Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Leases

v3.20.1
Leases
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]  
Leases
Leases

Our leasing operations consist of various arrangements, where we act either (i) as the lessee (primarily related to our corporate and regional offices, teleport co-location arrangements and satellite bandwidth capacity leases), or (ii) as the lessor (for our owned equipment rented to connectivity customers). The foregoing table summarizes the impact of ASC 842 adoption on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):

 
Impact of Change in Accounting Policy --
as of December 31, 2019
 
As reported
 
ASC 842 Impact
 
Legacy GAAP
ASSETS
Right-of-use assets, net
 
 
 
 
 
Operating leases(1)(4)
$
28,261

 
$
(28,261
)
 
$

Finance lease(2)(4)
10,926

 
(10,926
)
 

Total Right-of-Use Assets
39,187

 
(39,187
)
 

Net lease investment -- other non-current assets(3)(4)
1,508

 
(1,508
)
 

Total Lease Assets
$
40,695

 
$
(40,695
)
 
$

 
 
 
 
 
 
Property and equipment, net(4)
$

 
$
(1,408
)
 
$
(1,408
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
LIABILITIES
Operating lease liabilities(1) -- current portion
$
8,319

 
$
(8,319
)
 
$

                                        -- long-term
23,636

 
(23,636
)
 

Finance lease liabilities(2) -- current portion
2,297

 
(2,297
)
 

                                    -- long-term
16,666

 
(16,666
)
 

Total Lease Liabilities
$
50,918

 
$
(50,918
)
 
$

(1) This includes arrangements for: (i) corporate and regional office operating leases, (ii) teleport co-location operating leases, and (iii) satellite bandwidth operating leases.
(2) This refers to the satellite bandwidth capacity arrangement assessed as a finance lease during the year ended December 31, 2019. The right-of-use asset balance as of December 31, 2019 included the unamortized lease incentive of $0.9 million and unamortized unfavorable contract liability of $6.7 million.
(3) This includes customer equipment arrangements classified as sales-type leases as of December 31, 2019. In addition, the Company elected the practical expedient which allows the use of hindsight in determining the lease term.
(4) All existing arrangements as of January 1, 2019 were not re-assessed as allowed under our ASC 842 implementation. Any new arrangements or modifications to existing contracts after January 1, 2019 adoption date are subject to lease assessment or re-assessment in accordance with ASC 842’s new accounting model.
The following describes the nature of our various leasing arrangements and the impact to our statement of operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019:
Real Estate Operating Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company has operating leases for office facilities throughout the United States and around the world. Upon inception of a contract, the Company evaluates if the contract, or part of the contract, contains a lease. A lease conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Leases include both a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The right-of-use asset represents the Company’s right to use the underlying asset in the lease, and it also includes prepaid lease payments. The lease liability represents the present value of the remaining lease payments discounted using the incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”). Maintenance and property tax expenses are accounted for on an accrual basis as variable lease cost. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term in general and administrative expense. Total lease expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $6.0 million.
The Company’s leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 10.0 years. Lease terms include renewal or termination options that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, the Company has made an accounting policy election to not record a right-of-use asset and associated lease liability on its condensed consolidated balance sheet. Total lease expense recorded for these short-term leases is immaterial for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019.
Teleport Co-Location Operating Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company engages certain bandwidth providers for teleport co-location services to deliver bandwidth to our network. These co-location service agreements typically include provisions for physical rack space at a third-party teleport facility. We have determined that the space provided for our equipment constitutes an operating lease. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
These leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 9.0 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services. Total lease cost recorded for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $1.2 million.
Satellite Bandwidth Operating & Finance Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company maintains agreements with satellite service providers to provide for satellite bandwidth capacity. The Company evaluates these arrangements for embedded leases when the Company has the right to control the use of a significant portion of the identified asset. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
Bandwidth Operating Leases
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for certain bandwidth capacity arrangements meeting the operating lease classification. These leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 2.0 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services. Total lease cost recorded for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $0.8 million.
For leases with a term of 12 months or less, the Company has made an accounting policy election to not record a right-of-use asset and associated lease liability on its condensed consolidated balance sheet. Total lease expense recorded for a short-term lease relating to our satellite bandwidth capacity agreement is $0.9 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019.
Bandwidth Finance Lease
During the quarter ended June 30, 2019, the Company modified an existing arrangement for bandwidth capacity that provided us with the right to control a significant portion of the identified asset. The modified agreement met the criteria of finance lease classification.
This finance lease has a remaining lease term of 6.5 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records amortization of right-of-use assets and interest accretion on finance lease liabilities as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services and interest expense, net, respectively. The following table provides the components of the finance lease cost for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
 
Amount
Amortization of right-of-use asset, net of lease incentive and contract liability credits
 
$
981

Interest accretion on finance lease liabilities
 
938

Total lease cost
 
$
1,919


Other Arrangements (as a Lessee)
The Company leases certain computer software and equipment facilities under finance leases that expire on various dates through 2022, for which the outstanding lease liability balance was assessed as not material as of December 31, 2019.
The Company reviews the carrying value of its right-of-use assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the recorded value may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amounts of the assets to the estimated future undiscounted cash flows, excluding financing costs. If the Company determines that an impairment exists, any related impairment loss is estimated based on fair values.
Equipment Held by Customers (as a Lessor)
The Company either sells or leases certain equipment (including antennas, modems and routers, among others) as part of the bandwidth service to our Maritime and Land Connectivity customers. We account for existing equipment lease transactions as operating leases. We recognize lease payments for operating leases as licensing and services revenue in our consolidated statement of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
We assess new equipment lease arrangements or modifications to existing equipment lease arrangements for operating or sales-type lease classification. The Company’s lease terms may give our customer’s options to extend the lease or have automatic renewals, the Company includes these terms when it is reasonably certain that the customer will exercise that option. We recognize investments in leases for sales-type leases when the risk and rewards of ownership are not fully transferred to the customer due to our continued involvement with the equipment. We allocate the total consideration in a contract assessed with a sales-type lease using the expected cost-plus margin and residual methods for the lease and non-lease components, respectively. The Company’s lease term includes any option to extend the lease when it is reasonably certain to be exercised based on consideration of all relevant economic factors.
The service revenues (with embedded operating equipment leases) and recognized revenues on sales-type equipment leases in which the Company acts as the lessor for the year ended December 31, 2019 is presented in the following table (in thousands):
 
Amount
Bandwidth service and equipment revenues(1)
$
117,339

Earned revenues on sales-type leases at commencement(2)
1,711

Total Licensing and Service Revenues -- Maritime and Land Connectivity
$
119,050


(1) This is presented as part of Revenues -- Licensing and services in our consolidated statement of operations, and includes the equipment lease component that is embedded in the overall bandwidth service arrangement. Since we adopted the practical expedient to not separate the lease and non-lease components as allowed with the ASC 842 implementation as of January 1, 2019, we will continue to classify existing embedded equipment arrangements as operating leases, to the extent unmodified.
(2) This includes the equipment lease revenues recognized at commencement date of the customer equipment arrangements classified as sales-type leases. As equipment leasing is a standard component in our connectivity business model, we present equipment revenues relating to these sales-type leases on a gross basis, and recognize a corresponding cost of sales equal to the net book value of the leased equipment. Interest income component is considered immaterial.
Supplemental Cash Flow Information, Weighted-Average Remaining Lease Term and Discount Rate
Because the rate implicit in each lease is not readily determinable, the Company uses its IBR to determine the present value of the lease payments. The following table discloses the weighted-average remaining lease term and IBR, as well as supplemental cash flow information for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
Amount
Supplemental cash flow information:
 
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities
$
7,027

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of finance lease liabilities
$
2,192

Right-of-use-assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations
$
9,564

Right-of-use-assets obtained in exchange for finance lease obligations
$
20,218

Weighted average remaining lease term:
 
Real estate operating leases
7.10 years

Teleport co-location operating leases
4.90 years

Satellite capacity operating leases
1.50 years

Satellite capacity finance lease
6.50 years

Weighted average IBR:
 
Real estate operating leases
8.17
%
Teleport co-location operating leases
8.90
%
Satellite capacity operating leases
7.49
%
Satellite capacity finance lease
8.30
%


Maturity Analysis
Undiscounted Cash Flows and Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet
The following table reflects a summary of the undiscounted cash flows on an annual basis and reconciliation to the Company’s lease assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
As a Lessee
 
As a Lessor
Years Ending December 31,
Real Estate
 
Satellite Capacity
 
Satellite Capacity
 
Teleport
Co-Location
 
Total
 
Equipment Held by Customers
Lease Classification
Operating
 
Finance
 
Operating
 
Operating
 
 
Sales-Type
2020
$
5,227

 
$
3,758

 
$
2,131

 
$
1,702

 
$
12,818

 
$
469

2021
4,962

 
3,758

 
791

 
1,554

 
11,065

 
464

2022
4,652

 
3,758

 

 
1,241

 
9,651

 
386

2023
3,651

 
3,758

 

 
561

 
7,970

 
258

2024
3,655

 
3,758

 

 
550

 
7,963

 
223

Thereafter
10,974

 
5,640

 

 
966

 
17,580

 

Total Future Lease Payments
33,121

 
24,430

 
2,922

 
6,574

 
67,047

 
1,800

Less: Imputed interest
(9,232
)
 
(5,467
)
 
(155
)
 
(1,275
)
 
(16,129
)
 
(292
)
Present Value of Lease Liabilities
$
23,889

 
$
18,963

 
$
2,767

 
$
5,299

 
$
50,918

 
 
Net Investment in Sales-Type Leases
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
1,508


The following is a schedule of future minimum lease payments for our operating leases as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2019
$
4,941

2020
4,593

2021
4,359

2022
3,818

2023
3,541

Thereafter
13,115

Total minimum lease payments
$
34,367


Maritime & Land MRC’s
The following is a schedule of future monthly recurring charges (“MRCs”) arising from our contractual arrangements with Maritime & Land Connectivity customers as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2020
$
80,459

2021
38,595

2022
7,680

2023 and thereafter
2,944

Total Maritime and Land Monthly Recurring Charges
$
129,678

The following is a schedule of future MRCs arising from our contractual arrangements with Maritime and Land Connectivity customers as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2019
$
89,111

2020
34,885

2021
20,594

2022
4,864

2023
2,396

Total Maritime and Land Monthly Recurring Charges
$
151,850


The book value of the equipment held by customers under operating leases, which are classified as “Equipment” in Note 5 - Property & Equipment, is as follows (in thousands):
 
December 31,
 
2019
 
2018
Equipment
 
 
 
Gross balance
$
57,369

 
$
57,162

Accumulated depreciation
(30,692
)
 
(27,987
)
Net Book Value
$
26,677

 
$
29,175

Leases
Leases

Our leasing operations consist of various arrangements, where we act either (i) as the lessee (primarily related to our corporate and regional offices, teleport co-location arrangements and satellite bandwidth capacity leases), or (ii) as the lessor (for our owned equipment rented to connectivity customers). The foregoing table summarizes the impact of ASC 842 adoption on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):

 
Impact of Change in Accounting Policy --
as of December 31, 2019
 
As reported
 
ASC 842 Impact
 
Legacy GAAP
ASSETS
Right-of-use assets, net
 
 
 
 
 
Operating leases(1)(4)
$
28,261

 
$
(28,261
)
 
$

Finance lease(2)(4)
10,926

 
(10,926
)
 

Total Right-of-Use Assets
39,187

 
(39,187
)
 

Net lease investment -- other non-current assets(3)(4)
1,508

 
(1,508
)
 

Total Lease Assets
$
40,695

 
$
(40,695
)
 
$

 
 
 
 
 
 
Property and equipment, net(4)
$

 
$
(1,408
)
 
$
(1,408
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
LIABILITIES
Operating lease liabilities(1) -- current portion
$
8,319

 
$
(8,319
)
 
$

                                        -- long-term
23,636

 
(23,636
)
 

Finance lease liabilities(2) -- current portion
2,297

 
(2,297
)
 

                                    -- long-term
16,666

 
(16,666
)
 

Total Lease Liabilities
$
50,918

 
$
(50,918
)
 
$

(1) This includes arrangements for: (i) corporate and regional office operating leases, (ii) teleport co-location operating leases, and (iii) satellite bandwidth operating leases.
(2) This refers to the satellite bandwidth capacity arrangement assessed as a finance lease during the year ended December 31, 2019. The right-of-use asset balance as of December 31, 2019 included the unamortized lease incentive of $0.9 million and unamortized unfavorable contract liability of $6.7 million.
(3) This includes customer equipment arrangements classified as sales-type leases as of December 31, 2019. In addition, the Company elected the practical expedient which allows the use of hindsight in determining the lease term.
(4) All existing arrangements as of January 1, 2019 were not re-assessed as allowed under our ASC 842 implementation. Any new arrangements or modifications to existing contracts after January 1, 2019 adoption date are subject to lease assessment or re-assessment in accordance with ASC 842’s new accounting model.
The following describes the nature of our various leasing arrangements and the impact to our statement of operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019:
Real Estate Operating Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company has operating leases for office facilities throughout the United States and around the world. Upon inception of a contract, the Company evaluates if the contract, or part of the contract, contains a lease. A lease conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Leases include both a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The right-of-use asset represents the Company’s right to use the underlying asset in the lease, and it also includes prepaid lease payments. The lease liability represents the present value of the remaining lease payments discounted using the incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”). Maintenance and property tax expenses are accounted for on an accrual basis as variable lease cost. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term in general and administrative expense. Total lease expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $6.0 million.
The Company’s leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 10.0 years. Lease terms include renewal or termination options that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, the Company has made an accounting policy election to not record a right-of-use asset and associated lease liability on its condensed consolidated balance sheet. Total lease expense recorded for these short-term leases is immaterial for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019.
Teleport Co-Location Operating Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company engages certain bandwidth providers for teleport co-location services to deliver bandwidth to our network. These co-location service agreements typically include provisions for physical rack space at a third-party teleport facility. We have determined that the space provided for our equipment constitutes an operating lease. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
These leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 9.0 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services. Total lease cost recorded for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $1.2 million.
Satellite Bandwidth Operating & Finance Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company maintains agreements with satellite service providers to provide for satellite bandwidth capacity. The Company evaluates these arrangements for embedded leases when the Company has the right to control the use of a significant portion of the identified asset. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
Bandwidth Operating Leases
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for certain bandwidth capacity arrangements meeting the operating lease classification. These leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 2.0 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services. Total lease cost recorded for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $0.8 million.
For leases with a term of 12 months or less, the Company has made an accounting policy election to not record a right-of-use asset and associated lease liability on its condensed consolidated balance sheet. Total lease expense recorded for a short-term lease relating to our satellite bandwidth capacity agreement is $0.9 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019.
Bandwidth Finance Lease
During the quarter ended June 30, 2019, the Company modified an existing arrangement for bandwidth capacity that provided us with the right to control a significant portion of the identified asset. The modified agreement met the criteria of finance lease classification.
This finance lease has a remaining lease term of 6.5 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records amortization of right-of-use assets and interest accretion on finance lease liabilities as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services and interest expense, net, respectively. The following table provides the components of the finance lease cost for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
 
Amount
Amortization of right-of-use asset, net of lease incentive and contract liability credits
 
$
981

Interest accretion on finance lease liabilities
 
938

Total lease cost
 
$
1,919


Other Arrangements (as a Lessee)
The Company leases certain computer software and equipment facilities under finance leases that expire on various dates through 2022, for which the outstanding lease liability balance was assessed as not material as of December 31, 2019.
The Company reviews the carrying value of its right-of-use assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the recorded value may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amounts of the assets to the estimated future undiscounted cash flows, excluding financing costs. If the Company determines that an impairment exists, any related impairment loss is estimated based on fair values.
Equipment Held by Customers (as a Lessor)
The Company either sells or leases certain equipment (including antennas, modems and routers, among others) as part of the bandwidth service to our Maritime and Land Connectivity customers. We account for existing equipment lease transactions as operating leases. We recognize lease payments for operating leases as licensing and services revenue in our consolidated statement of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
We assess new equipment lease arrangements or modifications to existing equipment lease arrangements for operating or sales-type lease classification. The Company’s lease terms may give our customer’s options to extend the lease or have automatic renewals, the Company includes these terms when it is reasonably certain that the customer will exercise that option. We recognize investments in leases for sales-type leases when the risk and rewards of ownership are not fully transferred to the customer due to our continued involvement with the equipment. We allocate the total consideration in a contract assessed with a sales-type lease using the expected cost-plus margin and residual methods for the lease and non-lease components, respectively. The Company’s lease term includes any option to extend the lease when it is reasonably certain to be exercised based on consideration of all relevant economic factors.
The service revenues (with embedded operating equipment leases) and recognized revenues on sales-type equipment leases in which the Company acts as the lessor for the year ended December 31, 2019 is presented in the following table (in thousands):
 
Amount
Bandwidth service and equipment revenues(1)
$
117,339

Earned revenues on sales-type leases at commencement(2)
1,711

Total Licensing and Service Revenues -- Maritime and Land Connectivity
$
119,050


(1) This is presented as part of Revenues -- Licensing and services in our consolidated statement of operations, and includes the equipment lease component that is embedded in the overall bandwidth service arrangement. Since we adopted the practical expedient to not separate the lease and non-lease components as allowed with the ASC 842 implementation as of January 1, 2019, we will continue to classify existing embedded equipment arrangements as operating leases, to the extent unmodified.
(2) This includes the equipment lease revenues recognized at commencement date of the customer equipment arrangements classified as sales-type leases. As equipment leasing is a standard component in our connectivity business model, we present equipment revenues relating to these sales-type leases on a gross basis, and recognize a corresponding cost of sales equal to the net book value of the leased equipment. Interest income component is considered immaterial.
Supplemental Cash Flow Information, Weighted-Average Remaining Lease Term and Discount Rate
Because the rate implicit in each lease is not readily determinable, the Company uses its IBR to determine the present value of the lease payments. The following table discloses the weighted-average remaining lease term and IBR, as well as supplemental cash flow information for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
Amount
Supplemental cash flow information:
 
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities
$
7,027

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of finance lease liabilities
$
2,192

Right-of-use-assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations
$
9,564

Right-of-use-assets obtained in exchange for finance lease obligations
$
20,218

Weighted average remaining lease term:
 
Real estate operating leases
7.10 years

Teleport co-location operating leases
4.90 years

Satellite capacity operating leases
1.50 years

Satellite capacity finance lease
6.50 years

Weighted average IBR:
 
Real estate operating leases
8.17
%
Teleport co-location operating leases
8.90
%
Satellite capacity operating leases
7.49
%
Satellite capacity finance lease
8.30
%


Maturity Analysis
Undiscounted Cash Flows and Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet
The following table reflects a summary of the undiscounted cash flows on an annual basis and reconciliation to the Company’s lease assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
As a Lessee
 
As a Lessor
Years Ending December 31,
Real Estate
 
Satellite Capacity
 
Satellite Capacity
 
Teleport
Co-Location
 
Total
 
Equipment Held by Customers
Lease Classification
Operating
 
Finance
 
Operating
 
Operating
 
 
Sales-Type
2020
$
5,227

 
$
3,758

 
$
2,131

 
$
1,702

 
$
12,818

 
$
469

2021
4,962

 
3,758

 
791

 
1,554

 
11,065

 
464

2022
4,652

 
3,758

 

 
1,241

 
9,651

 
386

2023
3,651

 
3,758

 

 
561

 
7,970

 
258

2024
3,655

 
3,758

 

 
550

 
7,963

 
223

Thereafter
10,974

 
5,640

 

 
966

 
17,580

 

Total Future Lease Payments
33,121

 
24,430

 
2,922

 
6,574

 
67,047

 
1,800

Less: Imputed interest
(9,232
)
 
(5,467
)
 
(155
)
 
(1,275
)
 
(16,129
)
 
(292
)
Present Value of Lease Liabilities
$
23,889

 
$
18,963

 
$
2,767

 
$
5,299

 
$
50,918

 
 
Net Investment in Sales-Type Leases
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
1,508


The following is a schedule of future minimum lease payments for our operating leases as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2019
$
4,941

2020
4,593

2021
4,359

2022
3,818

2023
3,541

Thereafter
13,115

Total minimum lease payments
$
34,367


Maritime & Land MRC’s
The following is a schedule of future monthly recurring charges (“MRCs”) arising from our contractual arrangements with Maritime & Land Connectivity customers as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2020
$
80,459

2021
38,595

2022
7,680

2023 and thereafter
2,944

Total Maritime and Land Monthly Recurring Charges
$
129,678

The following is a schedule of future MRCs arising from our contractual arrangements with Maritime and Land Connectivity customers as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2019
$
89,111

2020
34,885

2021
20,594

2022
4,864

2023
2,396

Total Maritime and Land Monthly Recurring Charges
$
151,850


The book value of the equipment held by customers under operating leases, which are classified as “Equipment” in Note 5 - Property & Equipment, is as follows (in thousands):
 
December 31,
 
2019
 
2018
Equipment
 
 
 
Gross balance
$
57,369

 
$
57,162

Accumulated depreciation
(30,692
)
 
(27,987
)
Net Book Value
$
26,677

 
$
29,175

Leases
Leases

Our leasing operations consist of various arrangements, where we act either (i) as the lessee (primarily related to our corporate and regional offices, teleport co-location arrangements and satellite bandwidth capacity leases), or (ii) as the lessor (for our owned equipment rented to connectivity customers). The foregoing table summarizes the impact of ASC 842 adoption on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):

 
Impact of Change in Accounting Policy --
as of December 31, 2019
 
As reported
 
ASC 842 Impact
 
Legacy GAAP
ASSETS
Right-of-use assets, net
 
 
 
 
 
Operating leases(1)(4)
$
28,261

 
$
(28,261
)
 
$

Finance lease(2)(4)
10,926

 
(10,926
)
 

Total Right-of-Use Assets
39,187

 
(39,187
)
 

Net lease investment -- other non-current assets(3)(4)
1,508

 
(1,508
)
 

Total Lease Assets
$
40,695

 
$
(40,695
)
 
$

 
 
 
 
 
 
Property and equipment, net(4)
$

 
$
(1,408
)
 
$
(1,408
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
LIABILITIES
Operating lease liabilities(1) -- current portion
$
8,319

 
$
(8,319
)
 
$

                                        -- long-term
23,636

 
(23,636
)
 

Finance lease liabilities(2) -- current portion
2,297

 
(2,297
)
 

                                    -- long-term
16,666

 
(16,666
)
 

Total Lease Liabilities
$
50,918

 
$
(50,918
)
 
$

(1) This includes arrangements for: (i) corporate and regional office operating leases, (ii) teleport co-location operating leases, and (iii) satellite bandwidth operating leases.
(2) This refers to the satellite bandwidth capacity arrangement assessed as a finance lease during the year ended December 31, 2019. The right-of-use asset balance as of December 31, 2019 included the unamortized lease incentive of $0.9 million and unamortized unfavorable contract liability of $6.7 million.
(3) This includes customer equipment arrangements classified as sales-type leases as of December 31, 2019. In addition, the Company elected the practical expedient which allows the use of hindsight in determining the lease term.
(4) All existing arrangements as of January 1, 2019 were not re-assessed as allowed under our ASC 842 implementation. Any new arrangements or modifications to existing contracts after January 1, 2019 adoption date are subject to lease assessment or re-assessment in accordance with ASC 842’s new accounting model.
The following describes the nature of our various leasing arrangements and the impact to our statement of operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019:
Real Estate Operating Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company has operating leases for office facilities throughout the United States and around the world. Upon inception of a contract, the Company evaluates if the contract, or part of the contract, contains a lease. A lease conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Leases include both a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The right-of-use asset represents the Company’s right to use the underlying asset in the lease, and it also includes prepaid lease payments. The lease liability represents the present value of the remaining lease payments discounted using the incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”). Maintenance and property tax expenses are accounted for on an accrual basis as variable lease cost. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term in general and administrative expense. Total lease expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $6.0 million.
The Company’s leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 10.0 years. Lease terms include renewal or termination options that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, the Company has made an accounting policy election to not record a right-of-use asset and associated lease liability on its condensed consolidated balance sheet. Total lease expense recorded for these short-term leases is immaterial for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019.
Teleport Co-Location Operating Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company engages certain bandwidth providers for teleport co-location services to deliver bandwidth to our network. These co-location service agreements typically include provisions for physical rack space at a third-party teleport facility. We have determined that the space provided for our equipment constitutes an operating lease. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
These leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 9.0 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services. Total lease cost recorded for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $1.2 million.
Satellite Bandwidth Operating & Finance Leases (as a Lessee)
The Company maintains agreements with satellite service providers to provide for satellite bandwidth capacity. The Company evaluates these arrangements for embedded leases when the Company has the right to control the use of a significant portion of the identified asset. The Company has elected to separate the lease and non-lease components.
Bandwidth Operating Leases
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for certain bandwidth capacity arrangements meeting the operating lease classification. These leases have remaining lease terms of one year to 2.0 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services. Total lease cost recorded for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was $0.8 million.
For leases with a term of 12 months or less, the Company has made an accounting policy election to not record a right-of-use asset and associated lease liability on its condensed consolidated balance sheet. Total lease expense recorded for a short-term lease relating to our satellite bandwidth capacity agreement is $0.9 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019.
Bandwidth Finance Lease
During the quarter ended June 30, 2019, the Company modified an existing arrangement for bandwidth capacity that provided us with the right to control a significant portion of the identified asset. The modified agreement met the criteria of finance lease classification.
This finance lease has a remaining lease term of 6.5 years as of December 31, 2019. The Company records amortization of right-of-use assets and interest accretion on finance lease liabilities as part of cost of sales -- licensing and services and interest expense, net, respectively. The following table provides the components of the finance lease cost for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
 
Amount
Amortization of right-of-use asset, net of lease incentive and contract liability credits
 
$
981

Interest accretion on finance lease liabilities
 
938

Total lease cost
 
$
1,919


Other Arrangements (as a Lessee)
The Company leases certain computer software and equipment facilities under finance leases that expire on various dates through 2022, for which the outstanding lease liability balance was assessed as not material as of December 31, 2019.
The Company reviews the carrying value of its right-of-use assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the recorded value may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amounts of the assets to the estimated future undiscounted cash flows, excluding financing costs. If the Company determines that an impairment exists, any related impairment loss is estimated based on fair values.
Equipment Held by Customers (as a Lessor)
The Company either sells or leases certain equipment (including antennas, modems and routers, among others) as part of the bandwidth service to our Maritime and Land Connectivity customers. We account for existing equipment lease transactions as operating leases. We recognize lease payments for operating leases as licensing and services revenue in our consolidated statement of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
We assess new equipment lease arrangements or modifications to existing equipment lease arrangements for operating or sales-type lease classification. The Company’s lease terms may give our customer’s options to extend the lease or have automatic renewals, the Company includes these terms when it is reasonably certain that the customer will exercise that option. We recognize investments in leases for sales-type leases when the risk and rewards of ownership are not fully transferred to the customer due to our continued involvement with the equipment. We allocate the total consideration in a contract assessed with a sales-type lease using the expected cost-plus margin and residual methods for the lease and non-lease components, respectively. The Company’s lease term includes any option to extend the lease when it is reasonably certain to be exercised based on consideration of all relevant economic factors.
The service revenues (with embedded operating equipment leases) and recognized revenues on sales-type equipment leases in which the Company acts as the lessor for the year ended December 31, 2019 is presented in the following table (in thousands):
 
Amount
Bandwidth service and equipment revenues(1)
$
117,339

Earned revenues on sales-type leases at commencement(2)
1,711

Total Licensing and Service Revenues -- Maritime and Land Connectivity
$
119,050


(1) This is presented as part of Revenues -- Licensing and services in our consolidated statement of operations, and includes the equipment lease component that is embedded in the overall bandwidth service arrangement. Since we adopted the practical expedient to not separate the lease and non-lease components as allowed with the ASC 842 implementation as of January 1, 2019, we will continue to classify existing embedded equipment arrangements as operating leases, to the extent unmodified.
(2) This includes the equipment lease revenues recognized at commencement date of the customer equipment arrangements classified as sales-type leases. As equipment leasing is a standard component in our connectivity business model, we present equipment revenues relating to these sales-type leases on a gross basis, and recognize a corresponding cost of sales equal to the net book value of the leased equipment. Interest income component is considered immaterial.
Supplemental Cash Flow Information, Weighted-Average Remaining Lease Term and Discount Rate
Because the rate implicit in each lease is not readily determinable, the Company uses its IBR to determine the present value of the lease payments. The following table discloses the weighted-average remaining lease term and IBR, as well as supplemental cash flow information for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
Amount
Supplemental cash flow information:
 
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities
$
7,027

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of finance lease liabilities
$
2,192

Right-of-use-assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations
$
9,564

Right-of-use-assets obtained in exchange for finance lease obligations
$
20,218

Weighted average remaining lease term:
 
Real estate operating leases
7.10 years

Teleport co-location operating leases
4.90 years

Satellite capacity operating leases
1.50 years

Satellite capacity finance lease
6.50 years

Weighted average IBR:
 
Real estate operating leases
8.17
%
Teleport co-location operating leases
8.90
%
Satellite capacity operating leases
7.49
%
Satellite capacity finance lease
8.30
%


Maturity Analysis
Undiscounted Cash Flows and Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet
The following table reflects a summary of the undiscounted cash flows on an annual basis and reconciliation to the Company’s lease assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
 
As a Lessee
 
As a Lessor
Years Ending December 31,
Real Estate
 
Satellite Capacity
 
Satellite Capacity
 
Teleport
Co-Location
 
Total
 
Equipment Held by Customers
Lease Classification
Operating
 
Finance
 
Operating
 
Operating
 
 
Sales-Type
2020
$
5,227

 
$
3,758

 
$
2,131

 
$
1,702

 
$
12,818

 
$
469

2021
4,962

 
3,758

 
791

 
1,554

 
11,065

 
464

2022
4,652

 
3,758

 

 
1,241

 
9,651

 
386

2023
3,651

 
3,758

 

 
561

 
7,970

 
258

2024
3,655

 
3,758

 

 
550

 
7,963

 
223

Thereafter
10,974

 
5,640

 

 
966

 
17,580

 

Total Future Lease Payments
33,121

 
24,430

 
2,922

 
6,574

 
67,047

 
1,800

Less: Imputed interest
(9,232
)
 
(5,467
)
 
(155
)
 
(1,275
)
 
(16,129
)
 
(292
)
Present Value of Lease Liabilities
$
23,889

 
$
18,963

 
$
2,767

 
$
5,299

 
$
50,918

 
 
Net Investment in Sales-Type Leases
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
1,508


The following is a schedule of future minimum lease payments for our operating leases as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2019
$
4,941

2020
4,593

2021
4,359

2022
3,818

2023
3,541

Thereafter
13,115

Total minimum lease payments
$
34,367


Maritime & Land MRC’s
The following is a schedule of future monthly recurring charges (“MRCs”) arising from our contractual arrangements with Maritime & Land Connectivity customers as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2020
$
80,459

2021
38,595

2022
7,680

2023 and thereafter
2,944

Total Maritime and Land Monthly Recurring Charges
$
129,678

The following is a schedule of future MRCs arising from our contractual arrangements with Maritime and Land Connectivity customers as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands):
Years Ending December 31,
Amount
2019
$
89,111

2020
34,885

2021
20,594

2022
4,864

2023
2,396

Total Maritime and Land Monthly Recurring Charges
$
151,850


The book value of the equipment held by customers under operating leases, which are classified as “Equipment” in Note 5 - Property & Equipment, is as follows (in thousands):
 
December 31,
 
2019
 
2018
Equipment
 
 
 
Gross balance
$
57,369

 
$
57,162

Accumulated depreciation
(30,692
)
 
(27,987
)
Net Book Value
$
26,677

 
$
29,175