Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Basis of Presentation

v3.22.1
Basis of Presentation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Basis of Presentation  
Basis of Presentation

(1) Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Liberty Broadband Corporation and its controlled subsidiaries (collectively, "Liberty Broadband," the "Company," “us,” “we,” or “our” unless the context otherwise requires). Liberty Broadband Corporation is primarily comprised of GCI Holdings, LLC (“GCI Holdings”), a wholly owned subsidiary, and an equity method investment in Charter Communications, Inc. (“Charter”).

On December 18, 2020, GCI Liberty, Inc. (“GCI Liberty”) was merged with Liberty Broadband (the “Combination”) and Liberty Broadband acquired GCI Holdings, as further described in Liberty Broadband's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

The accompanying (a) condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and (b) interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results for such periods have been included. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. Additionally, certain prior period amounts have been reclassified for comparability with current period presentation. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in Liberty Broadband's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Company considers (i) the application of the equity method of accounting for its affiliate, (ii) non-recurring fair value measurements of non-financial instruments and (iii) accounting for income taxes to be its most significant estimates.

In December 2019, Chinese officials reported a novel coronavirus outbreak (“COVID-19”). COVID-19 has since spread through China and internationally. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization assessed COVID-19 as a global pandemic, causing many countries throughout the world to take aggressive actions, including imposing travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders, closing public attractions and restaurants, and mandating social distancing practices, which caused a significant disruption to most sectors of the economy at varying levels during the periods covered by the financial statements.

We are not presently aware of any events or circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic that would require us to update our estimates or judgments or revise the carrying value of our assets or liabilities. Our estimates may change, however, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and any such changes will be recognized in the condensed consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from estimates, and any such differences may be material to our financial statements.

Through a number of prior years’ transactions, including the Combination, Liberty Broadband has acquired an interest in Charter. The investment in Charter is accounted for using the equity method. Liberty Broadband does not control the decision making process or business management practices of this affiliate. Accordingly, Liberty Broadband relies on the management of this affiliate to provide it with accurate financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP that the Company uses in the application of the equity method. In addition, Liberty Broadband relies on audit reports that are provided by the affiliate's independent auditor on the financial statements of such affiliate. The Company is not aware, however, of any errors in or possible misstatements of the financial information provided by its equity affiliate that would have a material effect on Liberty Broadband's condensed consolidated financial statements.

Skyhook Holdings, Inc. (“Skyhook”) was a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Broadband until its sale on May 2, 2022 for net proceeds of approximately $170 million. Skyhook is not presented as held-for-sale as of March 31, 2022 as it is not material to Liberty Broadband’s consolidated financial statements and Skyhook will not be presented as a discontinued operation upon closing of the sale as the sale did not represent a strategic shift that had a major effect on Liberty Broadband’s operations and financial results.

As described in note 4, we are currently participating in Charter’s share buyback program in order to maintain our fully diluted ownership percentage of 26%. The primary use of those proceeds has been to repurchase Liberty Broadband Series A and Series C common stock pursuant to our authorized share repurchase programs. On February 23, 2021, the board of directors authorized the repurchase of $2.23 billion of Liberty Broadband Series A and Series C common stock. Additionally, on August 5, 2021, the board of directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $2.105 billion of Liberty Broadband Series A and Series C common stock. Further, on January 26, 2022, a duly authorized committee of the board of directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $2.215 billion of Liberty Broadband Series A and Series C common stock.

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, we repurchased 5.7 million shares of Series A and Series C common stock for a total purchase price of $843 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, we repurchased 4.9 million shares of Series C common stock for a total purchase price of $738 million. As of March 31, 2022, the amount authorized remaining under the authorized repurchase program is approximately $2.0 billion.

Spin-Off Arrangements

During May 2014, the board of directors of Liberty Media Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Liberty”) authorized management to pursue a plan to spin-off to its stockholders common stock of a wholly owned subsidiary, Liberty Broadband, and to distribute subscription rights to acquire shares of Liberty Broadband’s common stock (the “Broadband Spin-Off”). In connection with the Broadband Spin-Off, Liberty (for accounting purposes a related party of the Company) and Liberty Broadband entered into certain agreements in order to govern certain of the ongoing relationships between the two companies and to provide for an orderly transition, including a services agreement and a facilities sharing agreement. Under the facilities sharing agreement, Liberty Broadband shares office space with Liberty and related amenities at Liberty’s corporate headquarters. Liberty Broadband will reimburse Liberty for direct, out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Liberty in providing these services which will be negotiated semi-annually.

Pursuant to the services agreement, Liberty provides Liberty Broadband with general and administrative services including legal, tax, accounting, treasury and investor relations support. In December 2019, the Company entered into an amendment to the services agreement with Liberty in connection with Liberty’s entry into a new employment arrangement with Gregory B. Maffei, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Under the amended services agreement, components of his compensation would either be paid directly to him by each of the Company, Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. and Qurate Retail, Inc. (“Qurate Retail”) (collectively, the “Service Companies”) or reimbursed to Liberty, in each case, based on allocations among Liberty and the Service Companies set forth in the amended services agreement, currently set at 33% for the Company but subject to adjustment on an annual basis upon the occurrence of certain events.

Additionally, in connection with a prior transaction, GCI Liberty and Qurate Retail (for accounting purposes a related party of the Company) entered into a tax sharing agreement, which was assumed by Liberty Broadband as a result of the Combination. The tax sharing agreement provides for the allocation and indemnification of tax liabilities and benefits between Qurate Retail and Liberty Broadband and other agreements related to tax matters.

Under these various agreements, amounts reimbursable to Liberty were approximately $3 million and $4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Liberty Broadband had a tax sharing receivable with Qurate Retail of $63 million and $86 million as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Recently Announced Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued new accounting guidance which will require annual disclosures about certain government transactions that are accounted for by applying a grant or contribution accounting model by analogy, including information about the nature of the transactions, the related policy used to account for the transactions, the amounts applicable to each financial statement line item and any significant terms and conditions of the transactions, including commitments and contingencies. This guidance is effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect a significant impact from the adoption of the standard but is currently evaluating the effect that the updated standard will have on its financial disclosures.