $ 45,253 $ 2,513,481

Note 1 - Description of Busin_2

Note 1 - Description of Business (Details Textual) $ in Millions	Jul. 01, 2020USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2019USD ($)	Jan. 08, 2019USD ($)	May 01, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020
Number of States in which Entity Operates					21
Number of Customers					969,000
New Wave [Member]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross				$ 740.2
Clearwave [Member]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross			$ 358.8
Fidelity [Member]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross		$ 531.4
Valu-Net [Member]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross	$ 38.9
Data [Member]
Number of Customers					857,000
Video [Member]
Number of Customers					260,000
Voice [Member]
Number of Customers					124,000

Note 2 - Summary of Significa_3

Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details Textual) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2020USD ($)
Number of Reportable Segments	1
Advertising Expense	$ 31.6	$ 34.3	$ 28.6
Hosting Arrangement, Service Contract, Implementation Cost, Capitalized, before Accumulated Amortization	$ 3.9	$ 9.6	$ 1.8
Accounting Standards Update 2018-15 [Member]
Hosting Arrangement, Service Contract, Implementation Cost, Capitalized, before Accumulated Amortization				$ 7.9

Note 2 - Summary of Significa_4

Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Other Capitalized Property Plant and Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	10 years
Other Capitalized Property Plant and Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	25 years
Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	3 years
Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	5 years
Furniture and Fixtures [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	3 years
Furniture and Fixtures [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	10 years
Building and Building Improvements [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	10 years
Building and Building Improvements [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	20 years
Software and Software Development Costs [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	3 years
Software and Software Development Costs [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	7 years
Right-of-use Assets [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	1 year
Right-of-use Assets [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment Useful Lives (Year)	5 years

Note 3 - Acquisitions (Details

Note 3 - Acquisitions (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 01, 2020	Oct. 01, 2019	Jan. 08, 2019	May 01, 2017	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Hosting Arrangement, Service Contract, Implementation Cost, Capitalized, before Accumulated Amortization					$ 3,900	$ 9,600	$ 1,800
Goodwill, Ending Balance					430,543	$ 429,597	$ 172,129
Clearwave [Member]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross			$ 358,800
Goodwill, Ending Balance			$ 185,885
New Wave [Member]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross				$ 740,200
Goodwill, Ending Balance					$ 185,900
Fidelity [Member]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross		$ 531,400
Goodwill, Ending Balance		$ 71,583
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life (Year)					13 years 8 months 12 days
Business Acquisition, Goodwill, Expected Tax Deductible Amount					$ 71,600
Valu-Net [Member]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross	$ 38,900

Note 3 - Acquisitions - Change

Note 3 - Acquisitions - Change in Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Balance at December 31, 2018	$ 429,597	$ 172,129
Anniston Exchange (as defined in note 6) goodwill disposed	(4,333)
Balance at December 31, 2019	430,543	429,597
Clearwave [Member]
Acquisition goodwill recognized		185,885
Fidelity [Member]
Acquisition goodwill recognized		$ 71,583
Valu-Net [Member]
Acquisition goodwill recognized	$ 5,279

Note 3 - Acquisitions - Allocat

Note 3 - Acquisitions - Allocation of Purchase Price Consideration (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Oct. 01, 2019	Jan. 08, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Goodwill, Ending Balance	$ 430,543	$ 429,597			$ 172,129
Clearwave [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents				$ 1,913
Accounts receivable				1,294
Prepaid and other current assets				311
Property, plant and equipment				120,472
Intangible assets				89,700
Other noncurrent assets				3,533
Total Assets Acquired				217,223
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities				2,128
Deferred revenue, short-term portion				4,322
Deferred income taxes				32,771
Other noncurrent liabilities				5,057
Total Liabilities Assumed				44,278
Net assets acquired				172,945
Purchase price consideration				358,830
Goodwill, Ending Balance				$ 185,885
Fidelity [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents			$ 4,869
Accounts receivable			3,691
Prepaid and other current assets			1,756
Property, plant and equipment			173,904
Intangible assets			288,000
Other noncurrent assets			1,895
Total Assets Acquired			474,115
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities			8,795
Deferred revenue, short-term portion			1,796
Other noncurrent liabilities			3,715
Total Liabilities Assumed			14,306
Net assets acquired			459,809
Purchase price consideration			531,392
Goodwill, Ending Balance			$ 71,583

Note 3 - Acquisitions - Identif

Note 3 - Acquisitions - Identifiable Intangible Assets Acquired (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jul. 01, 2020	Jan. 08, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020
Fidelity [Member]
Useful Life (Year)			13 years 8 months 12 days
Fidelity [Member] | Trademarks and Trade Names [Member]
Fair Value	$ 3
Useful Life (Year)	3 years
Fidelity [Member] | Franchise Rights [Member]
Fair Value	$ 166
Valu-Net [Member] | Trademarks and Trade Names [Member]
Fair Value	0.8
Valu-Net [Member] | Franchise Rights [Member]
Fair Value	11.2
Customer Relationships [Member] | Clearwave [Member]
Fair Value		$ 83
Useful Life (Year)		17 years
Customer Relationships [Member] | Fidelity [Member]
Fair Value	$ 119
Useful Life (Year)	14 years
Customer Relationships [Member] | Valu-Net [Member]
Fair Value	$ 7.7
Useful Life (Year)	13 years 6 months
Trade Names [Member] | Clearwave [Member]
Fair Value		$ 6.7

Note 4 - Revenues 1 (Details Te

Note 4 - Revenues 1 (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Contract with Customer, Asset, after Allowance for Credit Loss, Total	$ 31,500	$ 32,300
Contract with Customer, Liability, Current	$ 21,051	$ 23,640

Note 4 - Revenues 2 (Details Te

Note 4 - Revenues 2 (Details Textual) - Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2021-01-01	Dec. 31, 2020
Minimum [Member]
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Period (Year)	1 year
Maximum [Member]
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Period (Year)	5 years

Note 4 - Revenues - Revenues by

Note 4 - Revenues - Revenues by Product Line (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Revenues	$ 1,325,229	$ 1,167,997	$ 1,072,295
Deferred commission amortization	5,478	3,992	3,605
Data [Member]
Revenues	669,545	547,240	492,816
Video [Member]
Revenues	332,857	335,190	343,384
Voice [Member]
Revenues	47,603	43,521	41,278
Business Services [Member]
Revenues	234,657	204,500	155,952
Product and Service, Other [Member]
Revenues	40,567	37,546	38,865
Fees Imposed by Various Governmental Authorities Passed Through to Customer [Member]
Revenues	$ 25,206	$ 22,702	$ 16,098

Note 5 - Operating Assets and_3

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities (Details Textual) - MBI Net Option [Member] $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Call Option [Member]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Asset, Total	$ 0.7
Put Option [Member]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Liability	$ 74

Note 5 - Operating Assets and_4

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities - Summary of Accounts Receivable (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Trade receivables	$ 32,795	$ 33,467
Other receivables	7,225	6,186
Less: Allowance for credit losses	(1,252)	(1,201)
Total accounts receivable, net	$ 38,768	$ 38,452

Note 5 - Operating Assets and_5

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities - Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Beginning balance	$ 1,201	$ 2,045	$ 1,876
Additions - charged to costs and expenses	7,527	6,500	5,101
Deductions - write-offs	(13,603)	(13,504)	(9,529)
Recoveries collected	6,127	6,160	4,597
Ending balance	$ 1,252	$ 1,201	$ 2,045

Note 5 - Operating Assets and_6

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities - Prepaid and Other Current Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Prepaid repairs and maintenance	$ 1,013	$ 551
Software implementation costs	1,035	0
Prepaid insurance	2,200	1,548
Prepaid rent	1,471	1,499
Prepaid software	4,544	4,672
Deferred commissions	4,026	3,586
All other current assets	3,602	3,763
Total prepaid and other current assets	$ 17,891	$ 15,619

Note 5 - Operating Assets and_7

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities - Other Noncurrent Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Operating lease ROU assets	$ 13,408	$ 16,924
Deferred commissions	5,798	5,042
Software implementation costs	6,879	0
Debt issuance costs	3,249	2,427
All other noncurrent assets	4,209	2,495
Total other noncurrent assets	$ 33,543	$ 26,888

Note 5 - Operating Assets and_8

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities - Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Interest payable		$ 4,128	$ 175
Amount due to Hargray(2)	[1]	6,822	0
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities		174,139	136,993
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Member]
Accounts payable		22,686	36,351
Accrued programming costs		20,279	19,620
Accrued compensation and related benefits		26,467	23,189
Accrued sales and other operating taxes		7,425	7,550
Accrued franchise fees		4,021	4,201
Deposits		6,300	6,550
Operating lease liabilities		3,772	4,601
Interest rate swap liability		30,646	11,045
Accrued insurance costs		7,292	6,174
Cash overdrafts		8,847	5,801
Equity investment payable(1)	[2]	13,387	0
All other accrued liabilities		$ 12,067	$ 11,736
[1]	Consists of amounts due to Hargray in connection with transition services provided as part of the Anniston Exchange. Refer to note 6 for details on this transaction.
[2]	Consists of the unfunded portion of the Company’s equity investment in Wisper. Refer to note 6 for details on this transaction.

Note 5 - Operating Assets and_9

Note 5 - Operating Assets and Liabilities - Other Noncurrent Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
MBI net option (as defined in note 6)(1)		$ 155,357	$ 78,612
Total other noncurrent liabilities		100,627	26,857
Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Member]
Operating lease liabilities		8,701	11,146
Accrued compensation and related benefits		10,086	7,154
Deferred revenue		4,981	5,514
MBI net option (as defined in note 6)(1)	[1]	73,310	0
All other noncurrent liabilities		$ 3,549	$ 3,043
[1]	Consists of the net value of the Company’s call and put options associated with the remaining equity interests in MBI, valued at $0.7 million and $74.0 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. Refer to note 6 for details on this transaction.

Note 6 - Equity Investments (De

Note 6 - Equity Investments (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Nov. 12, 2020	Jul. 10, 2020	May 04, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020		Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Jun. 10, 2020
Payments to Acquire Investments, Total					$ 612,124		$ 0	$ 0
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business					82,574		0	0
Equity Method Investments					657,305		0
Derivative Liability, Noncurrent					155,357		78,612
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments, Total					1,376		0	$ 0
Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Member]
Derivative Liability, Noncurrent	[1]				73,310		0
MBI Net Option [Member]
Derivative, Loss on Derivative					17,500
MBI Net Option [Member] | Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Member]
Derivative Liability, Noncurrent					$ 73,300
Hargray [Member]
Ownership Percentage					15.00%
MBI [Member]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	[2]				45.00%
Equity Method Investments	[2]				$ 630,679		0
Equity Method Investment, Difference Between Carrying Amount and Underlying Equity, Total					529,700
MBI [Member] | Call Option [Member]
Derivative Assets, Noncurrent, Total					19,700
MBI [Member] | Put Option [Member]
Derivative Liability, Noncurrent					$ 75,500
Wisper [Member]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage					40.40%
Equity Method Investments					$ 26,626		$ 0
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments, Total					1,400
Disposition of the Anniston Exchange [Member]
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business			$ 82,600
Wisper ISP, LLC [Member]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage			40.40%
Equity Method Investment, Aggregate Cost			$ 25,300
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments					$ 11,900
Mega Broadband Investments Holdings [Member]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage		45.00%
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments		$ 574,900
AMG Technology [Member]
Payments to Acquire Investments, Total				$ 27,200
AMG Technology [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Ownership Percentage				10.00%
Hargray [Member]
Ownership Percentage					15.00%	[3]			15.00%
[1]	Consists of the net value of the Company’s call and put options associated with the remaining equity interests in MBI, valued at $0.7 million and $74.0 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. Refer to note 6 for details on this transaction.
[2]	The Company holds a call option to purchase all but not less than all of the remaining equity interests in MBI that the Company does not already own between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. If the call option is not exercised, certain investors in MBI hold a put option to sell (and to cause all members of MBI other than the Company to sell) to the Company all but not less than all of the remaining equity interests in MBI that the Company does not already own between July 1, 2025 and September 30, 2025. The call and put options (collectively referred to as the "net option") are measured at fair value using Monte Carlo simulations that rely on assumptions around MBI’s equity value, MBI’s and the Company’s equity volatility, MBI's and the Company's EBITDA volatility, risk adjusted discount rates and the Company’s cost of debt, among others. The final MBI purchase price allocation resulted in $630.7 million being allocated to the MBI equity investment and $19.7 million and $75.5 million being allocated to the call and put options, respectively. The net option is remeasured at fair value on a quarterly basis resulting in a $17.5 million change in fair value of the net option during the period ended December 31, 2020 which is reported within other income (expense), net, in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income. The $73.3 million carrying value of the net option liability is included within other noncurrent liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020.
[3]	The Company calculated the fair value of Hargray's total enterprise value using a hybrid of both the discounted cash flow method of the income approach and the guideline public company method of the market approach. Significant assumptions used in the valuation include projected revenue growth rates, future EBITDA margins, future capital expenditures and an appropriate discount rate. The enterprise value less Hargray's debt and unamortized debt issuance costs was multiplied by Cable One's minority equity interest percentage to determine the Hargray investment's carrying value. The resulting non-cash gain was calculated as the difference between this carrying value and the book value of the Anniston System's net assets, including its proportionate share of the Company’s franchise agreement and goodwill assets. The approximately 15% equity interest in Hargray is on a fully diluted basis.

Note 6 - Equity Investments - C

Note 6 - Equity Investments - Carrying Value of Equity Method Investments Without Determinable Fair Values (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2020		Jun. 10, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Cost Method Investment		$ 150,476			$ 206
Total equity method investments		657,305			0
Equity investments		$ 807,781			206
MBI [Member]
Equity method investments, ownership	[1]	45.00%
Total equity method investments	[1]	$ 630,679			0
Wisper [Member]
Equity method investments, ownership		40.40%
Total equity method investments		$ 26,626			0
Hargray [Member]
Cost method investments, ownership		15.00%	[2]	15.00%
Cost Method Investment	[2]	$ 113,165			0
Nextlink [Member]
Cost Method Investment		$ 27,245			0
Nextlink [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Cost method investments, ownership		10.00%
Other Cost Method Investment [Member]
Cost Method Investment		$ 10,066			$ 206
Other Cost Method Investment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Cost method investments, ownership		10.00%
[1]	The Company holds a call option to purchase all but not less than all of the remaining equity interests in MBI that the Company does not already own between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. If the call option is not exercised, certain investors in MBI hold a put option to sell (and to cause all members of MBI other than the Company to sell) to the Company all but not less than all of the remaining equity interests in MBI that the Company does not already own between July 1, 2025 and September 30, 2025. The call and put options (collectively referred to as the "net option") are measured at fair value using Monte Carlo simulations that rely on assumptions around MBI’s equity value, MBI’s and the Company’s equity volatility, MBI's and the Company's EBITDA volatility, risk adjusted discount rates and the Company’s cost of debt, among others. The final MBI purchase price allocation resulted in $630.7 million being allocated to the MBI equity investment and $19.7 million and $75.5 million being allocated to the call and put options, respectively. The net option is remeasured at fair value on a quarterly basis resulting in a $17.5 million change in fair value of the net option during the period ended December 31, 2020 which is reported within other income (expense), net, in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income. The $73.3 million carrying value of the net option liability is included within other noncurrent liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020.
[2]	The Company calculated the fair value of Hargray's total enterprise value using a hybrid of both the discounted cash flow method of the income approach and the guideline public company method of the market approach. Significant assumptions used in the valuation include projected revenue growth rates, future EBITDA margins, future capital expenditures and an appropriate discount rate. The enterprise value less Hargray's debt and unamortized debt issuance costs was multiplied by Cable One's minority equity interest percentage to determine the Hargray investment's carrying value. The resulting non-cash gain was calculated as the difference between this carrying value and the book value of the Anniston System's net assets, including its proportionate share of the Company’s franchise agreement and goodwill assets. The approximately 15% equity interest in Hargray is on a fully diluted basis.

Note 7 - Property, Plant and _3

Note 7 - Property, Plant and Equipment (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, Ending Balance	$ 1,265,460	$ 1,201,271
Depreciation, Total	220,200	197,500	$ 186,000
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business	82,574	0	0
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Property Plant Equipment, Total	1,072	(7,187)	$ (14,167)
Headquarters Building and Adjoining Property [Member]
Proceeds from Sale of Property Held-for-sale		6,300
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Property Plant Equipment, Total		$ 1,600
Anniston [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, Ending Balance	16,400
Valu-Net [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, Ending Balance	$ 13,900

Note 7 - Property, Plant and _4

Note 7 - Property, Plant and Equipment - Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 3,000,917	$ 2,821,172
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,735,457)	(1,619,901)
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,265,460	1,201,271
Other Capitalized Property Plant and Equipment [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	1,916,048	1,779,964
Equipment [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	283,831	266,190
Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	463,469	444,799
Building and Leasehold Improvements[Member]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	117,367	113,331
Software and Software Development Costs [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	107,107	99,988
Construction in Progress [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	89,488	93,352
Land [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	13,293	13,361
Right-of-use Assets [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 10,314	$ 10,187

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangi_3

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Oct. 01, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Goodwill, Ending Balance		$ 430,543	$ 429,597	$ 172,129
Goodwill, Written off Related to Sale of Business Unit		4,333
Goodwill, Impairment Loss		0
Amortization of Intangible Assets, Total		45,500	$ 19,200	$ 11,700
Disposition of the Anniston Exchange [Member]
Goodwill, Written off Related to Sale of Business Unit	$ 4,300	9,900
Valu-Net [Member]
Goodwill, Acquired During Period		$ 5,279

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangi_4

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	$ 378,345,000	$ 369,227,000
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	87,359,000	41,917,000
Net carrying amount	290,986,000	327,310,000
Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	987,212,000	985,071,000
Intangible assets, net	1,278,198,000	1,312,381,000
Franchise Rights [Member]
Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	979,712,000	978,371,000
Trade Names [Member]
Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	7,500	6,700
Use Rights [Member]
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	2,927,000	2,927,000
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	2,927,000	2,895,000
Net carrying amount	$ 0	32,000
Use Rights [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Useful life (Year)	1 year
Use Rights [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Useful life (Year)	25 years
Customer Relationships [Member]
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	$ 369,700,000	362,000,000
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	81,865,000	37,470,000
Net carrying amount	$ 287,835,000	324,530,000
Customer Relationships [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Useful life (Year)	13 years 6 months
Customer Relationships [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Useful life (Year)	17 years
Trademarks and Trade Names [Member]
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	$ 4,300,000	4,300,000
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	2,552,000	1,552,000
Net carrying amount	$ 1,748,000	2,748,000
Trademarks and Trade Names [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Useful life (Year)	2 years 8 months 12 days
Trademarks and Trade Names [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Useful life (Year)	3 years
Wireless Spectrum Licenses [Member]
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	$ 1,418,000	0
Gross carrying amount, amortized intangible assets	15,000	0
Net carrying amount	$ 1,403,000	$ 0
Wireless Spectrum Licenses [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Useful life (Year)	10 years
Wireless Spectrum Licenses [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Useful life (Year)	15 years

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangi_5

Note 8 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Amortization of Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
2021	$ 40,495
2022	35,528
2023	28,816
2024	23,886
2025	21,962
Thereafter	140,299
Total	$ 290,986	$ 327,310

Note 9 - Leases (Details Textua

Note 9 - Leases (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Operating Lease, Right-of-Use Asset	$ 13,408	$ 16,924
Fidelity [Member]
Finance Lease, Right-of-Use Asset		3,900
Operating Lease, Right-of-Use Asset		1,400
Clearwave [Member]
Operating Lease, Right-of-Use Asset		$ 3,300
Minimum [Member]
Lessee, Operating and Finance Lease, Remaining Term of Contract (Year)	1 year
Lessor, Operating and Finance Lease, Remaining Term of Contract (Year)	1 year
Lessor, Operating and Finance Lease, Period of Option to Terminate (Year)	1 year
Maximum [Member]
Lessee, Operating and Finance Lease, Remaining Term of Contract (Year)	23 years
Lessee, Operating and Finance Lease, Renewal Term (Year)	15 years
Lessor, Operating and Finance Lease, Remaining Term of Contract (Year)	14 years
Lessor, Operating and Finance Lease, Renewal Term (Year)	5 years

Note 9 - Leases - ROU Assets an

Note 9 - Leases - ROU Assets and Lease Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Operating lease ROU assets	$ 13,408	$ 16,924
Finance Leases, Lease liability	5,466	5,943
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Member]
Finance leases, property, plant and equipment, net	8,979	9,665
Other Noncurrent Assets [Member]
Operating lease ROU assets	13,408	16,924
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Member]
Operating leases, accounts payable and accrued liabilities	3,772	4,601
Long-term Debt, Current [Member]
Finance leases, current portion of long-term debt	661	589
Long-term Debt [Member]
Finance leases, long-term debt	4,805	5,354
Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Member]
Operating leases, noncurrent liabilities	8,701	11,146
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities and Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Member]
Operating leases, total	$ 12,473	$ 15,747

Note 9 - Leases - Components of

Note 9 - Leases - Components of Lease Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Amortization of ROU assets	$ 812	$ 537
Interest on lease liabilities	382	302
Operating lease expense	5,480	5,260
Short-term lease expense	113	940
Variable lease expense	23	168
Total lease expense	$ 6,810	$ 7,207

Note 9 - Leases - Supplemental

Note 9 - Leases - Supplemental Lessee Financial Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finance leases - financing cash flows		$ 604	$ 925
Finance leases - operating cash flows		382	302
Operating leases - operating cash flows		5,370	5,293
Finance leases, ROU assets obtained in exchange for new lease liabilities	[1]	127	5,408
Operating leases, ROU assets obtained in exchange for new lease liabilities	[2]	$ 1,131	$ 9,767
Finance leases (in years) (Year)		12 years 9 months 18 days	14 years 1 month 6 days
Operating leases (in years) (Year)		4 years 4 months 24 days	4 years 8 months 12 days
Finance leases		6.22%	6.26%
Operating leases		4.72%	4.94%
[1]	The amount for 2019 includes $3.9 million of ROU assets acquired in the Fidelity transaction.
[2]	The amount for 2019 includes $3.3 million and $1.4 million of ROU assets acquired in the Clearwave and Fidelity transactions, respectively.

Note 9 - Leases - Future Maturi

Note 9 - Leases - Future Maturities of Lease Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
2021, Finance Leases	$ 1,008
2021, Operating Leases	4,258
2022, Finance Leases	1,019
2022, Operating Leases	3,279
2023, Finance Leases	1,026
2023, Operating Leases	2,729
2024, Finance Leases	1,008
2024, Operating Leases	1,298
2025, Finance Leases	985
2025, Operating Leases	811
Finance Leases, Thereafter	8,498
Operating Leases, Thereafter	1,483
Finance Leases, Total	13,544
Operating Leases, Total	13,858
Finance Leases, Less present value discount	(8,078)
Operating Leases, Less present value discount	(1,385)
Finance Leases, Lease liability	5,466	$ 5,943
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities and Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Member]
Operating Leases, Lease liability	$ 12,473	$ 15,747

Note 10 - Debt (Details Textual

Note 10 - Debt (Details Textual) $ in Thousands		Nov. 09, 2020USD ($)	Oct. 30, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 15, 2019USD ($)	May 08, 2019USD ($)	Apr. 12, 2019USD ($)	Jan. 07, 2019USD ($)	May 01, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015USD ($)	Oct. 30, 2020USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)		Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Apr. 22, 2018	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Nov. 30, 2020USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 17, 2015USD ($)
Repayments of Long-term Debt, Total															$ 612,028		$ 702,880	$ 14,391
Write off of Deferred Debt Issuance Cost															6,181		4,210	110
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt, Total															1,050,000		1,275,000	0
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs															15,064		11,844	2,131
Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs															4,305		4,646	$ 4,163
Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount																						$ 22,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity			$ 500,000									$ 500,000
Proceeds from Lines of Credit, Total													$ 100,000
Line Of Credit Facility Increase Decrease In Maximum Borrowing Capacity			$ 150,000
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity															470,400					$ 470,400
Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount										$ 750,000					1,575,000					1,575,000
Optional Additional Available Credit Facilities																					$ 700,000
Debt Instrument, Covenant, Maximum First Lien Net Leverage Ratio																					3
Long-term Debt, Gross															1,541,621					$ 1,541,621
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs															15,100		11,800
Secured Debt [Member] | Incremental Term Loan A [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount										$ 250,000
Debt Instrument, Term (Year)										5 years
Secured Debt [Member] | Incremental Term Loan B [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount										$ 500,000
Debt Instrument, Term (Year)										7 years
Secured Debt [Member] | Incremental Term Loan B [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate																			2.25%	1.75%
Secured Debt [Member] | Incremental Term Loan B [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate																			1.25%	0.75%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-2 Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount															250,000					$ 250,000
Long-term Debt, Gross															$ 245,625					245,625
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-2 Loan [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	[1]														2.00%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-3 Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount															$ 625,000					625,000
Long-term Debt, Gross															$ 619,385					619,385
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt, Total												$ 300,000		$ 325,000
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-3 Loan [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate								2.00%							2.00%	[1]
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-3 Loan [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate								1.00%
Secured Debt [Member] | New Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Minimum [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate							1.25%
Secured Debt [Member] | New Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate							0.25%
Secured Debt [Member] | New Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate							1.75%
Secured Debt [Member] | New Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate							0.75%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term Loan A-2 [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount															$ 700,000					$ 700,000
Long Term Debt, Amortization Rate, Year Two			2.50%									2.50%			2.50%					2.50%
Long Term Debt, Amortization Rate, Year Three			5.00%									5.00%			5.00%					5.00%
Long Term Debt, Amortization Rate, Year Four			7.50%									7.50%			7.50%					7.50%
Long Term Debt, Amortization Rate, Year Five			12.50%									12.50%			12.50%					12.50%
Long-term Debt, Gross															$ 676,611					$ 676,611
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt, Total					$ 450,000		$ 250,000
Long Term Debt, Amortization Rate, First Twelve Months															2.50%					2.50%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term Loan A-2 [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	[1]														1.50%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term Loan A-2 [Member] | Minimum [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate															1.25%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term Loan A-2 [Member] | Maximum [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate															1.75%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term Loan Borrowings [Member]
Long-term Debt, Gross															$ 1,500					$ 1,500
Secured Debt [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member] | New Term Loan A [ Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							250,000
Secured Debt [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member] | Delayed Draw Term Loan A [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							450,000
Secured Debt [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member] | New Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity							$ 350,000
Secured Debt [Member] | CoBank, ACB [Member] | Term B-2 Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount									$ 250,000
Debt Instrument, Term (Year)									7 years
Secured Debt [Member] | CoBank, ACB [Member] | Term B-3 Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			$ 300,000					$ 325,000				$ 300,000
Secured Debt [Member] | CoBank, ACB [Member] | Term B-1 Loan [Member]
Repayments of Long-term Debt, Total			$ 483,800
Letter of Credit [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member]
Long-term Line of Credit, Total															$ 29,600					$ 29,600
Line of Credit Facility, Interest Rate at Period End															1.63%					1.63%
Letter of Credit [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Line of Credit Facility, Commitment Fee Percentage				0.20%
Letter of Credit [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Line of Credit Facility, Commitment Fee Percentage				0.30%
Senior Unsecured Notes Due 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																							$ 450,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage																							5.75%
Repayments of Long-term Debt, Total						$ 450,000
Debt Instrument, Prepayment Penalty						6,500
Write off of Deferred Debt Issuance Cost						$ 3,800
Senior Credit Facilities Due 2020 [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member]
Debt Instrument, Term (Year)											5 years
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity											$ 200,000
Senior Credit Facilities Due 2020 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member]
Debt Instrument, Term (Year)											5 years
Letter of Credit Issued to Third Party for FCC Performance Obligations with Offseting Collateral [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount															$ 0					$ 0
Senior Unsecured Notes Due 2030 [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 650,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		4.00%
Long-term Debt, Gross				$ 0											$ 650,000		$ 0			$ 650,000
Debt Instrument, Redemption Price, Percentage of Principal Amount Redeemed		100.00%
Debt Instrument, Redemption Price, Percentage of Principal Amount Redeemed not Exceeding the Net Cash Proceeds from One or More Equity Offerings at a Redemption Price Equal to 104% of the Principal Amount		40.00%
Debt Instrument, Covenant Repurchase, Percentage of Principle		101.00%
[1]	The Term Loan A-2 interest rate spread can vary between 1.25% and 1.75%, determined on a quarterly basis by reference to a pricing grid based on the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio. All other applicable margins are fixed.

Note 10 - Debt - Schedule of Lo

Note 10 - Debt - Schedule of Long-term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finance lease liabilities	$ 5,466	$ 5,943
Total debt	2,197,087	1,758,988
Less: Unamortized debt issuance costs	(25,146)	(20,569)
Less: Current portion of long-term debt	(26,392)	(28,909)
Total long-term debt	2,148,798	1,711,937
Senior Credit Facilities Due 2020 [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Outstanding Principal	1,541,621	1,753,045
Senior Unsecured Notes Due 2030 [Member]
Outstanding Principal	650,000	0
Term Loan [Member]
Less: Unamortized debt issuance costs	$ (21,897)	$ (18,142)

Note 10 - Debt - Summary of Ter

Note 10 - Debt - Summary of Term Loans (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Apr. 12, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020		May 01, 2017
Balance Due Upon Maturity	[1]		$ 2,191,621
Secured Debt [Member]
Original Principal			1,575,000		$ 750,000
Outstanding Principal			1,541,621
Balance Due Upon Maturity			1,282,829
Secured Debt [Member] | Term Loan A-2 [Member]
Original Principal			700,000
Outstanding Principal			676,611
Balance Due Upon Maturity			$ 476,607
Interest Rate			1.65%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term Loan A-2 [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Applicable Margin	[2]		1.50%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-2 Loan [Member]
Original Principal			$ 250,000
Outstanding Principal			245,625
Balance Due Upon Maturity			$ 228,750
Interest Rate			2.15%
Amortization Per Annum	[3]		1.00%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-2 Loan [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Applicable Margin	[2]		2.00%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-3 Loan [Member]
Original Principal			$ 625,000
Outstanding Principal			619,385
Balance Due Upon Maturity			$ 577,472
Interest Rate			2.15%
Amortization Per Annum	[3]		1.00%
Secured Debt [Member] | Term B-3 Loan [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Applicable Margin		2.00%	2.00%	[2]
[1]	Debt payments include principal repayment obligations for the Company’s outstanding debt instruments as of December 31, 2020.
[2]	The Term Loan A-2 interest rate spread can vary between 1.25% and 1.75%, determined on a quarterly basis by reference to a pricing grid based on the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio. All other applicable margins are fixed.
[3]	Payable in equal quarterly installments (expressed as a percentage of the original principal amount and subject to customary adjustments in the event of any prepayment). All loans may be prepaid at any time without penalty or premium (subject to customary LIBOR breakage provisions).

Note 10 - Debt - Unamortized De

Note 10 - Debt - Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Debt issuance costs	$ 25,146	$ 20,569
Term Loan [Member]
Debt issuance costs	21,897	18,142
Other Noncurrent Assets [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt issuance costs	3,249	2,427
Long-term Debt [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Debt issuance costs	$ 21,897	$ 18,142

Note 10 - Debt - Future Maturit

Note 10 - Debt - Future Maturities (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
2021	$ 25,731	[1]
2022	29,986	[1]
2023	47,008	[1]
2024	68,285	[1]
2025	549,147
Thereafter	1,471,464
Total	$ 2,191,621	[1]
[1]	Debt payments include principal repayment obligations for the Company’s outstanding debt instruments as of December 31, 2020.

Note 11 - Income Taxes (Details

Note 11 - Income Taxes (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent, Total	21.00%
Income Tax Benefit Cares Act	$ 13,039	$ 0	$ 0
Domestic Tax Authority [Member]
Income Tax Benefit Cares Act	13,000
Operating Loss Carryforwards, After Tax Effects	500
State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards, After Tax Effects	$ 2,400

Note 11 - Income Taxes - Provis

Note 11 - Income Taxes - Provision for Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current U.S. Federal	$ (14,633)	$ 1,249	$ 10,214
Deferred U.S. Federal	74,164	43,270	32,176
U.S. Federal	59,531	44,519	42,390
Current State and Local	3,764	3,678	2,284
Deferred State and Local	13,022	7,036	2,550
State and local	16,786	10,714	4,834
Total, current	(10,869)	4,927	12,498
Total, Deferred	87,186	50,306	34,726
Total	$ 76,317	$ 55,233	$ 47,224

Note 11 - Income Taxes - Income

Note 11 - Income Taxes - Income Tax Rate Reconciliation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
U.S. Federal taxes at statutory rate	$ 79,660	$ 49,101	$ 44,517
State and local taxes, net of U.S. Federal tax	13,261	8,464	3,816
CARES Act benefit (as defined and described below)	(13,039)	0	0
Equity-based compensation	(10,993)	(5,296)	(3,690)
Valuation allowance	4,322	0	0
Section 162(m) limitation	1,564	656	113
Other items	1,542	2,308	2,468
Total	$ 76,317	$ 55,233	$ 47,224

Note 11 - Income Taxes - Deferr

Note 11 - Income Taxes - Deferred Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Other benefit obligations	$ 1,789	$ 1,890
Deferred Tax Assets, Tax Deferred Expense, Compensation and Benefits, Share-based Compensation Cost	4,324	4,563
Net operating losses	2,951	25,532
Accrued bonus	3,947	2,313
Reserves	1,194	1,134
Lease liabilities	3,079	4,659
Interest rate swap	45,913	22,101
Capital losses	4,322	0
Other items	3,856	2,104
Deferred tax assets, gross	71,375	64,296
Less: Valuation allowance	(4,322)	0
Deferred tax assets, net	67,053	64,296
Property, plant and equipment	233,427	201,208
Goodwill and other intangible assets	160,442	159,074
Investments in subsidiaries and partnerships	29,043	0
ROU assets	5,121	5,201
Prepaid expenses	3,500	2,127
Other items	2,195	0
Deferred tax liabilities	433,728	367,610
Net deferred income tax liability	$ 366,675	$ 303,314

Note 12 - Interest Rate Swaps -

Note 12 - Interest Rate Swaps - Interest Rate Swap Agreements (Details) - Cash Flow Hedging [Member] $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
First Interest Rate Swap Agreement [Member]
Derivative, Notional Amount	$ 850
Derivative, Fixed Interest Rate	2.653%
Second Interest Rate Swap Agreement [Member]
Derivative, Notional Amount	$ 350
Derivative, Fixed Interest Rate	2.739%
Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivative, Notional Amount	$ 1,200

Note 12 - Interest Rate Swaps_2

Note 12 - Interest Rate Swaps - Interest Rate Swaps on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Interest rate swap liability	$ 155,357	$ 78,612
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	140,683	68,158
Accumulated Gain (Loss), Net, Cash Flow Hedge, Parent [Member]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	140,090	67,556
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Member]
Derivative liability	30,646	11,045
Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Unrealized loss on cash flow hedges, gross	96,346	89,657
Less: Tax effect	(23,812)	(22,101)
Unrealized loss on cash flow hedges, net of tax	72,534	67,556
Interest Rate Swap [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Interest rate swap liability	155,357	78,612
Total	186,003	89,657
Interest Rate Swap [Member] | Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative liability	30,646	11,045
Interest Expense [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Interest expense	$ 22,509	$ 3,105

Note 13 - Fair Value Measurem_3

Note 13 - Fair Value Measurements - Carrying Amounts and Fair Values (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Reported Value Measurement [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivative liabilities	$ 186,003
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Reported Value Measurement [Member] | Senior Credit Facilities [Member]
Long-term debt (including current portion)	1,541,621
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Reported Value Measurement [Member] | New Notes [Member]
Long-term debt (including current portion)	650,000
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivative liabilities	186,003
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Senior Credit Facilities [Member]
Long-term debt (including current portion)	1,534,113
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | New Notes [Member]
Long-term debt (including current portion)	669,500
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Reported Value Measurement [Member] | MBI Net Option [Member]
Derivative liabilities	73,310
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | MBI Net Option [Member]
Derivative liabilities	73,310
Money Market Funds [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Reported Value Measurement [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents	544,524
Money Market Funds [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 544,524

Note 13 - Fair Value Measurem_4

Note 13 - Fair Value Measurements - Assumptions Used to Determine the Fair Value of the Net Options (Details)	Dec. 31, 2020
Measurement Input, Option Volatility [Member] | Cable One Option [Member]
Derivative liability, measurement input	0.280
Measurement Input, Option Volatility [Member] | MBI Net Option [Member]
Derivative liability, measurement input	0.300
Measurement Input, EBITDA Multiple [Member] | Cable One Option [Member]
Derivative liability, measurement input	0.100
Measurement Input, EBITDA Multiple [Member] | MBI Net Option [Member]
Derivative liability, measurement input	0.100
Measurement Input, Risk Free Interest Rate [Member] | Cable One Option [Member]
Derivative liability, measurement input	0.050
Measurement Input, Risk Free Interest Rate [Member] | MBI Net Option [Member]
Derivative liability, measurement input	0.065
Measurement Input, Cost of Debt [Member] | Cable One Option [Member]
Derivative liability, measurement input	0.040
Measurement Input, Cost of Debt [Member] | MBI Net Option [Member]
Derivative liability, measurement input

Note 14 - Stockholders' Equity

Note 14 - Stockholders' Equity (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			66 Months Ended
	May 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2020	Jul. 01, 2015
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, New Issues (in shares)	287,500
Proceeds from Issuance of Common Stock, Net	$ 469,800
Treasury Stock, Shares, Ending Balance (in shares)		147,695	172,522		147,695
Stock Repurchase Program, Authorized Amount						$ 250,000
Stock Repurchase Program, Number of Shares Authorized to be Repurchased (in shares)						600,000
Treasury Stock, Shares, Acquired (in shares)		0			210,631
Treasury Stock, Value, Acquired, Cost Method			$ 5,073	$ 26,582	$ 104,900
Payment, Tax Withholding, Share-based Payment Arrangement		$ 5,953	$ 3,017	$ 7,155
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Shares Withheld for Tax Withholding Obligation (in shares)		3,861	3,521	10,026
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Repayments of Debt	$ 100,000

Note 15 - Equity-based Compen_3

Note 15 - Equity-based Compensation (Details Textual)	12 Months Ended			24 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)shares	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)shares	Jun. 05, 2015shares
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Expense, Tax Benefit	$ 11,100,000	$ 5,300,000	$ 3,700,000
Deferred Tax Assets, Tax Deferred Expense, Compensation and Benefits, Share-based Compensation Cost	$ 4,324,000	$ 4,563,000		$ 4,324,000
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period (Year)	3 years
Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Vesting Period, Number of Installments	4
Annual Retainer	$ 75,000			75,000
Additional Annual Retainer	$ 125,000			125,000
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Non-employee Directors [Member
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period (Year)	1 year
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Nonvested Award, Excluding Option, Cost Not yet Recognized, Amount	$ 17,400,000			$ 17,400,000
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Nonvested Award, Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition (Year)	1 year 1 month 6 days
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Vesting Period, Number of Installments				4
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Nonvested Award, Excluding Option, Cost Not yet Recognized, Amount	$ 6,500,000			$ 6,500,000
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Nonvested Award, Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition (Year)	1 year 1 month 6 days
The 2015 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized (in shares) | shares					334,870
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Maximum Number of Shares Authorized for Incentive Stock Options (in shares) | shares					329,962
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant (in shares) | shares	119,595			119,595

Note 15 - Equity-based Compen_4

Note 15 - Equity-based Compensation - Compensation Expense (Details) - Selling, General and Administrative Expenses [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Share-based compensation expense	$ 14,592	$ 12,300	$ 10,486
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based compensation expense	11,476	7,994	6,751
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 3,116	$ 4,306	$ 3,735

Note 15 - Equity-based Compen_5

Note 15 - Equity-based Compensation - Restricted Stock (Details) - Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units [Member] - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Unvested, restricted stock (in shares)	38,873	40,876	51,290
Unvested, restricted stock, weighted avergae grant date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 1,037.83	$ 728.77	$ 610.88	$ 472.89
Granted, restricted stock (in shares)	12,352	13,374	17,098
Granted, restricted stock, weighted avergae grant date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 1,573.50	$ 885.66	$ 715.74
Forfeited, restricted stock (in shares)	(5,491)	(4,111)	(2,455)
Forfeited, restricted stock, weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 752.39	$ 710.87	$ 636.64
Vested and issued, restricted stock (in shares)	(10,790)	(11,266)	(25,057)
Vested and issued, restricted stock, weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 682.84	$ 493.80	$ 397.53
Unvested, restricted stock (in shares)	34,944	38,873	40,876
Vested and unissued, restricted stock (in shares)	6,655
Vested and unissued, restricted stock, weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 618.54

Note 15 - Equity-based Compen_6

Note 15 - Equity-based Compensation - Stock Appreciation Rights (Details) - Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member] - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Outstanding, stock appreciation rights (in shares)	90,410	90,605	102,458
Outstanding, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 676.41	$ 550.60	$ 477.62
Outstanding, beginning balance, weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 204.29	$ 153.90	$ 122.29	$ 100.91
Outstanding, aggregate intrinsic value	$ 79,446	$ 73,419	$ 24,673	$ 23,173
Weighted average remaining contractual term, outstanding (Year)	7 years 3 months 18 days	7 years 6 months	7 years 2 months 12 days	8 years 1 month 6 days
Granted, stock appreciation rights (in shares)	8,000	29,000	21,000
Granted, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 1,701.74	$ 900.90	$ 744.47
Granted, weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 423.92	$ 209.57	$ 181.21
Weighted average remaining contractual term, granted (Year)	9 years 6 months	8 years 9 months 18 days	8 years 8 months 12 days
Exercised, stock appreciation rights (in shares)	(33,154)	(26,092)	(27,060)
Exercised, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 553.69	$ 491.12	$ 435.11
Exercised, weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 120.91	$ 105.94	$ 90.06
Exercised, aggregate intrinsic value	$ 39,099	$ 20,143	$ 9,418
Forfeited, stock appreciation rights (in shares)	(6,891)	(3,103)	(5,793)
Forfeited, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 846.81	$ 659.01	$ 502.08
Forfeited, weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 199.27	$ 154.49	$ 108.22
Outstanding, stock appreciation rights (in shares)	58,365	90,410	90,605	102,458
Outstanding, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 866.54	$ 676.41	$ 550.60	$ 477.62
Vested and exercisable, stock appreciation rights (in shares)	21,125
Vested and exercisable, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 618.52
Vested and exercisable, weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 139.78
Vested and exercisable, aggregate intrinsic value	$ 33,994
Weighted average remaining contractual term, vested and exercisable (Year)	6 years 1 month 6 days

Note 15 - Equity-based Compen_7

Note 15 - Equity-based Compensation - Stock Appreciation Rights, Fair Value Assumptions (Details) - Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Expected volatility	26.61%	21.69%	22.22%
Risk-free interest rate	0.43%	2.25%	2.53%
Expected term (Year)	6 years 3 months	6 years 3 months	6 years 3 months
Expected dividend yield	0.56%	0.92%	0.97%

Note 16 - Net Income Per Comm_3

Note 16 - Net Income Per Common Share - Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Net income		$ 304,391	$ 178,582	$ 164,760
Basic (in shares)		5,884,780	5,678,990	5,684,375
Effect of dilutive equity-based compensation awards (in shares)	[1]	52,802	58,866	41,588
Diluted (in shares)		5,937,582	5,737,856	5,725,963
Basic (in dollars per share)		$ 51.73	$ 31.45	$ 28.98
Diluted (in dollars per share)		$ 51.27	$ 31.12	$ 28.77
Anti-dilutive shares from equity-based compensation awards (in shares)	[1]	288	409	1,811
[1]	Equity-based awards whose impact is considered to be anti-dilutive under the treasury stock method were excluded from the diluted net income per common share calculation.

Note 17 - Commitments and Con_3

Note 17 - Commitments and Contingencies (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 31, 2020
Contractual Obligation, Franchise Agreements, Nonperformance	$ 31.6	$ 18.3
Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount				$ 22
Franchise [Member]
Cost of Goods and Services Sold, Total	25.2	22.7	$ 16.1
Utility Pole [Member]
Operating Lease, Expense	$ 10.5	$ 9.5	$ 8.9

Note 17 - Commitments and Con_4

Note 17 - Commitments and Contingencies - Contractual Obligation Maturity (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Programming purchase commitments, 2021	$ 138,582	[1]
2021, lease payments	5,266	[2]
2021, including capital leases	25,731	[3]
Other purchase obligations, 2021	22,920	[4]
2021	192,499
Programming purchase commitments,2022	55,119	[1]
2022, lease payment	4,298	[2]
2022, including capital leases	29,986	[3]
Other purchase obligations, 2022	9,691	[4]
2022	99,094
Programming purchase commitments,2023	35,992	[1]
2023, lease payment	3,755	[2]
2023, including capital leases	47,008	[3]
Other purchase obligations, 2023	4,517	[4]
2023	91,272
Programming purchase commitments,2024	15,763	[1]
2024, lease payment	2,306	[2]
2024, including capital leases	68,285	[3]
Other purchase obligations, 2024	847	[4]
2024	87,201
Programming purchase commitments,2025	3,749
2025, lease payment	1,796
2025, including capital leases	549,147
Other purchase obligations, 2025	503
2025	555,195
Programming purchase commitments, Thereafter	0	[1]
Thereafter, lease payment	9,981	[2]
Total debt, including capital leases, Thereafter	1,471,464	[3]
Other purchase obligations, Thereafter	6,775	[4]
Thereafter	1,488,220
Programming purchase commitments, Total	249,205	[1]
Total, lease payment	27,402	[2]
Total	2,191,621	[3]
Other purchase obligations, Total	45,253	[4]
Total	$ 2,513,481
[1]	Programming purchase commitments represent contracts that the Company has with cable television networks and broadcast stations to provide programming services to subscribers. The amounts reported represent estimates of the future programming costs for these purchase commitments based on estimated subscriber numbers, tier placements as of December 31, 2020 and the per-subscriber rates contained in the contracts. Actual amounts due under such contracts may differ from the amounts above based on the actual subscriber numbers and tier placements at the time. Programming purchases pursuant to non-binding commitments are not reflected in the amounts shown.
[2]	Lease payments include payment obligations related to the Company’s outstanding finance and operating lease arrangements as of December 31, 2020.
[3]	Debt payments include principal repayment obligations for the Company’s outstanding debt instruments as of December 31, 2020.
[4]	Other purchase obligations include purchase obligations related to capital projects and other legally binding commitments. Other purchase orders made in the ordinary course of business are excluded from the amounts shown but are included within accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet.

Note 18 - Subsequent Event (Det

Note 18 - Subsequent Event (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt, Total		$ 1,050,000	$ 1,275,000	$ 0
Hargray [Member] | Forecast [Member]
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired	85.00%
Enterprise Value	$ 2,200,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Liabilities Incurred	689,000
Hargray [Member] | Forecast [Member] | JPMorgan Chase Bank [Member]
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt, Total	$ 900,000