Lumen (LUMN) 10-Q 5 May 17 2017 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Apr. 27, 2017
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	CENTURYLINK, INC
Entity Central Index Key	18,926
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2017
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		548,812,063
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPER

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
OPERATING REVENUES	$ 4,209	$ 4,401
OPERATING EXPENSES
Cost of services and products (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)	1,888	1,900
Selling, general and administrative	810	837
Depreciation and amortization	880	976
Total operating expenses	3,578	3,713
OPERATING INCOME	631	688
OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME
Interest expense	(318)	(331)
Other (expense) income, net	(6)	23
Total other expense, net	(324)	(308)
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX EXPENSE	307	380
Income tax expense	144	144
NET INCOME	$ 163	$ 236
BASIC AND DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE
BASIC (per share)	$ 0.30	$ 0.44
DILUTED (per share)	0.30	0.44
DIVIDENDS DECLARED PER COMMON SHARE	$ 0.54	$ 0.54
WEIGHTED-AVERAGE COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING
BASIC (in shares)	540,458	538,799
DILUTED (in shares)	541,522	540,187

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMP

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
NET INCOME	$ 163	$ 236
Items related to employee benefit plans:
Change in net actuarial loss, net of $(20) and $(16) tax	31	26
Change in net prior service costs, net of $(1) and $(1) tax	2	2
Foreign currency translation adjustment and other, net of $— and $— tax	(2)	(1)
Other comprehensive income	31	27
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	$ 194	$ 263

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COM4

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Change in net actuarial loss, tax	$ (20)	$ (16)
Change in net prior service costs, tax	(1)	(1)
Foreign currency translation adjustment and other, tax	$ 0	$ 0

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 214	$ 222
Accounts receivable, less allowance of $180 and $178	1,854	2,017
Assets held for sale	2,343	2,376
Other	557	547
Total current assets	4,968	5,162
NET PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
Property, plant and equipment	39,642	39,194
Accumulated depreciation	(22,626)	(22,155)
Net property, plant and equipment	17,016	17,039
GOODWILL AND OTHER ASSETS
Goodwill	19,650	19,650
Other intangible assets, less accumulated amortization of $2,105 and $2,042	1,534	1,531
Other, net	838	838
Total goodwill and other assets	24,618	24,816
TOTAL ASSETS	46,602	47,017
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Current maturities of long-term debt	1,499	1,503
Accounts payable	994	1,179
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
Salaries and benefits	583	802
Income and other taxes	460	301
Interest	321	260
Other	177	213
Current liabilities associated with assets held for sale	406	419
Advance billings and customer deposits	656	672
Total current liabilities	5,096	5,349
LONG-TERM DEBT	18,180	18,185
DEFERRED CREDITS AND OTHER LIABILITIES
Deferred income taxes, net	3,461	3,471
Benefit plan obligations, net	5,448	5,527
Other	1,111	1,086
Total deferred credits and other liabilities	10,020	10,084
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 10)
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Preferred stock—non-redeemable, $25.00 par value, authorized 2,000 shares, issued and outstanding 7 and 7 shares	0	0
Common stock, $1.00 par value, authorized 1,600,000 and 1,600,000 shares, issued and outstanding 548,845 and 546,545 shares	549	547
Additional paid-in capital	14,733	14,970
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2,086)	(2,117)
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)	110	(1)
Total stockholders' equity	13,306	13,399
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	46,602	47,017
Customer relationships
Customer relationships, less accumulated amortization of $6,519 and $6,318	$ 2,596	$ 2,797

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Pa

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounts receivable, allowance	$ 180	$ 178
Preferred stock-non-redeemable, par value (per share)	$ 25	$ 25
Preferred stock-non-redeemable, authorized shares	2,000	2,000
Preferred stock-non-redeemable, issued shares	7	7
Preferred stock-non-redeemable, outstanding shares	7	7
Common stock, par value (per share)	$ 1	$ 1
Common stock, authorized shares	1,600,000	1,600,000
Common stock, issued shares	548,845	546,545
Common stock, outstanding shares	548,845	546,545
Customer relationships
Finite-lived intangible assets, accumulated amortization	$ 6,519	$ 6,318
Other intangible assets
Finite-lived intangible assets, accumulated amortization	$ 2,105	$ 2,042

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	$ 163	$ 236
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	880	976
Deferred income taxes	(37)	11
Provision for uncollectible accounts	47	46
Net long-term debt issuance costs and premium amortization	1	(1)
Share-based compensation	21	18
Changes in current assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	116	26
Accounts payable	(81)	78
Accrued income and other taxes	206	160
Other current assets and liabilities, net	(266)	(72)
Retirement benefits	(25)	(21)
Changes in other noncurrent assets and liabilities, net	12	(35)
Other, net	20	1
Net cash provided by operating activities	1,057	1,423
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Payments for property, plant and equipment and capitalized software	(780)	(611)
Proceeds from sale of property	45	7
Other, net	3	(1)
Net cash used in investing activities	(732)	(605)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Net proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	0	227
Payments of long-term debt	(31)	(25)
Net proceeds (payments) on credit facility and revolving line of credit	5	(410)
Dividends paid	(296)	(290)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	3	4
Shares withheld to satisfy tax withholdings	(14)	(12)
Net cash used in financing activities	(333)	(506)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	(8)	312
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	222	126
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	214	438
Supplemental cash flow information:
Income taxes refunded (paid), net	5	(11)
Interest paid (net of capitalized interest of $20 and $12)	$ (255)	$ (262)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CAS8

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
Interest paid, capitalized interest	$ 20	$ 12

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOC

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Millions	Total	COMMON STOCK	ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	ADDITIONAL PAID-IN CAPITAL	RETAINED EARNINGS
Balance at beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2015		$ 544	$ (1,934)	$ 15,178	$ 272
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Issuance of common stock through dividend reinvestment, incentive and benefit plans		2		2
Shares withheld to satisfy tax withholdings				(12)
Share-based compensation and other, net				16
Dividends declared				0	(295)
Other comprehensive income	$ 27		27
Net income	236				236
Balance at end of period at Mar. 31, 2016	14,036	546	(1,907)	15,184	213
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Cumulative effect of adoption of ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting | Restatement adjustment | Accounting Standards Update 2016-09					0
Balance at beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2016	13,399	547	(2,117)	14,970	(1)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Issuance of common stock through dividend reinvestment, incentive and benefit plans		2		2
Shares withheld to satisfy tax withholdings				(14)
Share-based compensation and other, net				15
Dividends declared				(240)	(55)
Other comprehensive income	31		31
Net income	163				163
Balance at end of period at Mar. 31, 2017	$ 13,306	$ 549	$ (2,086)	$ 14,733	110
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Cumulative effect of adoption of ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting | Restatement adjustment | Accounting Standards Update 2016-09					$ 3

Background

Background	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]	Background General We are an integrated communications company engaged primarily in providing an array of services to our residential and business customers. Our communications services include local and long-distance voice, broadband, Multi-Protocol Label Switching ("MPLS"), private line (including special access), Ethernet, colocation, hosting (including cloud hosting and managed hosting), data integration, video, network, public access, Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP"), information technology and other ancillary services. On October 31, 2016, we entered into a definitive merger agreement under which we agreed to acquire Level 3 Communications, Inc. ("Level 3") in a cash and stock transaction. See Note 2—Pending Acquisition of Level 3 for additional information. On November 3, 2016, we entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement with a consortium led by BC Partners, Inc. and Medina Capital to sell our data centers and colocation business for a combination of cash and equity. See Note 3—Sale of Data Centers and Colocation Business for additional information. Basis of Presentation Our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 , which was derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, and our unaudited interim consolidated financial statements provided herein have been prepared in accordance with the instructions for Form 10-Q. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"); however, in our opinion, the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. We believe that these consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the results for the interim periods. The consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the first three months of the year are not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations and cash flows that might be expected for the entire year. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 . The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries. Intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated. To simplify the overall presentation of our consolidated financial statements, we report immaterial amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests in certain of our subsidiaries as follows: (i) income attributable to noncontrolling interests in other (expense) income, net, (ii) equity attributable to noncontrolling interests in additional paid-in capital and (iii) cash flows attributable to noncontrolling interests in other, net financing activities. We pay dividends out of retained earnings to the extent we have retained earnings on the date the dividend is declared. If the dividend is in excess of our retained earnings on the declaration date, then the excess is drawn from our additional paid-in capital. We reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation, including the categorization of our revenues and our segment reporting. See Note 9—Segment Information for additional information. These changes had no impact on total operating revenues, total operating expenses or net income for any period. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In the first quarter of 2017, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-09, “Improvements to Employee Share Based Compensation” (“ASU 2016-09”), and ASU 2017-07, “Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost” (“ASU 2017-07”). Share-based Compensation ASU 2016-09 modified the accounting and associated income tax accounting for share-based compensation in order to reduce the cost and complexity associated with previous U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The primary provisions of ASU 2016-09 that affect our consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are: 1. A reclassification of the income tax effect associated with the difference between the expense recognized for share-based payments and the related tax deduction from additional paid-in capital to income tax expense. This change was applied on a prospective basis and resulted in a $7 million increase in income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2017. 2. We elected to change our accounting policy to account for forfeitures of share-based payment grants as they occur as opposed to our previous policy of estimating the forfeitures on the grant date. The cumulative effect of adopting this policy as of January 1, 2017 resulted in an increase of $3 million , net of a $2 million tax effect, in retained earnings (accumulated deficit). Net Periodic Pension and Postretirement Benefit Costs ASU 2017-07 modified the presentation of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs and requires the service cost component to be reported separately from the other components in order to provide more useful information. Under ASU 2017-07, the service cost component of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs is required to be presented in the same expense category as the related salary and wages for the employee. The other components of the net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs are required to be recognized below operating income in other (expense) income, net in our consolidated statements of operations. This change was applied on a retrospective basis to all previous periods to match the current period presentation. This retrospective application resulted in a $6 million reduction in operating income and a corresponding decrease in total other expense, net for the three months ended March 31, 2016. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Goodwill Impairment On January 26, 2017, The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment” (“ASU 2017-04”). ASU 2017-04 simplifies the impairment testing for goodwill by changing the measurement for goodwill impairment. Under current rules, we are required to compute the implied fair value of goodwill to measure the impairment amount if the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. Under ASU 2017-04, the goodwill impairment charge will equal the excess of the reporting unit carrying value above fair value, limited to the amount of goodwill assigned to the reporting unit. We are required to adopt the provisions of ASU 2017-04 for any goodwill impairment tests, including our required annual test, occurring after January 1, 2020, but have the option to early adopt for any impairment test that we are required to perform. We have not determined if we will elect to early adopt the provisions of ASU 2017-04. The provisions of ASU 2017-04 would not have affected our last goodwill impairment assessment, but no assurance can be provided that the simplified testing methodology will not affect our goodwill impairment assessment in the future. Income Taxes On October 24, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, “Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory” ("ASU 2016-16"). ASU 2016-16 eliminates the current prohibition on the recognition of the income tax effects on the transfer of assets among our subsidiaries. After adoption of this ASU, the income tax effects associated with these asset transfers, except for the transfer of inventory, will be recognized in the period the asset is transferred versus the current deferral and recognition upon either the sale of the asset to a third party or over the remaining useful life of the asset. We are currently reviewing the requirements of this ASU and evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements. We are required to adopt the provisions of ASU 2016-16 on January 1, 2018, but have the option to early adopt as of January 1, 2017. We plan to adopt the provision of ASU 2016-16 on January 1, 2018. The impact of adopting ASU 2016-16, if any, will be recognized through a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption. Financial Instruments On June 16, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" ("ASU 2016-13"). The primary impact of ASU 2016-13 for us is a change in the model for the recognition of credit losses related to our financial instruments from an incurred loss model, which recognized credit losses only if it was probable that a loss had been incurred, to an expected loss model, which requires our management team to estimate the total credit losses expected on the portfolio of financial instruments. We are currently reviewing the requirements of the standard and evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements. We are required to adopt the provisions of ASU 2016-13 effective January 1, 2020, but could elect to early adopt the provisions as of January 1, 2019. We expect to recognize the impacts of adopting ASU 2016-13 through a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption. As of the date of this report, we have not yet determined the date we will adopt ASU 2016-13. Leases On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases” (“ASU 2016-02”). The core principle of ASU 2016-02 will require lessees to present right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on their balance sheets for operating leases, which are currently not reflected on their balance sheets. ASU 2016-02 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2019. Early adoption of ASU 2016-02 is permitted. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-02, we are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented in our consolidated financial statements using a modified retrospective approach. The modified retrospective approach includes a number of optional practical expedients that we may elect to apply. We will implement this new standard on its effective date, but we have not yet decided which practical expedient options we will elect. We are currently evaluating our existing lease accounting systems to determine whether our current systems will support the new accounting requirements or if upgrades or new systems will be required, and we are in the process of developing an implementation plan. We are also currently evaluating and assessing the impact ASU 2016-02 will have on us and our consolidated financial statements. As of the date of this report, we cannot provide any estimate of the impact of adopting ASU 2016-02. Revenue Recognition On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09”). ASU 2014-09 replaces virtually all existing GAAP on revenue recognition and replaces them with a principles-based approach for determining revenue recognition using a new five step model. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 also includes new accounting principles related to the deferral and amortization of contract acquisition and fulfillment costs. We currently do not defer any contract acquisition costs, but we expect we will defer certain contract acquisition costs in the future, which could have the impact of lowering our operating expenses. We currently defer contract fulfillment costs only to the extent of any deferred revenue. Under ASU 2014-09, in certain transactions our deferred contract fulfillment costs could exceed our deferred revenues, which could result in an increase in deferred costs and could also have the impact of lowering our operating expenses. On July 9, 2015, the FASB approved the deferral of the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year until January 1, 2018, which is the date we plan to adopt this standard. ASU 2014-09 may be adopted by applying the provisions of this standard on a retrospective basis to the periods included in the financial statements or on a modified retrospective basis, which would result in the recognition of a cumulative effect of adopting ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of 2018. We have completed our initial assessment of our business and systems requirements, and we are currently developing and implementing a new revenue recognition system to comply with the requirements of ASU 2014-09. Based on this initial assessment, we currently plan to adopt the new revenue recognition standard under the modified retrospective transition method. Until we are further along in implementing our new revenue recognition system, we do not anticipate being able to provide reasonably accurate estimates of the impact of ASU 2014-09 on the timing of our revenue recognition.

Pending Acquisition of Level 3

Pending Acquisition of Level 3	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Business Combination Disclosure	Pending Acquisition of Level 3 On October 31, 2016, we entered into a definitive merger agreement under which we propose to acquire Level 3 in a cash and stock transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, Level 3 shareholders will receive $26.50 per share in cash and 1.4286 of CenturyLink shares for each share of Level 3 common stock they own at closing. CenturyLink shareholders are expected to own approximately 51% and Level 3 shareholders are expected to own approximately 49% of the combined company at closing. On December 31, 2016 , Level 3 had outstanding $10.9 billion of long-term debt. The merger agreement was approved by CenturyLink and Level 3 shareholders at special meetings held on March 16, 2017. Completion of the transaction is subject to (i) the receipt of regulatory approvals, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, (ii) approvals from the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") and certain state regulatory authorities and (iii) other customary closing conditions. Subject to these conditions, we anticipate closing this transaction by the end of the third quarter 2017.

Sale of Data Centers and Coloca

Sale of Data Centers and Colocation Business	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Disclosure	Sale of Data Centers and Colocation Business On November 3, 2016, we entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement to sell our data centers and colocation business to a consortium led by BC Partners, Inc. and Medina Capital in exchange for cash and a minority stake in the consortium's newly-formed global secure infrastructure company, Cyxtera Technologies. The sale received final regulatory approval in April and closed on May 1, 2017. We received initial pre-tax cash proceeds of $1.86 billion , which is subject to customary post-closing adjustments. We plan to use a portion of these after-tax net cash proceeds to partly fund our acquisition of Level 3. As a result of the sale, we classified the following assets and liabilities as assets held for sale and liabilities associated with the assets held for sale, respectively, on our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2017 : Dollars in millions Goodwill $ 1,141 Property, plant and equipment 1,068 Other intangible assets 258 Other assets 37 Impairment on assets held for sale (11 ) Total amount classified as assets held for sale (1) $ 2,493 Capital lease obligations $ 297 Other liabilities 109 Total liabilities associated with assets held for sale $ 406 ________________________________________________________________________ (1) A portion of the assets equivalent to the estimated fair value of our anticipated minority stake in Cyxtera Technologies is reflected in non-current other assets on our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2017. Effective with the date we entered into the agreement to sell the data centers and colocation business, we ceased recording depreciation of the property, plant and equipment to be sold and amortization of the intangible assets. We estimate that we would have recorded $50 million of depreciation and amortization expense in the first quarter of 2017 if we had not met the held-for-sale criteria. After factoring in the costs to sell the data centers and colocation business, we estimate the net carrying value of the assets and liabilities sold exceeded the value of the proceeds we received by approximately $11 million , which was recorded as an impairment loss in selling, general and administration expenses of our consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017. We further estimate, due to the sale and related corporate actions we have taken regarding certain subsidiaries involved in the data centers and colocation business, that we will trigger tax expense relating to the sale totaling approximately $75 million to $150 million , $18 million of which was accrued in 2016, $15 million of which was accrued in the three months ended March 31, 2017, with the remainder to be expensed in the three months ending June 30, 2017.

Long-Term Debt and Credit Facil

Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities	Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities Long-term debt, including unamortized discounts and premiums and unamortized debt issuance costs, consisting of borrowings by CenturyLink, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries, including Qwest Corporation, Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. and Embarq Corporation and its subsidiaries ("Embarq"), were as follows: Interest Rates Maturities As of As of (Dollars in millions) CenturyLink, Inc. Senior notes 5.150% - 7.650% 2017 - 2042 $ 8,975 8,975 Credit facility and revolving line of credit (1) 4.750% 2019 375 370 Term loan 2.740% 2019 330 336 Subsidiaries Qwest Corporation Senior notes 6.125% - 7.750% 2017 - 2056 7,259 7,259 Term loan 2.740% 2025 100 100 Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. Senior notes 6.500% - 7.750% 2018 - 2031 981 981 Embarq Corporation and subsidiaries Senior note 7.995% 2036 1,485 1,485 First mortgage bonds 7.125% - 8.770% 2017 - 2025 223 223 Other 9.000% 2019 150 150 Capital lease and other obligations Various Various 423 440 Unamortized discounts, net (135 ) (133 ) Unamortized debt issuance costs (190 ) (193 ) Total long-term debt 19,976 19,993 Less current maturities not associated with assets held for sale (1,499 ) (1,503 ) Less capital lease obligations associated with assets held for sale (2) (297 ) (305 ) Long-term debt, excluding current maturities and capital leases obligations associated with assets held for sale $ 18,180 18,185 ______________________________________________________________________ (1) The aggregate amount outstanding on our Credit Facility and revolving line of credit borrowings at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 was $375 million and $370 million , respectively, with a weighted-average interest rate of 4.750% and 4.500% , respectively. These amounts change on a regular basis. (2) The capital lease obligations associated with our data centers and colocation business of $297 million as of March 31, 2017 were assumed by the Purchaser at closing. See Note 3—Sale of Data Centers and Colocation Business for additional information. Covenants As of March 31, 2017 , we believe we were in compliance with the provisions and covenants contained in our Credit Facility and other material debt agreements. Subsequent Events On May 4, 2017 , Qwest Corporation redeemed all $500 million of its 6.5% Notes due 2017, which resulted in an immaterial loss . On April 27, 2017 , Qwest Corporation issued $575 million aggregate principal amount of 6.75% Notes due 2057 in exchange for net proceeds, after deducting underwriting discounts and other expenses, of $555 million . All of the 6.75% Notes are unsecured obligations and may be redeemed by Qwest Corporation, in whole or in part, on or after June 15, 2022, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. On April 3, 2017 , CenturyLink, Inc. paid at maturity the $500 million principal and accrued and unpaid interest due under its 6.00% Notes.

Severance and Leased Real Estat

Severance and Leased Real Estate	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Severance and Leased Real Estate	Severance and Leased Real Estate Periodically, we reduce our workforce and accrue liabilities for the related severance costs. These workforce reductions resulted primarily from the progression or completion of our post-acquisition integration plans, increased competitive pressures, cost reduction initiatives, process improvements through automation and reduced workload demands due to the loss of customers purchasing certain services. We report severance liabilities within accrued expenses and other liabilities - salaries and benefits in our consolidated balance sheets and report severance expenses in selling, general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. As described in Note 9—Segment Information, we do not allocate these severance expenses to our segments. We have recognized liabilities to reflect our estimates of the fair values of the existing lease obligations for real estate which we have ceased using, net of estimated sublease rentals. Our fair value estimates were determined using discounted cash flow methods. We recognize expense to reflect accretion of the discounted liabilities and periodically we adjust the expense when our actual subleasing experience differs from our initial estimates. We report the current portion of liabilities for ceased-use real estate leases in accrued expenses and other liabilities - other and report the noncurrent portion in deferred credits and other liabilities - other in our consolidated balance sheets. We report the related expenses in selling, general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. At March 31, 2017 , the current and noncurrent portions of our leased real estate accrual were $8 million and $57 million , respectively. The remaining lease terms range from 0.9 years to 8.7 years , with a weighted-average of 7.6 years . Changes in our accrued liabilities for severance expenses and leased real estate were as follows: Severance Real Estate (Dollars in millions) Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 98 67 Accrued to expense 5 1 Payments, net (74 ) — Reversals and adjustments — (3 ) Balance at March 31, 2017 $ 29 65

Employee Benefits

Employee Benefits	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Employee Benefits	Employee Benefits Net periodic benefit expense (income) for our qualified and non-qualified pension plans included the following components: Pension Plans Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Service cost $ 17 17 Interest cost 101 107 Expected return on plan assets (166 ) (184 ) Recognition of prior service credit (2 ) (2 ) Recognition of actuarial loss 51 42 Net periodic pension benefit expense (income) $ 1 (20 ) Net periodic benefit expense for our post-retirement benefit plans included the following components: Post-Retirement Benefit Plans Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Service cost $ 4 5 Interest cost 25 28 Expected return on plan assets — (2 ) Recognition of prior service cost 5 5 Net periodic post-retirement benefit expense $ 34 36 We report service cost for our qualified pension, non-qualified pension and post-retirement benefit plans in cost of services and products and selling, general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, a portion of the service cost is also allocated to certain assets under construction, which when completed are capitalized and reflected as part of property, plant and equipment in our consolidated balance sheets. The remaining components of net periodic benefit (income) expense are reported in other (expense) income, net in our consolidated statements of operations. The expected rate of return on plan assets is the long-term rate of return we expect to earn on the plans' assets, net of administrative expenses paid from plan assets. Benefits paid by our qualified pension plan are paid through a trust that holds all plan assets. Based on current laws and circumstances, we do not expect any contributions to be required for our qualified pension plan during the remainder of 2017. However, we currently expect to make a voluntary contribution of $100 million to the trust for our qualified pension plan during the remaining nine months of 2017 .

Earnings Per Common Share

Earnings Per Common Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings per Common Share	Earnings Per Common Share Basic and diluted earnings per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were calculated as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions, except per share amounts, shares in thousands) Income (Numerator): Net income $ 163 236 Earnings applicable to non-vested restricted stock — — Net income applicable to common stock for computing basic earnings per common share 163 236 Net income as adjusted for purposes of computing diluted earnings per common share $ 163 236 Shares (Denominator): Weighted-average number of shares: Outstanding during period 547,618 544,845 Non-vested restricted stock (7,160 ) (6,046 ) Weighted-average shares outstanding for computing basic earnings per common share 540,458 538,799 Incremental common shares attributable to dilutive securities: Shares issuable under convertible securities 10 10 Shares issuable under incentive compensation plans 1,054 1,378 Number of shares as adjusted for purposes of computing diluted earnings per common share 541,522 540,187 Basic earnings per common share $ 0.30 0.44 Diluted earnings per common share $ 0.30 0.44 Our calculation of diluted earnings per common share excludes shares of common stock that are issuable upon exercise of stock options when the exercise price is greater than the average market price of our common stock. We also exclude unvested restricted stock awards that are antidilutive as a result of unrecognized compensation cost. Such shares averaged 4.3 million and 3.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively.

Fair Value Disclosure

Fair Value Disclosure	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Disclosure	Fair Value Disclosure Our financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and long-term debt, excluding capital lease and other obligations. Due to their short-term nature, the carrying amounts of our cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate their fair values. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between independent and knowledgeable parties who are willing and able to transact for an asset or liability at the measurement date. We use valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value and then we rank the estimated values based on the reliability of the inputs used following the fair value hierarchy set forth by the FASB. We determined the fair values of our long-term debt, including the current portion, based on quoted market prices where available or, if not available, based on discounted future cash flows using current market interest rates. The three input levels in the hierarchy of fair value measurements are defined by the FASB generally as follows: Input Level Description of Input Level 1 Observable inputs such as quoted market prices in active markets. Level 2 Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable. Level 3 Unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists. The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our long-term debt, excluding capital lease and other obligations, as well as the input level used to determine the fair values indicated below: As of March 31, 2017 As of December 31, 2016 Input Level Carrying Amount Fair Value Carrying Amount Fair Value (Dollars in millions) Liabilities—Long-term debt, excluding capital lease and other obligations 2 $ 19,553 20,095 19,553 19,639

Segment Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Information	Segment Information Segment Data Effective January 11, 2017, we implemented a new organizational structure designed to further strengthen our ability to attain our operational, strategic and financial goals. Prior to this reorganization, we operated and reported as two segments, business and consumer. As a result of this reorganization, we changed the name of the predecessor business segment to "enterprise" segment. We now report the following two segments: • Enterprise Segment. Consists generally of providing strategic, legacy and data integration products and services to small, medium and enterprise business, wholesale and governmental customers, including other communication providers. Our strategic products and services offered to these customers include our MPLS, Ethernet, colocation, broadband, VoIP and other ancillary services. Our legacy services offered to these customers primarily include local and long-distance voice, including the sale of unbundled network elements ("UNEs"), which allow our wholesale customers to use all or part of our network to provide voice and data services to their customers, private line (including special access), switched access and other ancillary services. Our data integration offerings include the sale of telecommunications equipment located on customers' premises and related products and professional services, all of which are described further below under the heading "Product and Service Categories"; and • Consumer Segment. Consists generally of providing strategic and legacy products and services to residential customers. Our strategic products and services offered to these customers include our broadband, video (including our Prism TV services) and other ancillary services. Our legacy services offered to these customers include local and long-distance voice and other ancillary services. In connection with our January 2017 reorganization, we also reassigned our information technology, managed hosting, cloud hosting and hosting area network services from our former business segment to a new non-reportable operating segment. The results of our enterprise and consumer segments are summarized below: Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Total segment revenues $ 3,768 3,931 Total segment expenses 1,930 1,930 Total segment income $ 1,838 2,001 Total margin percentage 49 % 51 % Enterprise segment: Revenues $ 2,356 2,442 Expenses 1,321 1,319 Income $ 1,035 1,123 Margin percentage 44 % 46 % Consumer segment: Revenues $ 1,412 1,489 Expenses 609 611 Income $ 803 878 Margin percentage 57 % 59 % Additional Changes in Segment Reporting As a part of the implementation of the new organizational structure described in "Segment Data" above, we made several changes with respect to the assignment of certain expenses to our reportable segments, most notably the reassignment of certain marketing and advertising expenses from the consumer segment to the enterprise segment. We have recast our previously-reported segment results for the three months ended March 31, 2016, to conform to the current presentation. Product and Service Categories From time to time, we change the categorization of our products and services, and we may make similar changes in the future. During the second quarter of 2016, we determined that because of declines due to customer migration to other strategic products and services, certain of our enterprise low-bandwidth data services, specifically our private line (including special access) services in our enterprise segment, are more closely aligned with our legacy services than with our strategic services. As a result, we reflect these operating revenues as legacy services, and we have reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to this change. The revision resulted in a reduction of revenue from strategic services and a corresponding increase in revenue from legacy services of $365 million (net of $1 million of deferred revenue included in other enterprise legacy services) for the three months ended March 31, 2016 . In addition, our enterprise broadband services remain a strategic service and are included in our other enterprise strategic services. We categorize our products, services and revenues among the following four categories: • Strategic services , which include primarily broadband, MPLS, Ethernet, colocation, hosting (including cloud hosting and managed hosting), video (including our facilities-based video services, which we offer in 16 markets), VoIP, information technology and other ancillary services; • Legacy services , which include primarily local and long-distance voice, including the sale of UNEs, private line (including special access), Integrated Services Digital Network ("ISDN") (which use regular telephone lines to support voice, video and data applications), switched access and other ancillary services; • Data integration , which includes the sale of telecommunications equipment located on customers' premises and related products and professional services, such as network management, installation and maintenance of data equipment and building of proprietary fiber-optic broadband networks for our governmental and business customers; and • Other operating revenues, which consist primarily of Connect America Fund ("CAF") support payments, Universal Service Fund ("USF") support payments and USF surcharges. We receive federal support payments from both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the CAF program, and support payments from both federal and state USF programs. These support payments are government subsidies designed to reimburse us for various costs related to certain telecommunications services, including the costs of deploying, maintaining and operating voice and broadband infrastructure in high-cost rural areas where we are not able to fully recover our costs from our customers. We also collect USF surcharges based on specific items we list on our customers' invoices to fund the FCC's universal service programs. We also generate other operating revenues from the leasing and subleasing of space in our office buildings, warehouses and other properties. Because we centrally manage the activities that generate these other operating revenues, these revenues are not included in our segment revenues. Our operating revenue detail for our products and services consisted of the following categories: Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Strategic services Enterprise high-bandwidth data services (1) $ 769 738 Other enterprise strategic services (2) 315 315 IT and managed services (3) 152 162 Consumer broadband services (4) 661 667 Other consumer strategic services (5) 103 107 Total strategic services revenues 2,000 1,989 Legacy services Enterprise voice services (6) 573 622 Enterprise low-bandwidth data services (7) 314 365 Other enterprise legacy services (8) 268 287 Consumer voice services (6) 575 634 Other consumer legacy services (9) 73 80 Total legacy services revenues 1,803 1,988 Data integration Enterprise data integration 117 115 IT and managed services data integration 1 — Consumer data integration — 1 Total data integration revenues 118 116 Other revenues High-cost support revenue (10) 168 174 Other revenue (11) 120 134 Total other revenues 288 308 Total revenues $ 4,209 4,401 ______________________________________________________________________ (1) Includes MPLS and Ethernet revenue (2) Includes primarily colocation, broadband, VOIP and video revenue (3) Includes primarily IT services, managed hosting, cloud hosting and hosting area network revenue (4) Includes broadband and related services revenue (5) Includes video and other revenue (6) Includes local and long-distance voice revenue (7) Includes private line (including special access) revenue (8) Includes UNEs, public access, switched access and other ancillary revenue (9) Includes other ancillary revenue (10) Includes CAF Phase 1, CAF Phase 2 and federal and state USF support revenue (11) Includes USF surcharges We recognize revenues in our consolidated statements of operations for certain USF surcharges and transaction taxes that we bill to our customers. Our consolidated statements of operations also reflect the offsetting expense for the amounts we remit to the government agencies. The total amount of such surcharges and transaction taxes that we included in revenues aggregated $130 million and $146 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively. These USF surcharges, where we record revenue, are included in "other" operating revenues and these transaction taxes are included in "legacy services" revenues. We also act as a collection agent for certain other USF and transaction taxes that we are required by government agencies to bill our customers, for which we do not record any revenue or expense because we only act as a pass-through agent. Allocations of Revenues and Expenses Our segment revenues include all revenues from our strategic, legacy and data integration operations as described in more detail above. Our segment revenues for our two reportable segments are based upon each customer's classification as either enterprise or consumer. We report our segment revenues based upon all services provided to that segment's customers. Our segment expenses for our two reportable segments include specific expenses incurred as a direct result of providing services and products to segment customers, along with selling, general and administrative expenses that are (i) directly associated with specific segment customers or activities and (ii) allocated expenses, which include network expenses, facilities expenses and other expenses such as fleet and real estate expenses. We do not assign depreciation and amortization expense or impairments to our segments, as the related assets and capital expenditures are centrally managed and are not monitored by or reported to the chief operating decision maker ("CODM") by segment. Generally speaking, severance expenses, restructuring expenses and certain centrally managed administrative functions (such as finance, information technology, legal and human resources) are not assigned to our segments. Interest expense is also excluded from segment results because we manage our financing on a consolidated basis and have not allocated assets or debt to specific segments. Other income and expense items are not monitored as a part of our segment operations and are therefore excluded from our segment results. The following table reconciles total reportable segment income to net income: Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Total reportable segment income $ 1,838 2,001 Non-reportable segment revenues 153 162 Other operating revenues 288 308 Depreciation and amortization (880 ) (976 ) Other operating expenses (768 ) (807 ) Interest expense and other (expense) income, net (324 ) (308 ) Income before income tax expense 307 380 Income tax expense (144 ) (144 ) Net income $ 163 236 We do not have any single customer that provides more than 10% of our total consolidated operating revenues. Substantially all of our consolidated revenues come from customers located in the United States.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies We are vigorously defending against all of the matters described below under the headings "Pending Matters" and "Other Proceedings and Disputes." As a matter of course, we are prepared both to litigate these matters to judgment, as well as to evaluate and consider all reasonable settlement opportunities. In this Note, when we refer to a class action as "putative" it is because a class has been alleged, but not certified in that matter. We have established accrued liabilities for these matters described below where losses are deemed probable and reasonably estimable. Pending Matters CenturyLink and the members of the CenturyLink Board have been named as defendants in a putative shareholder class action lawsuit filed on January 11, 2017 in the 4th Judicial District Court of the State of Louisiana, Ouachita Parish, captioned Jeffery Tomasulo v. CenturyLink, Inc., et al., Docket No. C-20170110. The complaint asserts, among other things, that the members of CenturyLink’s Board allegedly breached their fiduciary duties to the CenturyLink shareholders in approving the Level 3 merger agreement and, more particularly, that: the consideration that CenturyLink agreed to pay to Level 3 stockholders in the transaction is allegedly unfairly high; the CenturyLink directors allegedly had conflicts of interest in negotiating and approving the transaction; and the disclosures set forth in our preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus filed in December 2016 are insufficient in that they allegedly fail to contain material information concerning the transaction. The complaint seeks, among other things, a declaration that the members of the CenturyLink Board have breached their fiduciary duties, corrective disclosure, rescissory or other damages and equitable relief, including rescission of the transaction. On February 13, 2017, the parties entered into a memorandum of understanding providing for the settlement of the lawsuit. The proposed settlement is subject to court approval, among other conditions, and the amount of the settlement is not material to our consolidated financial statements. In William Douglas Fulghum, et al. v. Embarq Corporation, et al., filed on December 28, 2007 in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, a group of retirees filed a class action lawsuit challenging the decision to make certain modifications in retiree benefits programs relating to life insurance, medical insurance and prescription drug benefits, generally effective January 1, 2006 and January 1, 2008 (which, at the time of the modifications, was expected to reduce estimated future expenses for the subject benefits by more than $300 million ). Defendants include Embarq, certain of its benefit plans, its Employee Benefits Committee and the individual plan administrator of certain of its benefits plans. Additional defendants include Sprint Nextel and certain of its benefit plans. The court certified classes on the claims for vested benefits and age discrimination, but rejected class certification on the claims for breach of fiduciary duty. On October 14, 2011, the Fulghum lawyers filed a new, related lawsuit, Abbott et al. v. Sprint Nextel et al. In Abbott, approximately 1,500 plaintiffs alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the changes in retiree benefits that were at issue in Fulghum. After extensive district court proceedings in Fulghum, and an interlocutory appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, defendants prevailed in 2015 on all age discrimination claims and on the majority of claims for vested benefits. The district court in Fulghum subsequently granted judgment in favor of defendants on all remaining vested benefits claims, and in July 2016 ordered that any affected class members could appeal this ruling. No appeal was taken, and all claims for vested benefits thus have lapsed. On August 31, 2016, the parties reached a settlement in principle on all remaining claims in Fulghum and Abbott. Since then, a settlement agreement has been finalized and, per its terms, the vast majority of the settlement funds were paid out to the claims administrator in March 2017, with the remainder to be paid out in the next few months. The amount of the settlement is not material to our consolidated financial statements. Subsidiaries of CenturyLink, Inc. are among hundreds of companies in an industry-wide dispute, raised in nearly 100 federal lawsuits (filed between 2014 and 2016) that have been consolidated in the United States District Court for the District of Northern Texas for pretrial procedures. The disputes relate to switched access charges that local exchange carriers ("LECs") collect from interexchange carriers ("IXCs") for IXCs' use of LEC's access services. In the lawsuits, three IXCs, Sprint Communications Company L.P. ("Sprint"), affiliates of Verizon Communications Inc. ("Verizon") and affiliates of Level 3 Communications LLC ("Level 3"), assert that federal and state laws bar LECs from collecting access charges when IXCs exchange certain types of calls between mobile and wireline devices that are routed through an IXC. Some of these IXCs have asserted claims seeking refunds of payments for access charges previously paid and relief from future access charges. In addition, Level 3 has ceased paying switched access charges on these calls. In November 2015, the federal court agreed with the LECs and rejected the IXCs' contention that federal law prohibits these particular access charges, and also allowed the IXCs to refile state-law claims. The Verizon entities did not file any new state claims, while Sprint filed state claims substantially similar to those previously dismissed. Based on the November 2015 ruling, we filed suit against Level 3 seeking payment of charges which Level 3 has disputed and withheld. Separately, some of the defendants, including us, have petitioned the FCC to address these issues on an industry-wide basis. As both an IXC and a LEC, we both pay and assess significant amounts of the charges in question. The outcome of these disputes and lawsuits, as well as any related regulatory proceedings that could ensue, are currently not predictable. If we are required to stop assessing these charges or to pay refunds of any such charges, our financial results could be negatively affected. CenturyLink, Inc. and several of its subsidiaries are defendants in lawsuits filed over the past few years in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Missouri by numerous Missouri municipalities alleging underpayment of taxes. These municipalities are seeking, among other things, (i) a declaratory judgment regarding the extent of our obligations to pay certain business license and gross receipts taxes and (ii) a monetary award of back taxes covering 2007 to the present, plus penalties and interest. In a February 2017 ruling in connection with one of these pending cases, the court entered into a final order awarding plaintiffs $4 million and broadening the tax base on a going forward basis. We filed a notice of appeal on March 3, 2017.We expect the outcome of our appeal to reduce our ultimate exposure, although we can provide no assurances to this effect. Other Proceedings and Disputes From time to time, we are involved in other proceedings incidental to our business, including patent infringement allegations, administrative hearings of state public utility commissions relating primarily to our rates or services, actions relating to employee claims, various tax issues, environmental law issues, grievance hearings before labor regulatory agencies and miscellaneous third party tort actions. We are currently defending several patent infringement lawsuits asserted against us by non-practicing entities, many of which are seeking substantial recoveries. These cases have progressed to various stages and one or more may go to trial in the coming 24 months if they are not otherwise resolved. Where applicable, we are seeking full or partial indemnification from our vendors and suppliers. As with all litigation, we are vigorously defending these actions and, as a matter of course, are prepared to litigate these matters to judgment, as well as to evaluate and consider all reasonable settlement opportunities. We are subject to various foreign, federal, state and local environmental protection and health and safety laws. From time to time, we are subject to judicial and administrative proceedings brought by various governmental authorities under these laws. Several such proceedings are currently pending, but none is reasonably expected to exceed $100,000 in fines and penalties. The outcome of these other proceedings is not predictable. However, based on current circumstances, we do not believe that the ultimate resolution of these other proceedings, after considering available defenses and any insurance coverage or indemnification rights, will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Other Financial Information

Other Financial Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Additional Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Other financial information	Other Financial Information Other Current Assets The following table presents details of other current assets in our consolidated balance sheets: As of As of (Dollars in millions) Prepaid expenses $ 272 206 Materials, supplies and inventory 138 134 Deferred activation and installation charges 105 101 Other 42 106 Total other current assets $ 557 547 Selected Current Liabilities Current liabilities reflected in our consolidated balance sheets include accounts payable and other current liabilities as follows: As of As of (Dollars in millions) Accounts payable $ 994 1,179 Other current liabilities: Accrued rent $ 28 31 Legal contingencies 25 30 Other 124 152 Total other current liabilities $ 177 213 Included in accounts payable at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , were (i) $41 million and $56 million , respectively, representing book overdrafts and (ii) $93 million and $196 million , respectively, associated with capital expenditures.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss The tables below summarize changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss recorded on our consolidated balance sheets by component for the three months ended March 31, 2017 : Pension Plans Post-Retirement Benefit Plans Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment and Other Total (Dollars in millions) Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (1,895 ) (162 ) (60 ) (2,117 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications — — (2 ) (2 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income 30 3 — 33 Net current-period other comprehensive income 30 3 (2 ) 31 Balance at March 31, 2017 $ (1,865 ) (159 ) (62 ) (2,086 ) The table below presents further information about our reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the three months ended March 31, 2017 : Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 Decrease (Increase) Affected Line Item in Consolidated Statement of (Dollars in millions) Amortization of pension & post-retirement plans (1) Net actuarial loss $ 51 Other (expense) income, net Prior service cost 3 Other (expense) income, net Total before tax 54 Income tax benefit (21 ) Income tax expense Net of tax $ 33 ________________________________________________________________________ (1) See Note 6—Employee Benefits for additional information on our net periodic benefit (expense) income related to our pension and post-retirement plans. The tables below summarize changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss recorded on our consolidated balance sheets by component for the three months ended March 31, 2016 : Pension Plans Post-Retirement Foreign Currency Total (Dollars in millions) Balance at December 31, 2015 $ (1,715 ) (180 ) (39 ) (1,934 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications — — (1 ) (1 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income 25 3 — 28 Net current-period other comprehensive income 25 3 (1 ) 27 Balance at March 31, 2016 $ (1,690 ) (177 ) (40 ) (1,907 ) The table below presents further information about our reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the three months ended March 31, 2016 : Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 Decrease (Increase) Affected Line Item in Consolidated Statement of (Dollars in millions) Amortization of pension & post-retirement plans (1) Net actuarial loss $ 42 Other (expense) income, net Prior service cost 3 Other (expense) income, net Total before tax 45 Income tax benefit (17 ) Income tax expense Net of tax $ 28 ________________________________________________________________________ (1) See Note 6—Employee Benefits for additional information on our net periodic benefit (expense) income related to our pension and post-retirement plans.

Labor Union Contracts

Labor Union Contracts	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Labor Union Contracts [Abstract]
Concentration risk disclosure	Labor Union Contracts Approximately 37% of our employees are members of various bargaining units represented by the Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Approximately 12,000 , or 30% , of our employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements that are scheduled to expire during the remainder of 2017, including approximately 10,000 , or 25% , of our employees that are subject to collective bargaining agreements that are scheduled to expire October 7, 2017.

Background (Policies)

Background (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Consolidation policy	The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries. Intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated. To simplify the overall presentation of our consolidated financial statements, we report immaterial amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests in certain of our subsidiaries as follows: (i) income attributable to noncontrolling interests in other (expense) income, net, (ii) equity attributable to noncontrolling interests in additional paid-in capital and (iii) cash flows attributable to noncontrolling interests in other, net financing activities.
Dividends	We pay dividends out of retained earnings to the extent we have retained earnings on the date the dividend is declared. If the dividend is in excess of our retained earnings on the declaration date, then the excess is drawn from our additional paid-in capital.
Reclassification policy	We reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation, including the categorization of our revenues and our segment reporting. See Note 9—Segment Information for additional information. These changes had no impact on total operating revenues, total operating expenses or net income for any period.
Recent accounting pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In the first quarter of 2017, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-09, “Improvements to Employee Share Based Compensation” (“ASU 2016-09”), and ASU 2017-07, “Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost” (“ASU 2017-07”). Share-based Compensation ASU 2016-09 modified the accounting and associated income tax accounting for share-based compensation in order to reduce the cost and complexity associated with previous U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The primary provisions of ASU 2016-09 that affect our consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are: 1. A reclassification of the income tax effect associated with the difference between the expense recognized for share-based payments and the related tax deduction from additional paid-in capital to income tax expense. This change was applied on a prospective basis and resulted in a $7 million increase in income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2017. 2. We elected to change our accounting policy to account for forfeitures of share-based payment grants as they occur as opposed to our previous policy of estimating the forfeitures on the grant date. The cumulative effect of adopting this policy as of January 1, 2017 resulted in an increase of $3 million , net of a $2 million tax effect, in retained earnings (accumulated deficit). Net Periodic Pension and Postretirement Benefit Costs ASU 2017-07 modified the presentation of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs and requires the service cost component to be reported separately from the other components in order to provide more useful information. Under ASU 2017-07, the service cost component of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs is required to be presented in the same expense category as the related salary and wages for the employee. The other components of the net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs are required to be recognized below operating income in other (expense) income, net in our consolidated statements of operations. This change was applied on a retrospective basis to all previous periods to match the current period presentation. This retrospective application resulted in a $6 million reduction in operating income and a corresponding decrease in total other expense, net for the three months ended March 31, 2016. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Goodwill Impairment On January 26, 2017, The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment” (“ASU 2017-04”). ASU 2017-04 simplifies the impairment testing for goodwill by changing the measurement for goodwill impairment. Under current rules, we are required to compute the implied fair value of goodwill to measure the impairment amount if the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. Under ASU 2017-04, the goodwill impairment charge will equal the excess of the reporting unit carrying value above fair value, limited to the amount of goodwill assigned to the reporting unit. We are required to adopt the provisions of ASU 2017-04 for any goodwill impairment tests, including our required annual test, occurring after January 1, 2020, but have the option to early adopt for any impairment test that we are required to perform. We have not determined if we will elect to early adopt the provisions of ASU 2017-04. The provisions of ASU 2017-04 would not have affected our last goodwill impairment assessment, but no assurance can be provided that the simplified testing methodology will not affect our goodwill impairment assessment in the future. Income Taxes On October 24, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, “Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory” ("ASU 2016-16"). ASU 2016-16 eliminates the current prohibition on the recognition of the income tax effects on the transfer of assets among our subsidiaries. After adoption of this ASU, the income tax effects associated with these asset transfers, except for the transfer of inventory, will be recognized in the period the asset is transferred versus the current deferral and recognition upon either the sale of the asset to a third party or over the remaining useful life of the asset. We are currently reviewing the requirements of this ASU and evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements. We are required to adopt the provisions of ASU 2016-16 on January 1, 2018, but have the option to early adopt as of January 1, 2017. We plan to adopt the provision of ASU 2016-16 on January 1, 2018. The impact of adopting ASU 2016-16, if any, will be recognized through a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption. Financial Instruments On June 16, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" ("ASU 2016-13"). The primary impact of ASU 2016-13 for us is a change in the model for the recognition of credit losses related to our financial instruments from an incurred loss model, which recognized credit losses only if it was probable that a loss had been incurred, to an expected loss model, which requires our management team to estimate the total credit losses expected on the portfolio of financial instruments. We are currently reviewing the requirements of the standard and evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements. We are required to adopt the provisions of ASU 2016-13 effective January 1, 2020, but could elect to early adopt the provisions as of January 1, 2019. We expect to recognize the impacts of adopting ASU 2016-13 through a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption. As of the date of this report, we have not yet determined the date we will adopt ASU 2016-13. Leases On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases” (“ASU 2016-02”). The core principle of ASU 2016-02 will require lessees to present right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on their balance sheets for operating leases, which are currently not reflected on their balance sheets. ASU 2016-02 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2019. Early adoption of ASU 2016-02 is permitted. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-02, we are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented in our consolidated financial statements using a modified retrospective approach. The modified retrospective approach includes a number of optional practical expedients that we may elect to apply. We will implement this new standard on its effective date, but we have not yet decided which practical expedient options we will elect. We are currently evaluating our existing lease accounting systems to determine whether our current systems will support the new accounting requirements or if upgrades or new systems will be required, and we are in the process of developing an implementation plan. We are also currently evaluating and assessing the impact ASU 2016-02 will have on us and our consolidated financial statements. As of the date of this report, we cannot provide any estimate of the impact of adopting ASU 2016-02. Revenue Recognition On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09”). ASU 2014-09 replaces virtually all existing GAAP on revenue recognition and replaces them with a principles-based approach for determining revenue recognition using a new five step model. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 also includes new accounting principles related to the deferral and amortization of contract acquisition and fulfillment costs. We currently do not defer any contract acquisition costs, but we expect we will defer certain contract acquisition costs in the future, which could have the impact of lowering our operating expenses. We currently defer contract fulfillment costs only to the extent of any deferred revenue. Under ASU 2014-09, in certain transactions our deferred contract fulfillment costs could exceed our deferred revenues, which could result in an increase in deferred costs and could also have the impact of lowering our operating expenses. On July 9, 2015, the FASB approved the deferral of the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year until January 1, 2018, which is the date we plan to adopt this standard. ASU 2014-09 may be adopted by applying the provisions of this standard on a retrospective basis to the periods included in the financial statements or on a modified retrospective basis, which would result in the recognition of a cumulative effect of adopting ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of 2018. We have completed our initial assessment of our business and systems requirements, and we are currently developing and implementing a new revenue recognition system to comply with the requirements of ASU 2014-09. Based on this initial assessment, we currently plan to adopt the new revenue recognition standard under the modified retrospective transition method. Until we are further along in implementing our new revenue recognition system, we do not anticipate being able to provide reasonably accurate estimates of the impact of ASU 2014-09 on the timing of our revenue recognition.

Sale of Data Centers and Colo24

Sale of Data Centers and Colocation Business (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Schedule of disposal assets held-for-sale and liabilities attributable to disposal assets held-for-sale	As a result of the sale, we classified the following assets and liabilities as assets held for sale and liabilities associated with the assets held for sale, respectively, on our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2017 : Dollars in millions Goodwill $ 1,141 Property, plant and equipment 1,068 Other intangible assets 258 Other assets 37 Impairment on assets held for sale (11 ) Total amount classified as assets held for sale (1) $ 2,493 Capital lease obligations $ 297 Other liabilities 109 Total liabilities associated with assets held for sale $ 406 ________________________________________________________________________ (1) A portion of the assets equivalent to the estimated fair value of our anticipated minority stake in Cyxtera Technologies is reflected in non-current other assets on our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2017.

Long-Term Debt and Credit Fac25

Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of long-term debt including unamortized discounts and premiums	Long-term debt, including unamortized discounts and premiums and unamortized debt issuance costs, consisting of borrowings by CenturyLink, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries, including Qwest Corporation, Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. and Embarq Corporation and its subsidiaries ("Embarq"), were as follows: Interest Rates Maturities As of As of (Dollars in millions) CenturyLink, Inc. Senior notes 5.150% - 7.650% 2017 - 2042 $ 8,975 8,975 Credit facility and revolving line of credit (1) 4.750% 2019 375 370 Term loan 2.740% 2019 330 336 Subsidiaries Qwest Corporation Senior notes 6.125% - 7.750% 2017 - 2056 7,259 7,259 Term loan 2.740% 2025 100 100 Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. Senior notes 6.500% - 7.750% 2018 - 2031 981 981 Embarq Corporation and subsidiaries Senior note 7.995% 2036 1,485 1,485 First mortgage bonds 7.125% - 8.770% 2017 - 2025 223 223 Other 9.000% 2019 150 150 Capital lease and other obligations Various Various 423 440 Unamortized discounts, net (135 ) (133 ) Unamortized debt issuance costs (190 ) (193 ) Total long-term debt 19,976 19,993 Less current maturities not associated with assets held for sale (1,499 ) (1,503 ) Less capital lease obligations associated with assets held for sale (2) (297 ) (305 ) Long-term debt, excluding current maturities and capital leases obligations associated with assets held for sale $ 18,180 18,185 ______________________________________________________________________ (1) The aggregate amount outstanding on our Credit Facility and revolving line of credit borrowings at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 was $375 million and $370 million , respectively, with a weighted-average interest rate of 4.750% and 4.500% , respectively. These amounts change on a regular basis. (2) The capital lease obligations associated with our data centers and colocation business of $297 million as of March 31, 2017 were assumed by the Purchaser at closing. See Note 3—Sale of Data Centers and Colocation Business for additional information.

Severance and Leased Real Est26

Severance and Leased Real Estate (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Schedule of changes in accrued liabilities for severance expenses and leased real estate	Changes in our accrued liabilities for severance expenses and leased real estate were as follows: Severance Real Estate (Dollars in millions) Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 98 67 Accrued to expense 5 1 Payments, net (74 ) — Reversals and adjustments — (3 ) Balance at March 31, 2017 $ 29 65

Employee Benefits (Tables)

Employee Benefits (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of components of net periodic pension benefit (income) expense and post-retirement benefit expense	Net periodic benefit expense (income) for our qualified and non-qualified pension plans included the following components: Pension Plans Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Service cost $ 17 17 Interest cost 101 107 Expected return on plan assets (166 ) (184 ) Recognition of prior service credit (2 ) (2 ) Recognition of actuarial loss 51 42 Net periodic pension benefit expense (income) $ 1 (20 ) Net periodic benefit expense for our post-retirement benefit plans included the following components: Post-Retirement Benefit Plans Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Service cost $ 4 5 Interest cost 25 28 Expected return on plan assets — (2 ) Recognition of prior service cost 5 5 Net periodic post-retirement benefit expense $ 34 36

Earnings Per Common Share (Tabl

Earnings Per Common Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of basic and diluted earnings per common share	Basic and diluted earnings per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were calculated as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions, except per share amounts, shares in thousands) Income (Numerator): Net income $ 163 236 Earnings applicable to non-vested restricted stock — — Net income applicable to common stock for computing basic earnings per common share 163 236 Net income as adjusted for purposes of computing diluted earnings per common share $ 163 236 Shares (Denominator): Weighted-average number of shares: Outstanding during period 547,618 544,845 Non-vested restricted stock (7,160 ) (6,046 ) Weighted-average shares outstanding for computing basic earnings per common share 540,458 538,799 Incremental common shares attributable to dilutive securities: Shares issuable under convertible securities 10 10 Shares issuable under incentive compensation plans 1,054 1,378 Number of shares as adjusted for purposes of computing diluted earnings per common share 541,522 540,187 Basic earnings per common share $ 0.30 0.44 Diluted earnings per common share $ 0.30 0.44

Fair Value Disclosure (Tables)

Fair Value Disclosure (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of the three input levels in the hierarchy of fair value measurements	The three input levels in the hierarchy of fair value measurements are defined by the FASB generally as follows: Input Level Description of Input Level 1 Observable inputs such as quoted market prices in active markets. Level 2 Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable. Level 3 Unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists.
Schedule of carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt, excluding capital lease obligations, and input level to determine fair values	The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our long-term debt, excluding capital lease and other obligations, as well as the input level used to determine the fair values indicated below: As of March 31, 2017 As of December 31, 2016 Input Level Carrying Amount Fair Value Carrying Amount Fair Value (Dollars in millions) Liabilities—Long-term debt, excluding capital lease and other obligations 2 $ 19,553 20,095 19,553 19,639

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of segment results	The results of our enterprise and consumer segments are summarized below: Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Total segment revenues $ 3,768 3,931 Total segment expenses 1,930 1,930 Total segment income $ 1,838 2,001 Total margin percentage 49 % 51 % Enterprise segment: Revenues $ 2,356 2,442 Expenses 1,321 1,319 Income $ 1,035 1,123 Margin percentage 44 % 46 % Consumer segment: Revenues $ 1,412 1,489 Expenses 609 611 Income $ 803 878 Margin percentage 57 % 59 %
Schedule of operating revenues by products and services	Our operating revenue detail for our products and services consisted of the following categories: Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Strategic services Enterprise high-bandwidth data services (1) $ 769 738 Other enterprise strategic services (2) 315 315 IT and managed services (3) 152 162 Consumer broadband services (4) 661 667 Other consumer strategic services (5) 103 107 Total strategic services revenues 2,000 1,989 Legacy services Enterprise voice services (6) 573 622 Enterprise low-bandwidth data services (7) 314 365 Other enterprise legacy services (8) 268 287 Consumer voice services (6) 575 634 Other consumer legacy services (9) 73 80 Total legacy services revenues 1,803 1,988 Data integration Enterprise data integration 117 115 IT and managed services data integration 1 — Consumer data integration — 1 Total data integration revenues 118 116 Other revenues High-cost support revenue (10) 168 174 Other revenue (11) 120 134 Total other revenues 288 308 Total revenues $ 4,209 4,401 ______________________________________________________________________ (1) Includes MPLS and Ethernet revenue (2) Includes primarily colocation, broadband, VOIP and video revenue (3) Includes primarily IT services, managed hosting, cloud hosting and hosting area network revenue (4) Includes broadband and related services revenue (5) Includes video and other revenue (6) Includes local and long-distance voice revenue (7) Includes private line (including special access) revenue (8) Includes UNEs, public access, switched access and other ancillary revenue (9) Includes other ancillary revenue (10) Includes CAF Phase 1, CAF Phase 2 and federal and state USF support revenue (11) Includes USF surcharges
Reconciliation of operating profit (loss) from segments to consolidated net income	The following table reconciles total reportable segment income to net income: Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 (Dollars in millions) Total reportable segment income $ 1,838 2,001 Non-reportable segment revenues 153 162 Other operating revenues 288 308 Depreciation and amortization (880 ) (976 ) Other operating expenses (768 ) (807 ) Interest expense and other (expense) income, net (324 ) (308 ) Income before income tax expense 307 380 Income tax expense (144 ) (144 ) Net income $ 163 236

Other Financial Information (Ta

Other Financial Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Additional Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of components of other current assets	The following table presents details of other current assets in our consolidated balance sheets: As of As of (Dollars in millions) Prepaid expenses $ 272 206 Materials, supplies and inventory 138 134 Deferred activation and installation charges 105 101 Other 42 106 Total other current assets $ 557 547
Schedule of current liabilities including accounts payable and other current liabilities	Current liabilities reflected in our consolidated balance sheets include accounts payable and other current liabilities as follows: As of As of (Dollars in millions) Accounts payable $ 994 1,179 Other current liabilities: Accrued rent $ 28 31 Legal contingencies 25 30 Other 124 152 Total other current liabilities $ 177 213

Accumulated Other Comprehensi32

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Abstract]
Summary of the entity's accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component	The tables below summarize changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss recorded on our consolidated balance sheets by component for the three months ended March 31, 2017 : Pension Plans Post-Retirement Benefit Plans Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment and Other Total (Dollars in millions) Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (1,895 ) (162 ) (60 ) (2,117 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications — — (2 ) (2 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income 30 3 — 33 Net current-period other comprehensive income 30 3 (2 ) 31 Balance at March 31, 2017 $ (1,865 ) (159 ) (62 ) (2,086 )	The tables below summarize changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss recorded on our consolidated balance sheets by component for the three months ended March 31, 2016 : Pension Plans Post-Retirement Foreign Currency Total (Dollars in millions) Balance at December 31, 2015 $ (1,715 ) (180 ) (39 ) (1,934 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications — — (1 ) (1 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income 25 3 — 28 Net current-period other comprehensive income 25 3 (1 ) 27 Balance at March 31, 2016 $ (1,690 ) (177 ) (40 ) (1,907 )
Schedule of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component	The table below presents further information about our reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the three months ended March 31, 2017 : Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 Decrease (Increase) Affected Line Item in Consolidated Statement of (Dollars in millions) Amortization of pension & post-retirement plans (1) Net actuarial loss $ 51 Other (expense) income, net Prior service cost 3 Other (expense) income, net Total before tax 54 Income tax benefit (21 ) Income tax expense Net of tax $ 33 ________________________________________________________________________ (1) See Note 6—Employee Benefits for additional information on our net periodic benefit (expense) income related to our pension and post-retirement plans.	The table below presents further information about our reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the three months ended March 31, 2016 : Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 Decrease (Increase) Affected Line Item in Consolidated Statement of (Dollars in millions) Amortization of pension & post-retirement plans (1) Net actuarial loss $ 42 Other (expense) income, net Prior service cost 3 Other (expense) income, net Total before tax 45 Income tax benefit (17 ) Income tax expense Net of tax $ 28 ________________________________________________________________________ (1) See Note 6—Employee Benefits for additional information on our net periodic benefit (expense) income related to our pension and post-retirement plans.

Background (Details)

Background (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Income tax expense	$ 144	$ 144
Operating income	631	688
Total other expense, net	(324)	(308)
Restatement adjustment | Accounting Standards Update 2016-09
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Income tax expense	7
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09 | Restatement adjustment
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect on retained earnings, net of tax	3
Cumulative effect on retained earnings, tax	$ 2
Accounting Standards Update 2017-07 | Restatement adjustment | New accounting pronouncement, early adoption, effect
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating income		(6)
Total other expense, net		$ 6

Pending Acquisition of Level 3

Pending Acquisition of Level 3 (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Business acquisition
Outstanding long-term debt		$ 19,976	$ 19,993
Level 3 Communications, Inc. | Scenario, Forecast
Business acquisition
Price per share of stock in business acquisition (per share)	$ 26.50
Level 3 Communications, Inc. | Common Stock | Scenario, Forecast
Business acquisition
Stock issuable in business acquisition on a per share basis, Description	1.4286 of CenturyLink shares for each share of Level 3 common stock
CenturyLink, Inc. | Level 3 Communications, Inc. | Scenario, Forecast
Business acquisition
Business acquisition, ownership control (in percent)	51.00%
Level 3 Communications, Inc. | Level 3 Communications, Inc.
Business acquisition
Outstanding long-term debt			$ 10,900
Level 3 Communications, Inc. | Level 3 Communications, Inc. | Scenario, Forecast
Business acquisition
Business acquisition, ownership control (in percent)	49.00%

Sale of Data Centers and Colo35

Sale of Data Centers and Colocation Business (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	May 01, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Total amount classified as assets held for sale			$ 2,343	$ 2,376
Capital lease obligations			297	305
Total liabilities associated with assets held for sale			406	419
Income tax expense			144		$ 144
Colocation Business and Data Centers
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Capital lease obligations			297
Depreciation and amortization			50
Impairment charges on assets held for sale			11
Income tax expense			15	$ 18
Colocation Business and Data Centers | Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Goodwill			1,141
Property, plant and equipment			1,068
Other intangible assets			258
Other assets			37
Impairment on assets held for sale			(11)
Total amount classified as assets held for sale			2,493
Capital lease obligations			297
Other liabilities			109
Total liabilities associated with assets held for sale			$ 406
Scenario, Forecast | Minimum | Colocation Business and Data Centers
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income tax expense		$ 75
Scenario, Forecast | Maximum | Colocation Business and Data Centers
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income tax expense		$ 150
Subsequent event | Colocation Business and Data Centers
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Net proceeds from sales of data centers and colocation business	$ 1,860

Long-Term Debt and Credit Fac36

Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Capital lease and other obligations	$ 423	$ 440
Unamortized discounts, net	(135)	(133)
Unamortized debt issuance costs	(190)	(193)
Total long-term debt	19,976	19,993
Less current maturities not associated with assets held for sale	(1,499)	(1,503)
Less capital lease obligations associated with assets held for sale	(297)	(305)
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities and capital leases obligations associated with assets held for sale	18,180	18,185
CenturyLink, Inc. | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	8,975	8,975
CenturyLink, Inc. | Line of credit
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	$ 375	$ 370
Interest rate at period end - Credit facility and revolving line of credit (percent)	4.75%
Long-term debt, weighted average interest rate (percent)	4.75%	4.50%
CenturyLink, Inc. | Medium-term notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	$ 330	$ 336
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.74%
CenturyLink, Inc. | Minimum | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	5.15%
CenturyLink, Inc. | Maximum | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	7.65%
Qwest Corporation | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	$ 7,259	7,259
Qwest Corporation | Medium-term notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	$ 100	100
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.74%
Qwest Corporation | Minimum | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	6.125%
Qwest Corporation | Maximum | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	7.75%
Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	$ 981	981
Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. | Minimum | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	6.50%
Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. | Maximum | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	7.75%
Embarq Corporation | Senior notes
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	$ 1,485	1,485
Stated interest rate (percent)	7.995%
Embarq Corporation | First mortgage bonds
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	$ 223	223
Embarq Corporation | Other
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Long-term debt, gross	$ 150	$ 150
Stated interest rate (percent)	9.00%
Embarq Corporation | Minimum | First mortgage bonds
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	7.125%
Embarq Corporation | Maximum | First mortgage bonds
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	8.77%
Colocation Business and Data Centers
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Less capital lease obligations associated with assets held for sale	$ (297)

Long-Term Debt and Credit Fac37

Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities (Details 2) - Senior notes - USD ($) $ in Millions	Apr. 28, 2017	May 04, 2017	Apr. 03, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017
Embarq Corporation
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)				7.995%
Subsequent event | Qwest Corporation | 6.5% Notes due 2017
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Debt instrument, repurchased face amount		$ 500
Stated interest rate (percent)		6.50%
Subsequent event | Qwest Corporation | 6.75% Notes due 2057
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Stated interest rate (percent)	6.75%
Debt instrument, face amount	$ 575
Proceeds from debt, net of issuance costs	$ 555
Subsequent event | CenturyLink, Inc. | 6.00% Noted due 2017
Long-term Debt and Credit Facilities
Debt instrument, repurchased face amount			$ 500
Stated interest rate (percent)			6.00%

Long-Term Debt and Credit Fac38

Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities (Details 3)	Apr. 28, 2017
Subsequent event | Qwest Corporation | Senior notes | 6.75% Notes due 2057 | Debt instrument, redemption, period one
Debt Instrument, Redemption [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, redemption, description	redeemed by Qwest Corporation, in whole or in part, on or after June 15, 2022, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount

Severance and Leased Real Est39

Severance and Leased Real Estate (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)
Employee severance
Restructuring reserve
Balance at the beginning of the period	$ 98
Accrued to expense	5
Payments, net	(74)
Reversals and adjustments	0
Balance at the end of the period	29
Qwest Communications International Inc. | Leased real estate
Leased Real Estate
Current portion of leased real estate accrual	8
Noncurrent portion of leased real estate accrual	$ 57
Weighted average lease terms	7 years 7 months
Restructuring reserve
Balance at the beginning of the period	$ 67
Accrued to expense	1
Payments, net	0
Reversals and adjustments	(3)
Balance at the end of the period	$ 65
Qwest Communications International Inc. | Leased real estate | Minimum
Leased Real Estate
Remaining lease terms	11 months
Qwest Communications International Inc. | Leased real estate | Maximum
Leased Real Estate
Remaining lease terms	8 years 8 months

Employee Benefits (Details)

Employee Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017
Pension plans
Components of net periodic (benefit) expense
Service cost	$ 17	$ 17
Interest cost	101	107
Expected return on plan assets	(166)	(184)
Recognition of prior service (credit) cost	(2)	(2)
Recognition of actuarial loss	51	42
Net periodic benefit (income) expense	1	(20)
Post-retirement benefit plans
Components of net periodic (benefit) expense
Service cost	4	5
Interest cost	25	28
Expected return on plan assets	0	(2)
Recognition of prior service (credit) cost	5	5
Net periodic benefit (income) expense	$ 34	$ 36
Scenario, Forecast | Pension plans
Employee Benefits
Voluntary contributions to plan by employer			$ 100

Earnings Per Common Share (Deta

Earnings Per Common Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Income (Numerator):
Net income	$ 163	$ 236
Weighted average number of shares:
Weighted average shares outstanding for computing basic earnings per common share (in shares)	540,458	538,799
Incremental common shares attributable to dilutive securities:
Number of shares as adjusted for purposes of computing diluted earnings per common share (in shares)	541,522	540,187
Basic earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.30	$ 0.44
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.30	$ 0.44
Common Class A
Income (Numerator):
Net income	$ 163	$ 236
Earnings applicable to non-vested restricted stock	0	0
Net income applicable to common stock for computing basic earnings per common share	163	236
Net income as adjusted for purposes of computing diluted earnings per common share	$ 163	$ 236
Weighted average number of shares:
Outstanding during period (in shares)	547,618	544,845
Non-vested restricted stock (in shares)	(7,160)	(6,046)
Weighted average shares outstanding for computing basic earnings per common share (in shares)	540,458	538,799
Incremental common shares attributable to dilutive securities:
Shares issuable under convertible securities (in shares)	10	10
Shares issuable under incentive compensation plans (in shares)	1,054	1,378
Number of shares as adjusted for purposes of computing diluted earnings per common share (in shares)	541,522	540,187
Basic earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.30	$ 0.44
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.30	$ 0.44
Number of shares of common stock excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share (in shares)	4,300	3,100

Fair Value Disclosure (Details)

Fair Value Disclosure (Details) - Fair value measurements determined on a nonrecurring basis - Fair value inputs, Level 2 - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Carrying amount
Liabilities
Liabilities - Long-term debt, excluding capital lease and other obligations	$ 19,553	$ 19,553
Fair value
Liabilities
Liabilities - Long-term debt, excluding capital lease and other obligations	$ 20,095	$ 19,639

Segment Information (Details)

Segment Information (Details) $ in Millions	Jan. 10, 2017segment	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)
Segment information
Number of reportable segments (segments)	2	2
Revenues			$ 4,209	$ 4,401
Expenses			3,578	3,713
Total reportable segment income			631	688
Operating segments
Segment information
Revenues			3,768	3,931
Expenses			1,930	1,930
Total reportable segment income			$ 1,838	$ 2,001
Margin percentage (percent)			49.00%	51.00%
Enterprise
Segment information
Revenues			$ 2,356	$ 2,442
Expenses			1,321	1,319
Total reportable segment income			$ 1,035	$ 1,123
Margin percentage (percent)			44.00%	46.00%
Consumer
Segment information
Revenues			$ 1,412	$ 1,489
Expenses			609	611
Total reportable segment income			$ 803	$ 878
Margin percentage (percent)			57.00%	59.00%

Segment Information (Details 2)

Segment Information (Details 2) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)category	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)
Operating revenues by products and services
Number of categories of products and services (categories) | category	4
Revenues	$ 4,209	$ 4,401
Surcharge amount on customers' bills	130	146
Strategic services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	2,000	1,989
IT and managed services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	$ 152	162
Facilities-based video services
Operating revenues by products and services
Number of markets	16
Legacy services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	$ 1,803	1,988
Data integration
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	118	116
IT and managed services data integration
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	1	0
Other revenues
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	288	308
High cost support revenue
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	168	174
Other revenue
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	120	134
Enterprise
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	2,356	2,442
Enterprise | Enterprise high-bandwidth data services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	769	738
Enterprise | Other enterprise strategic services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	315	315
Enterprise | Voice services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	573	622
Enterprise | Enterprise low-bandwidth data services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	314	365
Enterprise | Other enterprise legacy services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	268	287
Enterprise | Data integration
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	117	115
Consumer
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	1,412	1,489
Consumer | Consumer broadband services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	661	667
Consumer | Other consumer strategic services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	103	107
Consumer | Voice services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	575	634
Consumer | Other consumer legacy services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	73	80
Consumer | Data integration
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues	$ 0	1
Enterprise low-bandwidth data services | Restatement adjustment | Enterprise | Strategic services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues		(365)
Enterprise low-bandwidth data services | Restatement adjustment | Enterprise | Legacy services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues		365
Other enterprise legacy services | Restatement adjustment | Enterprise | Strategic services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues		1
Other enterprise legacy services | Restatement adjustment | Enterprise | Legacy services
Operating revenues by products and services
Revenues		$ (1)

Segment Information (Details 3)

Segment Information (Details 3) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting, Reconciling Item for Operating Profit (Loss) from Segment to Consolidated [Line Items]
Total reportable segment income	$ 631	$ 688
Depreciation and amortization	(880)	(976)
Other operating expenses	(3,578)	(3,713)
Interest expense and other (expense) income, net	(324)	(308)
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX EXPENSE	307	380
Income tax expense	(144)	(144)
Net income	163	236
Operating segments
Segment Reporting, Reconciling Item for Operating Profit (Loss) from Segment to Consolidated [Line Items]
Total reportable segment income	1,838	2,001
Segment reconciling items
Segment Reporting, Reconciling Item for Operating Profit (Loss) from Segment to Consolidated [Line Items]
Non-reportable segment revenues	153	162
Other operating revenues	288	308
Depreciation and amortization	(880)	(976)
Other operating expenses	(768)	(807)
Interest expense and other (expense) income, net	(324)	(308)
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX EXPENSE	307	380
Income tax expense	$ (144)	$ (144)

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Details)	Oct. 14, 2011plaintiff	Feb. 28, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)plaintifflawsuit	Dec. 31, 2007USD ($)
Loss Contingencies
Patents allegedly infringed (at least)			1
Unfavorable regulatory action
Loss Contingencies
Estimate of possible loss (per proceeding)			$ 100,000
William Douglas Fulghum, et al. v. Embarq Corporation
Loss Contingencies
Effect of modifications made to Embarq's benefits program (greater than)				$ 300,000,000
Abbott et al. v. Sprint Nextel et al.
Loss Contingencies
Number of plaintiffs | plaintiff	1,500
Interexchange Carriers | Subsidiaries of CenturyLInk, Inc.
Loss Contingencies
Number of plaintiffs | plaintiff			3
Number of lawsuits (approximately) | lawsuit			100
Judicial ruling | Missouri municipalities
Loss Contingencies
Number of cases, final court order		1
Litigation settlement amount		$ 4,000,000

Other Financial Information (De

Other Financial Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Abstract]
Prepaid expenses	$ 272	$ 206
Materials, supplies and inventory	138	134
Deferred activation and installation charges	105	101
Other	42	106
Total other current assets	557	547
Accounts Payable, Current [Abstract]
Accounts payable	994	1,179
Book overdraft balance	41	56
Capital expenditures incurred but not yet paid	93	196
Other Current Liabilities
Accrued rent	28	31
Legal contingencies	25	30
Other	124	152
Total other current liabilities	$ 177	$ 213

Accumulated Other Comprehensi48

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Balance at beginning of period	$ 13,399
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component
Other comprehensive income	31	$ 27
Balance at end of period	13,306	14,036
Defined benefit plan
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	33	28
Defined benefit plan | Pension plans
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Balance at beginning of period	(1,895)	(1,715)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	0	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	30	25
Other comprehensive income	30	25
Balance at end of period	(1,865)	(1,690)
Defined benefit plan | Post-retirement benefit plans
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Balance at beginning of period	(162)	(180)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	0	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	3	3
Other comprehensive income	3	3
Balance at end of period	(159)	(177)
Foreign currency translation adjustment and other
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Balance at beginning of period	(60)	(39)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	(2)	(1)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	0	0
Other comprehensive income	(2)	(1)
Balance at end of period	(62)	(40)
Accumulated other comprehensive income
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Balance at beginning of period	(2,117)	(1,934)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	(2)	(1)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	33	28
Other comprehensive income	31	27
Balance at end of period	$ (2,086)	$ (1,907)

Accumulated Other Comprehensi49

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income loss by component
Other (expense) income, net	$ (6)	$ 23
Net actuarial loss | Amount reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss
Reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income loss by component
Other (expense) income, net	51	42
Prior service cost | Amount reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss
Reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income loss by component
Other (expense) income, net	3	3
Defined benefit plan
Reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income loss by component
Total before tax	(54)	(45)
Income tax benefit	(21)	(17)
Net of tax	$ 33	$ 28

Labor Union Contracts (Details)

Labor Union Contracts (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Employees subject to collective bargaining arrangements, expiring within subsequent calendar year
Concentration risk
Number of unionized employees	12,000
Workforce subject to collective bargaining arrangements, expiring October 7, 2017
Concentration risk
Number of unionized employees	10,000
Total number of employees | Unionized employees concentration risk
Concentration risk
Concentration risk (percent)	37.00%
Total number of employees | Unionized employees concentration risk | Employees subject to collective bargaining arrangements, expiring within subsequent calendar year
Concentration risk
Concentration risk (percent)	30.00%
Total number of employees | Unionized employees concentration risk | Workforce subject to collective bargaining arrangements, expiring October 7, 2017
Concentration risk
Concentration risk (percent)	25.00%