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Altice USA, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2020 September (Form 10-Q)



UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
 For the quarterly period endedSeptember 30, 2020
 
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
 For the transition period from to 
 
Commission File NumberRegistrant; State of Incorporation; Address and Telephone Number IRS Employer Identification No.
    
001-38126
atus-20200930_g1.jpg
38-3980194
Altice USA, Inc.
  Delaware  
  1 Court Square West  
  Long Island City, New York11101  
 (516)803-2300 
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes
No
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files).
Yes
No

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer", "accelerated filer", "smaller reporting company", and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one)
Large Accelerated FilerAccelerated filer
Non-accelerated filerSmaller reporting company
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)Emerging growth company





If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).
YesNo
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTrading SymbolName of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share ATUSNYSE
Number of shares of common stock outstanding as of October 23, 2020558,409,957 





ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORM 10-Q
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements  
ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Balance Sheets - September 30, 2020 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2019
Consolidated Statements of Operations - Three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - Three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity - Three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)
Combined Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
Supplemental Financial Statements Furnished: 
CSC HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Balance Sheets - September 30, 2020 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2019
Consolidated Statements of Operations - Three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - Three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)
Consolidated Statements of Member's Equity - Three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)
Combined Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Item 6. Exhibits
SIGNATURES




1



Part I.    FINANCIAL INFORMATION
This Form 10-Q contains statements that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended.  In this Form 10-Q there are statements concerning our future operating results and future financial performance.  Words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "may", "will", "should", "could", "potential", "continue", "intends", "plans" and similar words and terms used in the discussion of future operating results, future financial performance and future events identify forward-looking statements.  Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, results or events and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results or developments may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. 
We operate in a highly competitive, consumer and technology driven and rapidly changing business that is affected by government regulation and economic, strategic, technological, political and social conditions. Various factors could adversely affect our operations, business or financial results in the future and cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements include:
competition for broadband, video and telephony customers from existing competitors (such as broadband communications companies, direct broadcast satellite ("DBS") providers and Internet-based providers) and new competitors entering our footprint;
changes in consumer preferences, laws and regulations or technology that may cause us to change our operational strategies;
increased difficulty negotiating programming agreements on favorable terms, if at all, resulting in increased costs to us and/or the loss of popular programming;
increasing programming costs and delivery expenses related to our products and services;
our ability to achieve anticipated customer and revenue growth, to successfully introduce new products and services and to implement our growth strategy;
our ability to complete our capital investment plans on time and on budget, including our plan to build a fiber-to-the-home ("FTTH") network, and deploy Altice One, our home communications hub;
our ability to develop mobile voice and data services and our ability to attract customers to these services;
the effects of economic conditions or other factors which may negatively affect our customers’ demand for our current and future products and services;
the effects of industry conditions;
demand for digital and linear advertising products and services;
our substantial indebtedness and debt service obligations;
adverse changes in the credit market;
changes as a result of any tax reforms that may affect our business;
financial community and rating agency perceptions of our business, operations, financial condition and the industries in which we operate;
the restrictions contained in our financing agreements;
our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our debt service obligations;
fluctuations in interest rates which may cause our interest expense to vary from quarter to quarter;
technical failures, equipment defects, physical or electronic break-ins to our services, computer viruses and similar problems;



2


the disruption or failure of our network, information systems or technologies as a result of computer hacking, computer viruses, "cyber-attacks," misappropriation of data, outages, natural disasters, and other material events;
the impact from the coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic;
our ability to obtain necessary hardware, software, communications equipment and services and other items from our vendors at reasonable costs;
our ability to effectively integrate acquisitions and to maximize expected operating efficiencies from our acquisitions or as a result of the transactions, if any;
significant unanticipated increases in the use of bandwidth-intensive Internet-based services;
the outcome of litigation, government investigations and other proceedings;
our ability to successfully operate our business following the completion of our separation from Altice Europe; and
other risks and uncertainties inherent in our cable and other broadband communications businesses and our other businesses, including those listed under the caption "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contained in Altice USA's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filed on February 14, 2020 (the "Annual Report") and in "Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors" included herein.
These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any of our forward-looking statements.
Given these uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this Quarterly Report. Except to the extent required by law, we do not undertake, and specifically decline any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of such statements to reflect future events or developments. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.
You should read this Quarterly Report with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
Certain numerical figures included in this Quarterly Report have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, such numerical figures shown as totals in various tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them.



3


Item 1. Financial Statements
ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents$119,055 $701,898 
Restricted cash865,270 262 
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts of $40,839 and $14,683)
405,005 457,118 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets215,973 215,304 
Amounts due from affiliates1,583 6,774 
Total current assets1,606,886 1,381,356 
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $6,158,261 and $5,276,921
5,760,704 5,753,401 
Right-of-use operating lease assets237,497 280,340 
Investment securities pledged as collateral1,987,109 1,931,697 
Derivative contracts27,798 25,207 
Other assets
89,741 92,622 
Amortizable intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $4,227,398 and $3,670,679
2,961,759 3,481,109 
Indefinite-lived cable television franchises13,068,017 13,020,081 
Goodwill8,160,501 8,142,309 
Total assets$33,900,012 $34,108,122 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
4



ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (continued)
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable$837,506 $799,618 
Interest payable223,965 385,655 
Accrued employee related costs125,052 111,337 
Amounts due to affiliates5,642 7,456 
Deferred revenue127,501 124,777 
Debt226,032 170,682 
Other current liabilities416,009 378,954 
Total current liabilities1,961,707 1,978,479 
Other liabilities230,416 204,904 
Deferred tax liability4,850,241 4,762,595 
Liabilities under derivative contracts366,814 255,666 
Right-of-use operating lease liability253,430 269,062 
Long-term debt, net of current maturities25,476,051 24,249,603 
Total liabilities33,138,659 31,720,309 
Commitments and contingencies (Note 16)
Redeemable equity16,010 108,551 
Stockholders' Equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding
— — 
Class A common stock: $0.01 par value, 4,000,000,000 shares authorized, 383,862,589 shares issued and 377,121,626 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and 457,207,079 shares issued and 446,749,307 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019
3,839 4,572 
Class B common stock: $0.01 par value, 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 490,086,674 issued, 186,031,999 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and 186,245,832 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019
1,860 1,862 
Class C common stock: $0.01 par value, 4,000,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding
— — 
Paid-in capital405,043 2,039,918 
Retained earnings 496,477 390,766 
907,219 2,437,118 
Treasury stock, at cost (6,740,963 and 10,457,772 Class A common shares at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively)
(163,867)(163,904)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(8,806)(3,250)
Total stockholders' equity 734,546 2,269,964 
Noncontrolling interest10,797 9,298 
Total stockholders' equity 745,343 2,279,262 
 $33,900,012 $34,108,122 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
5


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2020201920202019
Revenue (including revenue from affiliates of $4,188, $70, $11,055, and $1,158 respectively) (See Note 15)
$2,433,986 $2,438,662 $7,359,221 $7,286,310 
Operating expenses:
Programming and other direct costs (including charges from affiliates of $3,621, $3,508, $7,548 and $7,282, respectively) (See Note 15)
783,934 820,896 2,509,323 2,452,875 
Other operating expenses (including charges from affiliates of $2,413, $1,602, $8,515 and $5,868, respectively) (See Note 15)
558,092 568,233 1,683,038 1,702,124 
Restructuring and other expense
40,419 12,381 88,679 39,090 
Depreciation and amortization (including impairments)
502,248 565,637 1,571,611 1,695,685 
 1,884,693 1,967,147 5,852,651 5,889,774 
Operating income549,293 471,515 1,506,570 1,396,536 
Other income (expense):
Interest expense
(322,618)(388,800)(1,038,854)(1,158,301)
Interest income164 1,524 1,974 3,948 
Gain on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net314,177 120,253 56,301 478,124 
Gain (loss) on derivative contracts, net(261,597)(77,333)26,203 (303,986)
Loss on interest rate swap contracts, net(158)(11,163)(88,725)(61,735)
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs
(250,489)(503)(250,489)(159,599)
Other income (expense), net1,685 (226)3,277 66 
(518,836)(356,248)(1,290,313)(1,201,483)
Income before income taxes30,457 115,267 216,257 195,053 
Income tax expense(33,186)(37,871)(109,047)(56,445)
Net income (loss)(2,729)77,396 107,210 138,608 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests(1,966)(157)(1,499)(1)
Net income (loss) attributable to Altice USA, Inc. stockholders$(4,695)$77,239 $105,711 $138,607 

Income (loss) per share:
Basic income (loss) per share$(0.01)$0.12 $0.18 $0.21 
Basic weighted average common shares (in thousands)571,031 643,797 593,262 668,929 
Diluted income (loss) per share$(0.01)$0.12 $0.18 $0.21 
Diluted weighted average common shares (in thousands)571,031 646,006 595,479  669,855 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
6



ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2020201920202019
Net income (loss)$(2,729)$77,396 $107,210 $138,608 
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Defined benefit pension plans:
Unrecognized actuarial gain (loss)5,183 (15,860)(6,406)(19,508)
Applicable income taxes(1,374)4,298 1,724 5,287 
Unrecognized gain (loss) arising during period, net of income taxes3,809 (11,562)(4,682)(14,221)
Settlement loss included in other expense, net
122 1,091 895 1,629 
Applicable income taxes(39)(295)(246)(441)
Settlement loss included in other expense, net, net of income taxes83 796 649 1,188 
Foreign currency translation adjustment
(582)(385)(1,523)(965)
Applicable income taxes— 105 — 261 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net(582)(280)(1,523)(704)
Other comprehensive income (loss)3,310 (11,046)(5,556)(13,737)
Comprehensive income581 66,350 101,654 124,871 
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests(1,966)(157)(1,499)(1)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Altice USA, Inc. stockholders$(1,385)$66,193 $100,155  $124,870 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

7



ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Class A
Common
Stock

Class B
Common
Stock
Paid-in
Capital
Retained Earnings Treasury StockAccumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Loss
Total
Stockholders'
Equity
Non-controlling
Interest
Total
Equity
Balance at January 1, 2020
$4,572 $1,862 $2,039,918 $390,766 $(163,904)$(3,250)$2,269,964 $9,298 $2,279,262 
Net loss attributable to stockholders
— — — (858)— — (858)— (858)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
— — — — — — — (680)(680)
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — — — — (9,503)(9,503)— (9,503)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — — — — (424)(424)— (424)
Share-based compensation expense
— — 27,370 — — — 27,370 — 27,370 
Redeemable equity vested
— — 29,479 — — — 29,479 — 29,479 
Change in redeemable equity
— — 13,260 — — — 13,260 — 13,260 
Class A shares acquired through share repurchase program and retired
(312)— (749,686)— — — (749,998)— (749,998)
Issuance of common shares pursuant to employee long term incentive plan
— 2,495 — 11 — 2,507 — 2,507 
Balance at March 31, 2020
$4,261 $1,862 $1,362,836 $389,908 $(163,893)$(13,177)$1,581,797 $8,618 $1,590,415 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.


8


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (continued)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Class A
Common
Stock

Class B
Common
Stock
Paid-in
Capital
Retained Earnings Treasury StockAccumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Loss
Total
Stockholders'
Equity
Non-controlling
Interest
Total
Equity
Balance at March 31, 2020
$4,261 $1,862 $1,362,836 $389,908 $(163,893)$(13,177)$1,581,797 $8,618 $1,590,415 
Net income attributable to stockholders
— — — 111,264 — — 111,264 — 111,264 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests— — — — — — — 213 213 
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — — — — 1,576 1,576 — 1,576 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — — — — (517)(517)— (517)
Share-based compensation expense
— — 33,683 — — — 33,683 — 33,683 
Redeemable equity vested
— — 59,081 — — — 59,081 — 59,081 
Change in redeemable equity
— — (8,764)— — — (8,764)— (8,764)
Class A shares acquired through share repurchase program and retired
(258)— (630,979)— — — (631,237)— (631,237)
Issuance of common shares pursuant to employee long term incentive plan
— 1,939 — 24 — 1,965 — 1,965 
Balance at June 30, 2020
$4,005 $1,862 $817,796 $501,172 $(163,869)$(12,118)$1,148,848 $8,831 $1,157,679 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.




9


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (continued)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Class A
Common
Stock

Class B
Common
Stock
Paid-in
Capital
Retained Earnings Treasury StockAccumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Loss
Total
Stockholders'
Equity
Non-controlling
Interest
Total
Equity
Balance at June 30, 2020
$4,005 $1,862 $817,796 $501,172 $(163,869)$(12,118)$1,148,848 $8,831 $1,157,679 
Net loss attributable to stockholders— — — (4,695)— — (4,695)— (4,695)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests— — — — — — — 1,966 1,966 
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — — — — 3,894 3,894 — 3,894 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — — — — (582)(582)— (582)
Share-based compensation expense
— — 34,057 — — — 34,057 — 34,057 
Redeemable equity vested
— — 5,219 — — — 5,219 — 5,219 
Change in redeemable equity
— — (5,734)— — — (5,734)— (5,734)
Class A shares acquired through share repurchase program and retired
(169)— (448,684)— — — (448,853)— (448,853)
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares
(2)— — — — — — — 
Issuance of common shares pursuant to employee long term incentive plan
— 2,389 — — 2,392 — 2,392 
Balance at September 30, 2020$3,839 $1,860 $405,043 $496,477 $(163,867)$(8,806)$734,546 $10,797 $745,343 


See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

10


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (continued)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Class A
Common
Stock

Class B
Common
Stock
Paid-in
Capital
Retained EarningsTreasury StockAccumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Loss
Total
Stockholders'
Equity
Non-controlling
Interest
Total
Equity
Balance at January 1, 2019
$4,961 $2,130 $3,423,803 $251,830 $— $(11,783)$3,670,941 $9,295 $3,680,236 
Net loss attributable to stockholders
— — — (24,999)— — (24,999)— (24,999)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
— — — — — — — (199)(199)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests
— — — — — — —  (1,000)(1,000)
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — — — — 3,752 3,752 — 3,752 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — — — — (181)(181)— (181)
Share-based compensation expense (equity classified)
— — 13,790 — — — 13,790 — 13,790 
Redeemable equity vested
— — 1,364 — — 1,364 — 1,364 
Change in redeemable equity
— — (61,696)— — — (61,696)— (61,696)
Class A shares acquired through share repurchase program and retired
(294)— (599,707)— — — (600,001)— (600,001)
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares
242 (242)— — — — — — — 
Balance at March 31, 2019
$4,909 $1,888 $2,777,554 $226,831 $— $(8,212)$3,002,970 $8,096 $3,011,066 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
11



ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (continued)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

Class A Common StockClass B Common StockPaid-in CapitalRetained EarningsTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive LossTotal Stockholders' EquityNon-controlling InterestTotal Equity
Balance at March 31, 2019
$4,909 $1,888 $2,777,554 $226,831 $— $(8,212)$3,002,970 $8,096 $3,011,066 
Net income attributable to stockholders
— — — 86,367 — — 86,367 — 86,367 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
— — — — — — — 43 43 
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — — — — (6,019)(6,019)— (6,019)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — — — — (243)(243)— (243)
Share-based compensation expense (equity classified)
— — 16,077 — — — 16,077 — 16,077 
Redeemable equity vested
— — 61,702 — — 61,702 — 61,702 
Change in redeemable equity
— — (46,294)— — — (46,294)— (46,294)
Class A shares acquired through share repurchase program and retired
(249)— (599,703)— — — (599,952)— (599,952)
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares
16 (16)— — — — — — — 
Issuance of common shares pursuant to employee long term incentive plan
— — 244 — — — 244 — 244 
Class A shares issued in connection with acquisition
— 10,768 — — — 10,773 — 10,773 
Balance at June 30, 2019
$4,681 $1,872 $2,220,348 $313,198 $— $(14,474)$2,525,625 $8,139 $2,533,764 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.


12


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (continued)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

Class A Common StockClass B Common StockPaid-in CapitalRetained EarningsTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive LossTotal Stockholders' EquityNon-controlling InterestTotal Equity
Balance at June 30, 2019
$4,681 $1,872 $2,220,348 $313,198 $— $(14,474)$2,525,625 $8,139 $2,533,764 
Net income attributable to stockholders
— — — 77,239 — — 77,239 — 77,239 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
— — — — — — — 157 157 
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — — — — (10,766)(10,766)— (10,766)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — — — — (280)(280)— (280)
Share-based compensation expense (equity classified)
— — 18,023 — — — 18,023 — 18,023 
Redeemable equity vested
— — 9,071 — — 9,071 — 9,071 
Change in redeemable equity
— — (51,450)— — — (51,450)— (51,450)
Class A shares acquired through share repurchase program and retired
(184)— (486,736)— — — (486,920)— (486,920)
Conversion of Class B to Class A shares
(9)— — — — — — — 
Issuance of common shares pursuant to employee long term incentive plan
— — 429— — — 429 — 429 
Balance at September 30, 2019$4,506 $1,863 $1,709,685 $390,437 $— $(25,520)$2,080,971 $8,296 $2,089,267 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
13



ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 20202019
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income$107,210 $138,608 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization (including impairments)1,571,611 1,695,685 
Non-cash restructuring charges29,571 11,114 
Gain on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net(56,301)(478,124)
Loss (gain) on derivative contracts, net(26,203)303,986 
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs250,489 159,599 
Amortization of deferred financing costs and discounts (premiums) on indebtedness69,296 82,398 
Settlement loss related to pension plan895 1,629 
Share-based compensation expense related to equity classified awards95,110 47,891 
Deferred income taxes66,983 55,694 
Decrease in right-of-use assets34,778 34,658 
Provision for doubtful accounts50,383 61,054 
Change in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts receivable, trade4,419 (46,849)
Other receivables— 3,306 
Prepaid expenses and other assets(5,976)(43,482)
Amounts due from and due to affiliates3,377 (6,189)
Accounts payable879 27,018 
Accrued liabilities(131,231)(233,997)
Deferred revenue(14,908)(30,020)
Liabilities related to interest rate swap contracts138,279 50,008 
Net cash provided by operating activities2,188,661 1,833,987 
Cash flows from investing activities: 
Capital expenditures
(729,377)(1,032,555)
Payment for acquisitions, net of cash acquired
(150,115)(172,659)
Sale of affiliate interest— 1,958 
Proceeds related to sale of equipment and costs of disposal(346)4,484 
Decrease in other investments5,468 — 
Additions to other intangible assets(295)(3,969)
Net cash used in investing activities(874,665)(1,202,741)
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
14


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (continued)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

Nine Months Ended
September 30,
20202019
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from credit facility debt, net of discounts850,000 2,040,000 
Repayment of credit facility debt(697,063)(1,342,625)
Issuance of senior notes, including premiums5,345,250 2,754,375 
Redemption of senior notes, including premiums and fees(4,599,774)(2,471,578)
Proceeds from notes payable1,796 67,187 
Repayment of notes payable(77,685)(90,210)
Principal payments on finance lease obligations(24,692)(6,736)
Purchase of shares of Altice USA Class A common stock pursuant to a share repurchase program
(1,814,689)(1,686,873)
Additions to deferred financing costs(14,217)(16,007)
Proceeds from stock option exercises5,713 — 
Contingent payment for acquisition(4,947)(500)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net— (1,000)
Net cash used in financing activities(1,030,308)(753,967)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents excluding effect of exchange rate changes
283,688 (122,721)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents(1,523)(965)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents282,165 (123,686)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year702,160 299,038 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period$984,325 $175,352 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

15



CSC HOLDINGS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents$118,975 $697,741 
Restricted cash865,270 262 
Accounts receivable, trade (less allowance for doubtful accounts of $40,839 and $14,683)
405,005 457,118 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets215,973 211,642 
Amounts due from affiliates1,583 6,774 
Total current assets1,606,806 1,373,537 
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $6,158,261 and $5,276,921
5,760,704 5,753,401 
Right-of-use operating lease assets237,497 280,340 
Investment securities pledged as collateral1,987,109 1,931,697 
Derivative contracts27,798 25,207 
Other assets
89,741 92,622 
Amortizable intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $4,227,398 and $3,670,679
2,961,759 3,481,109 
Indefinite-lived cable television franchises13,068,017 13,020,081 
Goodwill8,160,501 8,142,309 
Total assets$33,899,932 $34,100,303 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

16



CSC HOLDINGS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (continued)
(In thousands, except per membership unit amounts)

 September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
LIABILITIES AND MEMBER'S EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable$837,506 $799,618 
Interest payable223,965 385,655 
Accrued employee related costs125,052 111,337 
Amounts due to affiliates5,642 7,456 
Deferred revenue127,501 124,777 
Debt226,032 170,682 
Other current liabilities400,608 378,948 
Total current liabilities1,946,306 1,978,473 
Other liabilities230,416 204,904 
Deferred tax liability5,121,043 4,980,599 
Liabilities under derivative contracts366,814 255,666 
Right-of-use operating lease liability253,430 269,062 
Long-term debt, net of current maturities25,476,051 24,249,603 
Total liabilities33,394,060 31,938,307 
Commitments and contingencies (Note 16)
Redeemable equity16,010 108,551 
Member's Equity:
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)(4,472)13,515 
Other member's equity (100 membership units issued and outstanding)
492,343 2,033,882 
487,871 2,047,397 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(8,806)(3,250)
Member's equity 479,065 2,044,147 
Noncontrolling interest10,797 9,298 
Total member's equity 489,862 2,053,445 
 $33,899,932 $34,100,303 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

17



CSC HOLDINGS LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2020201920202019
Revenue (including revenue from affiliates of $4,188, $70, $11,055, and $1,158 respectively) (See Note 15)
$2,433,986 $2,438,662 $7,359,221 $7,286,310 
Operating expenses:
Programming and other direct costs (including charges from affiliates of $3,621, $3,508, $7,548 and $7,282, respectively) (See Note 15)
783,934 820,896 2,509,323 2,452,875 
Other operating expenses (including charges from affiliates of $2,413, $1,602, $8,515 and $5,868, respectively) (See Note 15)
558,092 568,233 1,683,038 1,702,124 
Restructuring and other expense
40,419 12,381 88,679 39,090 
Depreciation and amortization (including impairments)
502,248 565,637 1,571,611 1,695,685 
 1,884,693 1,967,147 5,852,651 5,889,774 
Operating income549,293 471,515 1,506,570 1,396,536 
Other income (expense):
Interest expense
(322,618)(364,358)(1,038,854)(1,085,215)
Interest income
164 1,524 1,974 3,948 
Gain on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net313,978 120,253 55,755 478,124 
Gain (loss) on derivative contracts, net
(261,597)(77,333)26,203 (303,986)
Loss on interest rate swap contracts, net
(158)(11,163)(88,725)(61,735)
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs
(250,489)— (250,489)(159,096)
Other income (expense), net1,685 (228)3,277 64 
(519,035)(331,305)(1,290,859)(1,127,896)
Income before income taxes30,258 140,210 215,711 268,640 
Income tax expense(33,132)(44,693)(94,790)(76,845)
Net income (loss)(2,874)95,517 120,921 191,795 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests(1,966)(157)(1,499)(1)
Net income (loss) attributable to CSC Holdings, LLC sole member$(4,840)$95,360 $119,422 $191,794 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

18



CSC HOLDINGS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
202020192020 2019
Net income (loss)$(2,874)$95,517 $120,921 $191,795 
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Defined benefit pension plans:
Unrecognized actuarial gain (loss)5,183 (15,860)(6,406)(19,508)
Applicable income taxes(1,374)4,298 1,724 5,287 
Unrecognized gain (loss) arising during period, net of income taxes
3,809 (11,562)(4,682)(14,221)
Settlement loss included in other expense, net
122 1,091 895  1,629 
Applicable income taxes(39)(295)(246)(441)
Settlement loss included in other expense, net, net of income taxes
83 796 649 1,188 
Foreign currency translation adjustment
(582)(385)(1,523)(965)
Applicable income taxes— 105 — 261 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net
(582)(280)(1,523)(704)
Other comprehensive income (loss)3,310 (11,046)(5,556)(13,737)
Comprehensive income436 84,471 115,365 178,058 
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests(1,966)(157)(1,499)(1)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to CSC Holdings, LLC's sole member$(1,530)$84,314 $113,866 $178,057 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

19



CSC HOLDINGS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN TOTAL MEMBER'S EQUITY
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)Other Member's EquityAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Total Member's EquityNoncontrolling InterestTotal Equity
Balance at January 1, 2020
$13,515 $2,033,882 $(3,250)$2,044,147 $9,298 $2,053,445 
Net income attributable to CSC Holdings' sole member
10,802 — — 10,802 — 10,802 
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
— — — — (680)(680)
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — (9,503)(9,503)— (9,503)
Foreign currency translation adjustment
— — (424)(424)— (424)
Share-based compensation expense
— 27,370 — 27,370 — 27,370 
Redeemable equity vested
— 29,479 — 29,479 — 29,479 
Change in redeemable equity
— 13,260 — 13,260 — 13,260 
Cash distributions to parent
(24,317)(696,033)— (720,350)— (720,350)
Non-cash distributions to parent
— (150,602)— (150,602)— (150,602)
Balance at March 31, 2020
— 1,257,356 (13,177)1,244,179 8,618 1,252,797 
Net income attributable to CSC Holdings' sole member
113,460 — — 113,460 — 113,460 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests— — — — 213 213 
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — 1,576 1,576 — 1,576 
Foreign currency translation adjustment
— — (517)(517)— (517)
Share-based compensation expense
— 33,683 — 33,683 — 33,683 
Redeemable equity vested
— 59,081 — 59,081 — 59,081 
Change in redeemable equity
— (8,764)— (8,764)— (8,764)
Cash distributions to parent
(105,980)(546,403)— (652,383)— (652,383)
Non-cash contributions from parent
— 35,415 — 35,415 — 35,415 
Balance at June 30, 2020
7,480 830,368 (12,118)825,730 8,831 834,561 
Net loss attributable to CSC Holdings' sole member(4,840)— — (4,840)— (4,840)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests— — — — 1,966 1,966 
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — 3,894 3,894 — 3,894 
Foreign currency translation adjustment
— — (582)(582)— (582)
Share-based compensation expense
— 34,057 — 34,057 — 34,057 
Redeemable equity vested
— 5,219 — 5,219 — 5,219 
Change in redeemable equity
— (5,734)— (5,734)— (5,734)
Cash distributions to parent
(7,112)(423,988)— (431,100)— (431,100)
Non-cash contributions from parent
— 52,421 — 52,421 — 52,421 
Balance at September 30, 2020
$(4,472)$492,343 $(8,806)$479,065 $10,797 $489,862 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

20



CSC HOLDINGS, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN TOTAL MEMBER'S EQUITY (continued)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Retained EarningsOther Member's EquityAccumulated Other Comprehensive LossTotal Member's EquityNoncontrolling InterestsTotal Equity
Balance at January 1, 2019
$549,691 $3,451,937 $(11,783)$3,989,845 $9,295 $3,999,140 
Net loss attributable to CSC Holdings' sole member
(7,665)— — (7,665)— (7,665)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
— — — — (199)(199)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests
— — — — (1,000)(1,000)
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — 3,752 3,752 — 3,752 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — (181)(181)— (181)
Share-based compensation expense
— 13,790 — 13,790 — 13,790 
Redeemable equity vested
— 1,364 — 1,364 — 1,364 
Change in redeemable equity
— (61,696)— (61,696)— (61,696)
Cash distributions to parent
(543,217)(51,245)— (594,462)— (594,462)
Other
— (276)— (276)— (276)
Balance at March 31, 2019
(1,191)3,353,874 (8,212)3,344,471 8,096 3,352,567 
Net income attributable to CSC Holdings' sole member
104,099 — — 104,099 — 104,099 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
— — — — 43 43 
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — (6,019)(6,019)— (6,019)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — (243)(243)— (243)
Share-based compensation expense
— 16,077 — 16,077 — 16,077 
Redeemable equity vested
— 61,702 — 61,702 — 61,702 
Change in redeemable equity
— (46,294)— (46,294)— (46,294)
Cash distributions to parent
(90,324)(544,704)— (635,028)— (635,028)
Impact of Cheddar acquisition— 10,773 — 10,773 — 10,773 
Other
— 244 — 244 — 244 
Balance at June 30, 2019
12,584 2,851,672 (14,474)2,849,782 8,139 2,857,921 
Net income attributable to CSC Holdings' sole member
95,360 — — 95,360 — 95,360 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
— — — — 157 157 
Pension liability adjustments, net of income taxes
— — (10,766)(10,766)— (10,766)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
— — (280)(280)— (280)
Share-based compensation expense
— 18,022 — 18,022 — 18,022 
Redeemable equity vested
— 9,071 — 9,071 — 9,071 
Change in redeemable equity
— (51,450)— (51,450)— (51,450)
Cash distributions to parent
(90,356)(424,248)— (514,604)— (514,604)
Other
— 429 — 429 — 429 
Balance at September 30, 2019
$17,588 $2,403,496 $(25,520)$2,395,564 $8,296 $2,403,860 


See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
21



CSC HOLDINGS LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)


Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 20202019
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income$120,921 $191,795 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization (including impairments)
1,571,611 1,695,685 
Non-cash restructuring charges
29,571 11,114 
Gain on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net(55,755)(478,124)
Loss (gain) on derivative contracts, net
(26,203)303,986 
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs
250,489 159,096 
Amortization of deferred financing costs and discounts (premiums) on indebtedness
69,296 68,511 
Settlement loss related to pension plan
895 1,629 
Share-based compensation expense related to equity classified awards
95,110 47,891 
Deferred income taxes
119,780 76,094 
Decrease in right-of-use assets
34,778 34,658 
Provision for doubtful accounts
50,383 61,054 
Change in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts receivable, trade4,419 (46,849)
Other receivables— 3,305 
Prepaid expenses and other assets(5,976)(43,482)
Amounts due from and due to affiliates(60,540)(16,908)
Accounts payable879 27,018 
Accrued liabilities(131,226)(234,465)
Deferred revenue(14,908)(30,020)
Liabilities related to interest rate swap contracts138,279 50,008 
Net cash provided by operating activities2,191,803 1,881,996 
Cash flows from investing activities: 
Capital expenditures
(729,377)(1,032,555)
Payment for acquisitions, net of cash acquired
(150,115)(172,659)
Sale of affiliate interest— 1,958 
Proceeds related to sale of equipment and costs of disposal(346)4,484 
Decrease in other investments1,260 — 
Additions to other intangible assets(295)(3,969)
Net cash used in investing activities(878,873)(1,202,741)
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
22


CSC HOLDINGS LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (continued)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

Nine Months Ended
September 30,
20202019
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from credit facility debt, net of discounts$850,000 $2,040,000 
Repayment of credit facility debt(697,063)(1,342,625)
Issuance of senior notes, including premiums5,345,250 2,754,375 
Redemption of senior notes, including premiums and fees
(4,599,774)(2,462,692)
Distributions to parent(1,803,833)(1,744,094)
Proceeds from notes payable1,796 67,187 
Repayment of notes payable(77,685)(90,210)
Principal payments on finance lease obligations(24,692)(6,736)
Additions to deferred financing costs(14,217)(16,007)
Contingent payment for acquisition(4,947)(500)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net— (1,000)
Net cash used in financing activities(1,025,165)(802,302)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents excluding effect of exchange rate changes
287,765 (123,047)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents(1,523)(965)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents286,242 (124,012)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year698,003 298,784 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period$984,245 $174,772 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

23


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)



NOTE 1.    DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND RELATED MATTERS
The Company and Related Matters
Altice USA, Inc. ("Altice USA") was incorporated in Delaware on September 14, 2015. Through June 8, 2018, Altice USA was majority-owned by Altice Europe N.V. ("Altice Europe"), a public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap) under Dutch law. On June 8, 2018, Altice Europe distributed substantially all of its equity interest in the Company through a distribution in kind to holders of Altice Europe's common shares A and common shares B (the "Distribution"). Altice USA is now majority-owned by Patrick Drahi through Next Alt. S.a.r.l. ("Next Alt").
Altice USA is a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of its own. Altice Europe, through a subsidiary, acquired Cequel Corporation ("Cequel" or "Suddenlink") on December 21, 2015 and Cequel was contributed to Altice USA on June 9, 2016. Altice USA acquired Cablevision Systems Corporation ("Cablevision" or "Optimum") on June 21, 2016.
Altice USA, through CSC Holdings, LLC (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cablevision) and its consolidated subsidiaries ("CSC Holdings," and collectively with Altice USA, the "Company"), principally provides broadband communications and video services in the United States. It markets its residential services primarily under two brands: Optimum, in the New York metropolitan area, and Suddenlink, principally in markets in the south-central United States. It operates enterprise services under the brands Lightpath and Altice Business. It delivers broadband, video, telephony services, proprietary content and advertising services to residential and business customers. In September 2019, the Company launched Altice Mobile, a full service voice and data offering, to consumers across its footprint. As these brands are managed on a consolidated basis, the Company classifies its operations in one segment.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements of Altice USA include the accounts of Altice USA and its majority-owned subsidiaries and the accompanying consolidated financial statements of CSC Holdings include the accounts of CSC Holdings and its majority-owned subsidiaries. Altice USA has no business operations independent of its CSC Holdings subsidiary, whose operating results and financial position are consolidated into Altice USA. The consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations of Altice USA are essentially identical to the consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations of CSC Holdings, with the following exceptions: Altice USA has additional cash and deferred taxes on its consolidated balance sheet. In addition, CSC Holdings and its subsidiaries have certain intercompany receivables from and payables to Altice USA. Differences between Altice USA's results of operations and those of CSC Holdings primarily include incremental interest expense for periods prior to the assumption of Cablevision senior notes by CSC Holdings in November 2019, loss (gain) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net, loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs, and income tax benefit (expense).
The combined notes to the consolidated financial statements relate to the Company, which, except as noted, are essentially identical for Altice USA and CSC Holdings. All significant intercompany transactions and balances between Altice USA or CSC Holdings and their respective consolidated subsidiaries are eliminated in both sets of consolidated financial statements. Intercompany transactions between Altice USA and CSC Holdings are not eliminated in the CSC Holdings consolidated financial statements, but are eliminated in the Altice USA consolidated financial statements.
The financial statements of CSC Holdings are included herein as supplemental information as CSC Holdings is not an SEC registrant.
24


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


Stock Repurchase Plan
In June 2018, the Board of Directors of Altice USA authorized a share repurchase program of $2,000,000, and on July 30, 2019, the Board of Directors authorized a new incremental three-year share repurchase program of $5,000,000 that took effect following the completion in August 2019 of the $2,000,000 repurchase program. Under these repurchase programs, shares of Altice USA Class A common stock may be purchased from time to time in the open market and may include trading plans entered into with one or more brokerage firms in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Size and timing of these purchases will be determined based on market conditions and other factors.  
For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Altice USA repurchased an aggregate of 73,925,362 shares for a total purchase price of approximately $1,830,088. From inception through September 30, 2020, Altice USA repurchased an aggregate of 174,622,754 shares for a total purchase price of approximately $4,016,963. These acquired shares were retired and the cost of these shares was recorded in paid in capital in Altice USA's consolidated balance sheet.  As of September 30, 2020, Altice USA had approximately $2,983,037 of availability remaining under the incremental share repurchase program and had 563,153,625 combined Class A and Class B shares outstanding.
Lightpath Transaction
In July 2020, the Company entered into an agreement to sell 49.99% of its Lightpath fiber enterprise business (the "Lightpath Transaction") for an implied enterprise value of $3,200,000. The Company will receive total gross cash proceeds of approximately $2,300,000 from the sale and related financing activity and will record a gain upon closing. The Company will retain a 50.01% interest in the Lightpath business and maintain control of Cablevision Lightpath LLC, the entity holding the Lightpath business. Accordingly, the Company will continue to consolidate the operating results of the Lightpath business. The transaction is currently expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020 following the satisfaction of closing conditions, including receipt of necessary regulatory approvals. Upon closing, Cablevision Lightpath LLC will be financed independently outside of the CSC Holdings restricted group. Proceeds from this transaction may be used for debt repayment, the repurchase of Altice USA shares and/or investment opportunities. See Note 10 for additional information regarding the debt financing related to the Lightpath Transaction.
NOTE 2.    BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X for interim financial information.  Accordingly, these financial statements do not include all the information and notes required for complete annual financial statements.
The interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
The financial statements presented in this report are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, such financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the periods presented.
The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that might be expected for future interim periods or for the full year ending December 31, 2020.
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 and disclosure of contingent 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. See Note 12 for a discussion of fair value estimates.
25


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


Common Stock of Altice USA
The following table provides details of Altice USA's shares of common stock outstanding:
 Shares of Common Stock Outstanding
 Class A
Common Stock
Class B
Common Stock
Balance at December 31, 2019446,749,307 186,245,832 
Conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock213,833 (213,833)
Shares issued in connection with stock option exercises and restricted awards367,039 — 
Retirement of Class A common shares in connection with the Company's stock repurchase plan (see Note 1)(73,925,362)— 
Shares issued from treasury upon vesting of redeemable equity and restricted awards3,716,809 — 
Balance at September 30, 2020377,121,626 186,031,999 
Reclassifications
Certain reclassifications have been made to the 2019 financial statements to conform to the 2020 presentation.
NOTE 3.    ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
ASU No. 2020-04, Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting ("ASU 2020-04")
In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued new accounting guidance related to the effects of reference rate reform on financial reporting. The guidance, effective for reporting periods through December 31, 2022, provides accounting relief for contract modifications that replace an interest rate impacted by reference rate reform (e.g., LIBOR) with a new alternative reference rate. The Company adopted the guidance as of March 31, 2020. The adoption of this guidance did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes ("ASU 2019-12")
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740). ASU 2019-12 simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions for investments, intraperiod allocations and interim calculations. The new guidance also simplifies aspects of the accounting for franchise taxes, enacted changes in tax laws or rates, and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. The amendments did not create new accounting requirements. The Company adopted the standard as of January 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
ASU No. 2018-15, Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract ("ASU 2018-15")
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15 which requires upfront implementation costs incurred in a cloud computing arrangement (or hosting arrangement) that is a service contract to be amortized to hosting expense over the term of the arrangement, beginning when the module or component of the hosting arrangement is ready for its intended use. The Company adopted the standard as of January 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) ("ASU 2017-04")
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04 which simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by removing the second step of the two-step impairment test. The amendment requires an entity to perform its annual, or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary. The Company adopted the standard as of January 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
26


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


ASU No. 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("ASU 2016-13")
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 which requires a financial asset (or a group of financial assets) measured at amortized cost to be assessed for impairment under the current expected credit loss model rather than an incurred loss model. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on relevant information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount.  ASU 2016-13 became effective for the Company on January 1, 2020 and the adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. The Company will continue to actively monitor the impact of the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on expected credit losses.
Recently Issued But Not Yet Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
ASU No. 2018-14, Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans ("ASU 2018-14")
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14 which amends ASC 715 to clarify certain disclosure requirements related to defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. ASU 2018-14 becomes effective for the Company on January 1, 2021, although early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-14 to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
NOTE 4.    REVENUE
The following table presents the composition of revenue:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2020201920202019
Residential:
Broadband
$941,237 $814,328 $2,747,129 $2,396,151 
Video
867,021 993,158 2,766,608 3,028,914 
Telephony
115,995 148,231 358,347 452,927 
Business services and wholesale
362,215 357,628 1,092,309 1,066,123 
News and advertising124,177 118,067 326,348 327,255 
Mobile19,722 3,174 57,944 3,174 
Other3,619 4,076 10,536 11,766 
Total revenue$2,433,986 $2,438,662 $7,359,221 $7,286,310 
The Company is assessed non-income related taxes by governmental authorities, including franchising authorities (generally under multi-year agreements), and collects such taxes from its customers.  In instances where the tax is being assessed directly on the Company, amounts paid to the governmental authorities are recorded as programming and other direct costs and amounts received from the customers are recorded as revenue. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the amount of franchise fees and certain other taxes and fees included as a component of revenue aggregated $63,264 and $193,454, and $63,539 and $191,695, respectively.
The following table provides information about customer contract costs and deferred revenue related to contracts with customers:
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
Customer contract costs (a)
$21,273 $30,758 
Deferred revenue (b)167,126 182,034 

(a)Customer contract costs include primarily sales commissions for business services enterprise customers that are deferred and amortized over the average contract term.
27


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


(b)Deferred revenue represents payments received from customers for services that have yet to be provided primarily from residential and small and medium sized business ("SMB") customers which is realized within the following month as services are performed and installation revenue which is deferred and recognized over the benefit period.
A significant portion of our revenue is derived from residential and SMB customer contracts which are month-to month. As such, the amount of revenue related to unsatisfied performance obligations is not necessarily indicative of the future revenue to be recognized from our existing customer base. Contracts with enterprise customers generally range from three years to five years, and services may only be terminated in accordance with the contractual terms.
NOTE 5.    NET INCOME (LOSS) PER SHARE
Basic net income (loss) per common share attributable to Altice USA stockholders is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to Altice USA stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted income per common share attributable to Altice USA stockholders reflects the dilutive effects of stock options and restricted stock. For such awards that are performance based, the diluted effect is reflected upon the achievement of the performance criteria. Diluted net loss per common share attributable to Altice USA stockholders excludes the effects of common stock equivalents as they are anti-dilutive.
The following table presents a reconciliation of weighted average shares used in the calculations of the basic and diluted net income per share attributable to Altice USA stockholders for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and for three and nine months ended September 30, 2019:
Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2020
Three Months Ended
September 30, 2019
Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2019
(in thousands)
Basic weighted average shares outstanding593,262 643,797 668,929 
Effect of dilution:
Stock options2,200 2,201 923 
Restricted stock17 
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding595,479 646,006 669,855 
Weighted average shares excluded from diluted weighted average shares outstanding:
Anti-dilutive shares25,649 2,018 4,882 
Performance stock units and restricted stock whose performance metrics have not been achieved.
8,139 57 57 
Diluted net loss per common share attributable to Altice USA stockholders for the three months ended September 30, 2020 excludes the effects of weighted average common stock equivalents of 30,651, as they were anti-dilutive. It also excludes performance stock units and restricted stock aggregating 8,893 as the performance metrics have not been achieved.
Net income (loss) per membership unit for CSC Holdings is not presented since CSC Holdings is a limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Altice USA.
28


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


NOTE 6.    SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION
The Company's non-cash investing and financing activities and other supplemental data were as follows:
Nine Months Ended September 30,
20202019
Non-Cash Investing and Financing Activities:
Altice USA and CSC Holdings:
Property and equipment accrued but unpaid
$217,927 $206,842 
Notes payable issued to vendor for the purchase of equipment and other assets
86,132 35,124 
Unsettled purchases of shares of Altice USA, Inc. Class A common stock, pursuant to a share repurchase program
15,399 — 
Right-of-use assets acquired in exchange for finance lease obligations
110,800 29,957 
Deferred financing costs accrued but unpaid
6,782 1,236 
Intangible assets accrued but unpaid3,250 — 
CSC Holdings:
Distributions to parent
62,766 — 

Supplemental Data:
Altice USA:
Cash interest paid
1,143,526 1,170,785 
Income taxes paid, net
72,303 6,457 
CSC Holdings:
Cash interest paid
1,143,526 1,112,420 
Income taxes paid, net
72,303 6,257 
 
NOTE 7.    RESTRUCTURING AND OTHER EXPENSE
Restructuring
Beginning in the first quarter of 2016, the Company commenced restructuring initiatives that were intended to simplify the Company's organizational structure ("2016 Restructuring Plan").
The following table summarizes the activity for the 2016 Restructuring Plan:
Severance and Other Employee Related CostsFacility Realignment and Other CostsTotal
Accrual balance at December 31, 2019$1,676 $2,332 $4,008 
Restructuring charges— 2,519 2,519 
Payments and other(1,676)(2,447)(4,123)
Accrual balance at September 30, 2020$— $2,404 $2,404 

Cumulative costs through September 30, 2020 relating to 2016 Restructuring Plan amounted to $464,065.
In May 2019, the Company commenced another restructuring initiative to further simplify the Company's organization structure ("2019 Restructuring Plan").
29


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


The following table summarizes the activity for the 2019 Restructuring Plan:
Severance and Other Employee Related Costs
Accrual balance at December 31, 2019$37,946 
Restructuring charges3,192 
Payments and other(27,617)
Accrual balance at September 30, 2020$13,521 
Cumulative costs through September 30, 2020 relating to the 2019 Restructuring Plan amounted to $45,907.
Restructuring and other expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 also includes $5,428 and $45,556, respectively, related to contractual payments for terminated employees. As of September 30, 2020, the outstanding amount due to terminated employees amounted to $21,863 and is reflected in other current and other long-term liabilities in our consolidated balance sheet.
In addition, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $26,621 and $28,937 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, and $73 and $8,769, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, related primarily to the impairment of right-of-use operating lease assets, included in the Company's restructuring initiatives, as their carrying amount was not recoverable and exceeded their fair value. The Company also recorded restructuring charges of $3,951 related to facility realignment costs of which $3,847 is outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and is reflected in other current and other long-term liabilities in our consolidated balance sheet.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company incurred transaction costs of $3,947 and $4,524, respectively, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 incurred transaction costs of $987 and $1,957, respectively, primarily related to certain transactions not related to the Company's operations.
NOTE 8.    LEASES
The Company's operating leases are comprised primarily of facility leases and its finance leases are comprised primarily of vehicle and equipment leases.
Balance sheet information related to the Company's leases is presented below:
Balance Sheet locationSeptember 30, 2020December 31, 2019
Operating leases:
Right-of-use lease assetsRight-of-use operating lease assets$237,497 $280,340 
Right-of-use lease liability, currentOther current liabilities39,436 38,836 
Right-of-use lease liability, long-termRight-of-use operating lease liability253,430 269,062 
Finance leases:
Right-of-use lease assetsProperty, plant and equipment157,522 70,339 
Right-of-use lease liability, currentCurrent portion of long-term debt59,815 22,017 
Right-of-use lease liability, long-termLong-term debt95,713 47,403 
30


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


The following provides details of the Company's lease expense:
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2020201920202019
Operating lease expense, net$14,647 $15,038 $44,500 $45,264 

Finance lease expense:
Amortization of assets8,898 2,538 20,318 5,730 
Interest on lease liabilities1,820 520 4,324 1,266 
Total finance lease expense10,718 $3,058 24,642 6,996 
$25,365 $18,096 $69,142 $52,260 
Other information related to leases is presented below:
As of September 30,
20202019
Right-of-use assets acquired in exchange for operating lease obligations$20,163 $47,232 
Cash Paid For Amounts Included In Measurement of Liabilities:
Operating cash flows related to finance leases4,324 1,266 
Operating cash flows related to operating leases47,958 48,550 
Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term:
Operating leases9.3 years9.5 years
Finance leases2.8 years3.9 years
Weighted Average Discount Rate:
Operating leases5.80 %6.02 %
Finance leases5.42 %5.39 %
The minimum future annual payments under non-cancellable leases during the next five years and thereafter, at rates now in force, are as follows:
Finance leasesOperating leases
2020 (excluding the nine months ended September 30, 2020)$19,823 $11,706 
202162,073 44,773 
202257,828 49,236 
202323,181 41,387 
20243,456 36,925 
Thereafter319 201,425 
Total future minimum lease payments, undiscounted166,680 385,452 
Less: Imputed interest(11,090)(92,586)
Present value of future minimum lease payments$155,590 $292,866 

31


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


NOTE 9.    INTANGIBLE ASSETS
The following table summarizes information relating to the Company's acquired amortizable intangible assets: 
As of September 30, 2020As of December 31, 2019
Gross Carrying AmountAccumulated AmortizationNet Carrying AmountGross Carrying AmountAccumulated AmortizationNet Carrying AmountEstimated Useful Lives
Customer relationships
$6,051,349 $(3,321,438)$2,729,911 $6,017,524 $(2,843,561)$3,173,963 6 to 18 years
Trade names
1,081,083 (870,559)210,524 1,081,083 (798,484)282,599 2 to 5 years
Other amortizable intangibles
56,725 (35,401)21,324 53,181 (28,634)24,547 1 to 15 years
$7,189,157 $(4,227,398)$2,961,759 $7,151,788 $(3,670,679)$3,481,109 
Amortization expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 aggregated $172,589 and $556,719 and $191,358 and $593,256, respectively.
Goodwill as of December 31, 2019$8,142,309 
Goodwill recorded in connection with an acquisition (see discussion below)18,192 
Goodwill as of September 30, 2020$8,160,501 
On July 14, 2020, the Company completed its acquisition of certain cable assets in New Jersey for approximately $150,000, subject to certain closing adjustments as set forth in the asset purchase agreement. In connection with the acquisition, the Company recorded indefinite-lived cable television franchise rights of $47,936, customer relationships of $33,825 and goodwill of $18,192 based on a preliminary allocation of the purchase price. In addition, the Company recorded property, plant and equipment of $52,362.

32


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


NOTE 10.    DEBT
The following table provides details of the Company's outstanding debt:
Interest RateSeptember 30, 2020December 31, 2019
Date IssuedMaturity DatePrincipal AmountCarrying Amount (a)Principal AmountCarrying Amount (a)
CSC Holdings Senior Notes:
November 15, 2011November 15, 20216.750 %$1,000,000 $987,137 $1,000,000 $979,178 
September 27, 2012September 15, 20225.875 %649,024 613,049 649,024 600,849 
May 23, 2014June 1, 20245.250 %750,000 693,654 750,000 683,940 
October 18, 2018July 15, 20257.750 %(e)— — 1,740 1,695 
October 9, 2015October 15, 202510.875 %(f)— — 1,684,221 1,665,237 
October 18, 2018April 1, 20287.500 %4,118 4,112 4,118 4,112 
November 27, 2018July 15, 20257.750 %(e)— — 617,881 605,583 
November 27, 2018April 1, 20287.500 %1,045,882 1,044,386 1,045,882 1,044,278 
July 10 and October 7, 2019January 15, 20305.750 %2,250,000 2,286,884 2,250,000 2,289,168 
June 16, 2020December 1, 20304.625 %2,325,000 2,371,370 — — 
8,024,024 8,000,592 8,002,866 7,874,040 
CSC Holdings Senior Guaranteed Notes:
October 9, 2015October 15, 20256.625 %(f)— — 1,000,000 989,483 
September 23, 2016April 15, 20275.500 %1,310,000 1,305,820 1,310,000 1,305,430 
January 29, 2018February 1, 20285.375 %1,000,000 993,302 1,000,000 992,757 
November 27, 2018July 15, 20235.375 %(e)— — 1,095,825 1,081,879 
November 27, 2018May 15, 20265.500 %1,498,806 1,487,199 1,498,806 1,485,911 
January 24, 2019February 1, 20296.500 %1,750,000 1,747,181 1,750,000 1,746,996 
June 16, 2020December 1, 20304.125 %1,100,000 1,095,188 — — 
August 16, 2020February 15, 20313.375 %1,000,000 996,623 — — 
7,658,806 7,625,313 7,654,631 7,602,456 
33


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


Lightpath Senior Notes:
September 29, 2020September 15, 20285.625 %(g)$415,000 $413,320 $— $— 
Lightpath Senior Secured Notes:
September 29, 2020September 15, 20273.875 %(h)450,000 447,495 — — 
865,000 860,815 — — 
CSC Holdings Restricted Group Credit Facility:
Revolving Credit Facility(c)2.483 %(b)200,000 190,322 — — 
Term Loan BJuly 17, 20252.402 %2,902,500 2,890,975 2,925,000 2,911,729 
Incremental Term Loan B-3January 15, 20262.402 %1,255,875 1,251,268 1,265,438 1,260,200 
Incremental Term Loan B-5April 15, 20272.652 %2,985,000 2,963,564 3,000,000 2,976,358 
7,343,375 7,296,129 7,190,438 7,148,287 
Collateralized indebtedness (see Note 11)1,699,566 1,609,281 1,699,566 1,585,088 
Finance lease obligations (see Note 8)155,528 155,528 69,420 69,420 
Notes payable and supply chain financing (d)164,992 154,425 156,519 140,994 
25,911,291 25,702,083 24,773,440 24,420,285 
Less: current portion of credit facility debt(72,750)(72,750)(65,250)(65,250)
Less: current portion of finance lease obligations(59,815)(59,815)(22,017)(22,017)
Less: current portion of notes payable and supply chain financing(93,467)(93,467)(83,415)(83,415)
(226,032)(226,032)(170,682)(170,682)
Long-term debt$25,685,259 $25,476,051 $24,602,758 $24,249,603 
(a)The carrying amount is net of the unamortized deferred financing costs and/or discounts/premiums and with respect to certain notes, a fair value adjustment resulting from the Cequel and Cablevision acquisitions.
(b)At September 30, 2020, $137,920 of the revolving credit facility was restricted for certain letters of credit issued on behalf of the Company and $2,137,080 of the facility was undrawn and available, subject to covenant limitations.
(c)The revolving credit facility of an aggregate principal amount of $2,275,000 matures in January 2024 and is priced at LIBOR plus 2.25%. The remaining revolving credit facility of an aggregate principal amount of $200,000 matures in November 2021 and is priced at LIBOR plus 3.25%.
(d)Includes $86,132 related to supply chain financing agreements that is required to be repaid within one year from the date of the respective agreement. The principal amounts include $59,451 of notes payable that will be reclassified to collateralized indebtedness upon the maturity, in January 2021, of a monetization contract related to the synthetic monetization closeout transaction in November 2019.
(e)These notes were repaid in July 2020 with proceeds from the issuance of new notes in June 2020. See discussion below.
(f)These notes were repaid in August 2020 with proceeds from the issuance of new notes. See discussion below.
(g)The carrying amount does not reflect underwriting fees of approximately $7,300 that are payable upon the closing of the Lightpath transaction.
(h)The carrying amount does not reflect underwriting fees of approximately $7,900 that are payable upon the closing of the Lightpath transaction.
In June 2020, CSC Holdings issued $1,100,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior guaranteed notes that bear interest at a rate of 4.125% and mature on December 1, 2030 and $625,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior notes that bear interest at a rate of 4.625% and mature on December 1, 2030. The net proceeds from the sale of the these notes was used in July 2020 to early redeem the $1,095,825 aggregate principal amount of CSC Holdings' 5.375% senior notes due July 15, 2023, the $617,881 and the $1,740 aggregate principal amount of CSC Holdings' 7.750% senior notes due July 15, 2025, plus pay accrued interest and the associated premiums related to the early redemption of these notes. In connection with the early redemptions, the Company recognized a loss on the extinguishment of debt aggregating $62,096, reflecting the early redemption premiums and the write-off of outstanding deferred financing costs on these notes.
In August 2020, CSC Holdings issued $1,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of new senior guaranteed notes that bear interest at a rate of 3.375% and mature on February 15, 2031 and an additional $1,700,000 in aggregate principal
34


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


amount of its 4.625% senior notes that mature on December 1, 2030 at a price of 103.25% of the aggregate principal amount. The net proceeds from the sale of the notes was used to early redeem the $1,684,221 aggregate principal amount of CSC Holdings' 10.875% senior notes due October 15, 2025, the $1,000,000 aggregate principal amount of CSC Holdings' 6.625% senior guaranteed notes due October 15, 2025, plus pay accrued interest and the associated premiums related to the early redemption of these notes. In connection with the early redemptions, the Company recognized a loss on the extinguishment of debt aggregating $188,393, reflecting the early redemption premiums and the write-off of outstanding deferred financing costs on these notes.
For financing purposes, the Company is structured as a restricted group (the "Restricted Group") and an unrestricted group, which includes certain designated subsidiaries and investments (the "Unrestricted Group"). The Restricted Group is comprised of CSC Holdings and substantially all of its wholly-owned operating subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are subject to the covenants and restrictions of the credit facility and indentures governing the notes issued by CSC Holdings. Cablevision Lightpath LLC became an unrestricted subsidiary prior to the issuance of its senior notes and senior secured notes in September 2020. See discussion below regarding the Lightpath debt financing.
CSC Holdings' credit facilities agreement contains certain customary representations and warranties, affirmative covenants and events of default (including, among others, an event of default upon a change of control). If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the credit facilities will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due under the credit facilities and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor.
As of September 30, 2020, CSC Holdings was in compliance with all of its financial covenants under its credit facilities and with all of its financial covenants under the indentures under which the senior and senior guaranteed notes were issued.
Lightpath Debt Financing
On September 29, 2020, in connection with the Lightpath Transaction, Cablevision Lightpath LLC ("Lightpath") issued $450,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes that bear interest at a rate of 3.875% and mature on September 15, 2027 and $415,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior notes that bear interest at a rate of 5.625% and mature on September 15, 2028. Prior to the issuance of these notes, Lightpath became an unrestricted subsidiary under the terms of CSC Holdings' debt. The gross proceeds of $865,000 from the issuance of these notes were deposited into escrow accounts pending the consummation of the Lightpath Transaction and have been reflected as restricted cash on our consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2020.
In addition, on September 29, 2020, Lightpath entered into a credit agreement between, inter alios, certain lenders party thereto and Goldman Sachs Bank USA, as administrative agent, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as collateral agent, (the "Lightpath Credit Agreement") which provides for, among other things, (i) a term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $600,000 (the “Lightpath Term Loan Facility”) at a price of 99.5% of the aggregate principal amount, which will be available in a single drawing, and (ii) revolving loan commitments in an aggregate principal amount of $100,000 (the “Lightpath Revolving Credit Facility"). As of September 30, 2020, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Lightpath Credit Agreement.
The loans made pursuant to the Lightpath Credit Agreement may be comprised of eurodollar borrowings or alternative base rate borrowings, and will bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the adjusted LIBOR rate or the alternate base rate, as applicable, plus the applicable margin, where the applicable margin is (i) with respect to any alternate base rate loan, 2.25% per annum and (ii) with respect to any eurodollar loan, 3.25% per annum. The maturity date of the (i) Lightpath Term Loan Facility is expected to be on the seventh anniversary of the first date on which funds are drawn and (ii) Lightpath Revolving Credit Facility is expected to be on the fifth anniversary of the first date on which funds are drawn.
Lightpath does not expect to draw upon the Lightpath Term Loan Facility until the closing of the Lightpath Transaction. To the extent the Lightpath Term Loan Facility is drawn upon prior to the closing of the Lightpath Transaction, the proceeds will be deposited into segregated escrow accounts.
Loss on Extinguishment of Debt and the Write-off of Deferred Financing Costs
The following tables provide a summary of the loss on extinguishment of debt and the write-off of deferred financing costs recorded by the Company upon the redemption of senior notes and the refinancing of credit facilities:
35


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


Three and Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2020
CSC Holdings 5.375% Senior Guaranteed Notes due 2023$26,721 
CSC Holdings 7.75% Senior Notes due 202535,375 
CSC Holdings 10.875% Senior Notes due 2025136,249 
CSC Holdings 6.625% Senior Guaranteed Notes due 202552,144 
$250,489 
Three Months Ended September 30, 2019Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019
Cablevision 5.125% Senior Notes due 2021$503 $503 
CSC Holdings 10.125% Senior Notes due 2023— 154,666 
Refinancing and subsequent amendment to CSC Holdings credit facility
— 4,430 
$503 $159,599 

Summary of Debt Maturities
The future maturities of debt payable by the Company under its various debt obligations outstanding as of September 30, 2020, including notes payable and collateralized indebtedness (see Note 11), but excluding finance lease obligations (see Note 8), are as follows:
2020 (excluding the nine months ended September 30, 2020)$19,100 
20211,182,893 
2022728,667 
20231,835,383 
20241,006,727 
Thereafter20,982,993 

NOTE 11.    DERIVATIVE CONTRACTS AND COLLATERALIZED INDEBTEDNESS
Prepaid Forward Contracts
The Company has entered into various transactions to limit the exposure against equity price risk on its shares of Comcast Corporation ("Comcast") common stock.  The Company has monetized all of its stock holdings in Comcast through the execution of prepaid forward contracts, collateralized by an equivalent amount of the respective underlying stock.  At maturity, the contracts provide for the option to deliver cash or shares of Comcast stock with a value determined by reference to the applicable stock price at maturity.  These contracts, at maturity, are expected to offset declines in the fair value of these securities below the hedge price per share while allowing the Company to retain upside appreciation from the hedge price per share to the relevant cap price.  
The Company received cash proceeds upon execution of the prepaid forward contracts discussed above which has been reflected as collateralized indebtedness in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.  In addition, the Company separately accounts for the equity derivative component of the prepaid forward contracts.  These equity derivatives have not been designated as hedges for accounting purposes.  Therefore, the net fair values of the equity derivatives have been reflected in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as an asset or liability and the net increases or decreases in the fair value of the equity derivative component of the prepaid forward contracts are included in gain (loss) on derivative contracts in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
All of the Company's monetization transactions are obligations of its wholly-owned subsidiaries that are not part of the Restricted Group; however, CSC Holdings has provided guarantees of the subsidiaries' ongoing contract payment expense obligations and potential payments that could be due as a result of an early termination event (as defined in the agreements).  If any one of these contracts was terminated prior to its scheduled maturity date, the Company would be obligated to repay the fair value of the collateralized indebtedness less the sum of the fair values of the
36


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


underlying stock and equity collar, calculated at the termination date.  As of September 30, 2020, the Company did not have an early termination shortfall relating to any of these contracts.
The Company monitors the financial institutions that are counterparties to its equity derivative contracts.  All of the counterparties to such transactions carry investment grade credit ratings as of September 30, 2020.
Interest Rate Swap Contracts
To manage interest rate risk, we have from time to time entered into interest rate swap contracts to adjust the proportion of total debt that is subject to variable and fixed interest rates. Such contracts effectively fix the borrowing rates on floating rate debt to provide an economic hedge against the risk of rising rates and/or effectively convert fixed rate borrowings to variable rates to permit the Company to realize lower interest expense in a declining interest rate environment. We monitor the financial institutions that are counterparties to our interest rate swap contracts and we only enter into interest rate swap contracts with financial institutions that are rated investment grade. All such contracts are carried at their fair market values on our consolidated balance sheets, with changes in fair value reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. As of September 30, 2020, the Company did not hold and has not issued derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes.
The following represents the location of the assets and liabilities associated with the Company's derivative instruments within the consolidated balance sheets:
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging InstrumentsBalance Sheet LocationFair Value at
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
Asset Derivatives:
Interest rate swap contracts
Derivative contracts, long-term$5,028 $— 
Prepaid forward contracts
Derivative contracts, long-term22,770 25,207 
27,798 25,207 
Liability Derivatives:
Interest rate swap contracts
Other current liabilities(3,988)(469)
Prepaid forward contracts
Liabilities under derivative contracts, long-term(66,155)(94,795)
Interest rate swap contracts
Liabilities under derivative contracts, long-term(300,659)(160,871)
 $(370,802)$(256,135)
The following table presents certain statement of operations data related to our derivative contracts and the underlying common stock:
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2020201920202019
Gain (loss) on derivative contracts related to change in the value of equity derivative contracts related to Comcast common stock
$(261,597)$(77,333)$26,203 $(303,986)
Change in the fair value of Comcast common stock included in gain (loss) on investments
312,714 120,277 55,412 473,796 
Loss on interest rate swap contracts, net of a gain of $74,835 recorded in the 2020 nine month period in connection with the early termination of the swap agreements discussed below
(158)(11,163)(88,725)(61,735)
In March 2020, the Company terminated two swap agreements whereby the Company was paying a floating rate of interest and receiving a fixed rate of interest on an aggregate notional value of $1,500,000. These contracts were due to mature in May 2026. In connection with the early termination, the Company received cash of $74,835 which has been recorded in loss on interest swap contracts, net in our consolidated statement of operations and presented in operating activities in our consolidated statement of cash flows.
In addition, in March 2020, the Company executed amendments to two interest swap contracts that reduced the fixed rate of interest that the Company was paying on an aggregate notional value of $1,000,000 and extended the maturity date of the contracts to January 15, 2025 from January 15, 2022. The difference in the fair value of the amended
37


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


contracts and the original contracts on the date of the transaction of $5,689 (an increase in the liability) is being amortized to loss on derivative contracts over the remaining term of the contracts.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company entered into three new interest rate swap contracts on an aggregate notional value of $3,850,000. See table below.
The following is a summary of interest rate swap contracts outstanding at September 30, 2020:
Trade DateMaturity DateNotional AmountCompany PaysCompany Receives
December 2018January 2025$500,000 Fixed rate of 1.53%Three-month LIBOR
December 2018January 2022500,000 Fixed rate of 2.733%Three-month LIBOR
December 2018January 2025500,000 Fixed rate of 1.625%Three-month LIBOR
December 2018December 2026750,000 Fixed rate of 2.9155%Three-month LIBOR
December 2018December 2026750,000 Fixed rate of 2.9025%Three-month LIBOR
March 2020January 2025500,000 Fixed rate of 1.458%Three-month LIBOR
March 2020January 2022500,000 Three-month LIBORFixed rate of 2.733%
April 2020April 20212,850,000 Six-month LIBOR minus 0.5185%One-month LIBOR
NOTE 12.    FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT
The fair value hierarchy is based on inputs to valuation techniques that are used to measure fair value that are either observable or unobservable.  Observable inputs reflect assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability based on market data obtained from independent sources while unobservable inputs reflect a reporting entity's pricing based upon their own market assumptions.  The fair value hierarchy consists of the following three levels:
Level I - Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.
Level II - Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable.
Level III - Instruments whose significant value drivers are unobservable.
The following table presents the Company's financial assets and financial liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and their classification under the fair value hierarchy.
Fair Value
Hierarchy
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
Assets:
Money market funds
Level I$12,221 $563,704 
Investment securities pledged as collateralLevel I1,987,109 1,931,697 
Prepaid forward contractsLevel II22,770 25,207 
Interest rate swap contractsLevel II5,028 — 
Liabilities:
Prepaid forward contractsLevel II66,155 94,795 
Interest rate swap contractsLevel II304,647 161,340 
Contingent consideration related to 2017 and 2018 acquisitionsLevel III— 7,250 
The Company's money market funds which are classified as cash equivalents and investment securities pledged as collateral are classified within Level I of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices.
The Company's derivative contracts and liabilities under derivative contracts on the Company's consolidated balance sheets are valued using market-based inputs to valuation models.  These valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, yield curves, and measures of volatility.  When appropriate, valuations are adjusted for various factors such as liquidity, bid/offer spreads and credit risk considerations.  Such adjustments are generally based on available market evidence.  Since model inputs can generally be verified and do not involve
38


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


significant management judgment, the Company has concluded that these instruments should be classified within Level II of the fair value hierarchy.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate fair value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate:
Credit Facility Debt, Collateralized Indebtedness, Senior Notes, Senior Guaranteed Notes, Senior Secured Notes, Notes Payable and Supply Chain Financing
The fair values of each of the Company's debt instruments are based on quoted market prices for the same or similar issues or on the current rates offered to the Company for instruments of the same remaining maturities. The fair value of notes payable is based primarily on the present value of the remaining payments discounted at the borrowing cost. The carrying value of outstanding amounts related to supply chain financing agreements approximates the fair value due to the short-term maturity (less than one year).
The carrying amounts, estimated fair values, and classification under the fair value hierarchy of the Company's financial instruments, excluding those that are carried at fair value in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, are summarized as follows:
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
Fair Value
Hierarchy
Carrying
Amount (a)
Estimated
Fair Value
Carrying
Amount (a)
Estimated
Fair Value
Credit facility debtLevel II$7,296,129 $7,343,375 $7,148,287 $7,190,438 
Collateralized indebtednessLevel II1,609,281 1,694,258 1,585,088 1,611,095 
Senior guaranteed and senior secured notesLevel II8,072,808 7,511,458 7,602,456 8,220,518 
Senior notesLevel II8,413,912 9,810,693 7,874,040 8,728,870 
Notes payable and supply chain financingLevel II154,425 154,978 140,994 141,713 
$25,546,555 $26,514,762 $24,350,865 $25,892,634 
(a)Amounts are net of unamortized deferred financing costs and discounts/premiums.
The fair value estimates related to the Company's debt instruments presented above are made at a specific point in time, based on relevant market information and information about the financial instrument.  These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgments and therefore cannot be determined with precision.  Changes in assumptions could significantly affect the estimates.
NOTE 13.    INCOME TAXES
In general, the Company is required to use an estimated annual effective tax rate ("AETR") to measure the income tax expense or benefit recognized on a year to date basis in an interim period. In addition, certain items included in income tax expense as well as the tax impact of certain items included in pretax income must be treated as discrete items. The income tax expense or benefit associated with these discrete items is fully recognized in the interim period in which the items occur.
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security ("CARES Act") was enacted and signed into law. Certain provisions of the CARES Act impacted the 2019 income tax provision computations of the Company and have been reflected in the consolidated financial statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The CARES Act modified the interest limitation under section 163(j) of the Internal Revenue Code ("163(j)") for 2019 and 2020, increasing the allowable business interest deduction from 30% to 50% of adjusted taxable income. This modification significantly increased the allowable interest deduction for the Company in 2019, resulting in less utilization of net operating loss carryforwards. For state tax purposes, an estimated net benefit of approximately $10,500 was recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2020 driven by a decrease in federal taxable income for 2019 due to the 163(j) law change under the CARES Act. However, due to the decoupling from the CARES Act by New York State and New York City, the net benefit decreased approximately $8,000 in the three months ended June 30, 2020, resulting in a net state tax benefit of approximately $2,500 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. In addition, the CARES Act accelerated the ability of companies to receive refunds of Alternative Minimum
39


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


Tax credits. For the Company, the remaining approximately $12,000 in tax credits will be refunded as part of the 2019 tax filing and is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the accompanying balance sheets.
Altice USA
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, Altice USA recorded a tax expense of $33,186 and $109,047 on pre-tax income of $30,457 and $216,257, respectively, resulting in an effective tax rate that was higher than the U.S. statutory tax rate. The higher tax rate was due to the impact of certain non-deductible expenses and certain state tax expense adjustments, partially offset by a benefit resulting from the recently enacted CARES Act. In addition, income tax expense of $16,878 was recognized in the three months ended September 30, 2020 as a result of the reevaluation of the Company's deferred tax liability in connection with the tax rate increase in New Jersey for 2020 through 2023, enacted in September 2020.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, Altice USA recorded a tax expense of $37,871 and $56,445 on pre-tax income of $115,267 and $195,053, respectively, resulting in an effective tax rate that was higher than the U.S. federal statutory tax rate. The primary differences between the effective tax rate and the statutory tax rate are due to a revaluation of state deferred taxes primarily due to certain changes to the state tax rates used to measure the Company’s deferred tax liabilities and certain non-deductible expenses.
CSC Holdings
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, CSC Holdings recorded a tax expense of $33,132 and $94,790 on pre-tax income of $30,258 and $215,711, respectively, resulting in an effective tax rate that was higher than the U.S. statutory tax rate. The higher tax rate was due to the impact of certain non-deductible expenses and certain state tax expense adjustments, partially offset by a benefit resulting from the recently enacted CARES Act. In addition, income tax expense of $16,878 was recognized in the three months ended September 30, 2020 as a result of the reevaluation of the Company's deferred tax liability in connection with the tax rate increase in New Jersey for 2020 through 2023, enacted in September 2020.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, CSC Holdings recorded a tax expense of $44,693 and $76,845 on pre-tax income of $140,210 and $268,640, respectively, resulting in an effective tax rate that was higher than the U.S. statutory tax rate. The higher tax rate was due to revaluation of state deferred taxes primarily due to certain changes to the state tax rates used to measure CSC Holdings’ deferred tax liabilities, partially offset by certain non-deductible expenses.
NOTE 14.    SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
Long Term Incentive Plan
Pursuant to the 2017 Altice USA Long Term Incentive Plan, as amended (the "LTIP"), the Company may grant awards of options, restricted shares, restricted share units, stock appreciation rights, performance stock, performance stock units, and other awards. In June 2020, shareholders of the Company approved an increase to the number of shares authorized for issuance under the LTIP by 35,000,000 shares to 54,879,291, and approved the extension of the term to June 10, 2030.
Carry Unit Plan
Certain employees of the Company and its affiliates received awards of units in a carry unit plan of Neptune Management LP, an entity which has an ownership interest in Neptune Holding US Limited Partnership.
The following table summarizes activity relating to these carry units:
Number of Time
Vesting Awards
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Balance, December 31, 201937,518,750 $2.35 
Vested(28,718,750)2.22 
Forfeited(212,500)0.56 
Balance, September 30, 20208,587,500 $3.09 
40


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


The weighted average fair value per unit was $2.04 and $3.25, as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company recognized share-based compensation expense of $1,498 and $8,555, and $7,214 and $21,548, respectively, related to the carry unit plan.
Stock Options
The following table summarizes activity related to the stock options granted to Company employees:
 Shares Under OptionWeighted Average
Exercise
Price Per Share
Weighted Average Remaining
Contractual Term
(in years)
Aggregate Intrinsic
Value (a)
Balance at December 31, 201914,083,741 $19.12 8.74$112,915 
Granted26,139,922 28.32 
Exercised(328,534)17.52 
Forfeited(1,978,418)21.86 
Balance at September 30, 202037,916,711 25.33 8.9085,987,480 
Options exercisable at September 30, 2020
762,863 $17.73 7.31$6,310,812 
(a)The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price and the closing price of the Company's Class A common stock at the respective date.
The Company recognized share-based compensation expense related to employee stock options for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 of $27,601 and $73,277 and $8,780 and $23,914, respectively. As of September 30, 2020, there was $171,837 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 2.94 years.
The following weighted-average assumptions were used to calculate the fair values of stock option awards granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2020:
Risk-free interest rate1.45%
Expected life (in years)6.38
Dividend yield—%
Volatility28.47%
Grant date fair value$7.74
Performance Stock Unit Awards
In January 2020, certain employees of the Company were granted performance stock units ("PSUs"). Each PSU gives the employee the right to receive one share of Altice USA class A common stock, upon achievement of a specified stock price hurdle. The PSUs will be forfeited if the applicable performance measure is not achieved prior to January 29, 2026 or if the employee does not continue to provide services to the Company through the achievement date of the applicable performance measure.
As of September 30, 2020, the Company had 7,455,182 PSUs outstanding. The PSUs have a weighted average grant date fair value of $10.65 per unit. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recognized share based compensation expense of $4,957 and $13,277 related to these PSUs. As of September 30, 2020 there was
41


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


$65,900 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to outstanding PSUs which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 5.4 years.
The following assumptions were used to calculate the fair values of the PSUs granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2020:
Risk-free interest rate1.46%
Expected life (in years)
4 and 6
Dividend yield—%
Volatility34.22%
Restricted Awards
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded share based compensation expense of $652 and $1,864, respectively, related to restricted awards granted to certain employees pursuant to the LTIP. In January 2020, certain restricted awards granted to employees in the prior year were cancelled. These employees received new grants of stock options and PSUs.
NOTE 15.    AFFILIATE AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Affiliate and Related Party Transactions
Altice USA is controlled by Patrick Drahi who is also the controlling stockholder of Altice Europe and its subsidiaries and other entities.
As the transactions discussed below were conducted between entities under common control by Mr. Drahi, amounts charged for certain services may not have represented amounts that might have been received or incurred if the transactions were based upon arm's length negotiations.
The following table summarizes the revenue and charges related to services provided to or received from affiliates and related parties:
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2020201920202019
Revenue$4,188 $70 $11,055 $1,158 
Operating expenses:
Programming and other direct costs$(3,621)$(3,508)$(7,548)$(7,282)
Other operating expenses, net(2,413)(1,602)(8,515)(5,868)
Operating expenses, net(6,034)(5,110)(16,063)(13,150)
Net charges $(1,846)$(5,040)$(5,008)$(11,992)
Capital Expenditures$4,577 $3,456 $15,478 $9,346 
Revenue
The Company recognized revenue primarily from the sale of advertising to a subsidiary of Altice Europe and a foundation controlled by Patrick Drahi.
Programming and other direct costs
Programming and other direct costs include costs incurred by the Company for advertising services provided by a subsidiary of Altice Europe.
Other operating expenses, net
Other operating expenses primarily include charges for services provided by other subsidiaries of Altice Europe and other related parties.
42


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures primarily include costs for equipment purchased and software development services provided by subsidiaries of Altice Europe.
Aggregate amounts that were due from and due to affiliates and related parties are summarized below:
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019
Due from:
Altice Europe$424 $4,076 
Other affiliates and related parties1,159 2,698 
$1,583 $6,774 
Due to:
Altice Europe$5,642 $7,456 
$5,642 $7,456 

Amounts due from affiliates presented in the table above represent amounts paid by the Company on behalf of or for services provided to the respective related party. Amounts due to affiliates relate to the purchase of equipment and advertising services, as well as reimbursement for payments made on our behalf.
In June 2020, pursuant to the Company's share repurchase program, the Company purchased 3,582,525 Altice USA Class A common stock held by Altice Europe for a total consideration of $84,906. See further information regarding the Company's share repurchase program in Note 1.
CSC Holdings
CSC Holdings made cash equity distribution payments to its parent aggregating $431,100, and $1,803,833, respectively, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. The distributions for the three months ended September 30, 2020 were recorded as a decrease in retained earnings of $7,112, representing the cumulative earnings through the distribution dates, and a decrease in other member's equity of $423,988. The distributions for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 were recorded as a decrease in retained earnings of $137,409, representing the cumulative earnings through the distribution dates, and a decrease in other member's equity of $1,666,424.
CSC Holdings made cash equity distribution payments to its parent aggregating $514,604 and $1,744,094, respectively, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019. The distributions for the three months ended September 30, 2019 were recorded as a decrease in retained earnings of $90,356, representing the cumulative earnings through the distribution dates, and a decrease in other member's equity of $424,248. The distributions for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 were recorded as a decrease in retained earnings of $723,897, representing the cumulative earnings through the distribution dates, and a decrease in other member's equity of $1,020,197.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, CSC Holdings recorded net non-cash equity contributions (distributions) of $52,421 and $(62,766), respectively, which represent the non-cash settlement of intercompany balances with Altice USA. These balances primarily include amounts due to/due from Altice USA pursuant to tax sharing agreements between the entities.
NOTE 16.    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Legal Matters
In the latter half of 2018, eight named plaintiffs, each on behalf of a putative class of stockholders who purchased Company common stock in Altice USA's IPO pursuant to the Registration Statement and Prospectus, filed complaints (seven in New York State Supreme Court, one in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York). The lawsuits name as defendants Altice USA, Altice Europe, and Altice USA's directors, among others, and assert that all defendants violated Sections 11 and 12 of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") and that the individual defendants violated Section 15 of the Securities Act as control persons. In a consolidated amended complaint filed in the lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York, plaintiff also asserts violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Act of 1934 ("34 Act"), Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, and Section 20 of the 34 Act against
43


ALTICE USA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMBINED NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)


Altice USA, Altice Europe, and certain individual directors. The facts underlying each case are substantively similar, with plaintiffs alleging that the Registration Statement and Prospectus misrepresented or omitted material facts relating to the negative performance of Altice France and Altice Portugal, the disclosure of which in November 2017 negatively impacted the value of Altice USA’s stock. In June of 2019, plaintiffs in the New York State action filed a consolidated amended complaint, which the Company moved to dismiss in July of 2019. The Company moved to dismiss the complaint in the Eastern District of New York in October 2019. On June 26, 2020, the state Court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss. Plaintiffs in the New York State action filed a notice of appeal on July 21, 2020 and moved for leave to file an amended complaint on September 4, 2020. On September 23, 2020, the federal district court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss with leave for plaintiff to refile. On October 7, 2020, plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint in the Eastern District of New York.
On June 23, 2020, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a complaint in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, derivatively on behalf of the Company, against Patrick Drahi, Next Alt S.A.R.L., and those directors of the Company who are members of the Compensation Committee (collectively, the “Director Defendants”). The Company is also named as a nominal defendant in the complaint. The complaint alleges that the Director Defendants breached their fiduciary duties to the Company’s stockholders, and wasted corporate assets, by approving certain equity grants for Patrick Drahi. The complaint seeks rescission of the equity awards, monetary damages, and costs and disbursements for the plaintiff. On October 15, 2020, the Director Defendants answered the complaint and the Company filed a general denial of liability.
The Company intends to vigorously defend these lawsuits. Although the outcome of the matter cannot be predicted and the impact of the final resolution of these matters on the Company’s results of operations in any particular subsequent reporting period is not known at this time, management does not believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will have a material adverse effect on the operations or financial position of the Company or the ability of the Company to meet its financial obligations as they become due.
On November 6, 2018, Sprint Communications Company L.P ("Sprint") filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware alleging that the Company infringes Sprint’s patents purportedly by providing Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") services. On December 3, 2018, Sprint filed a second complaint alleging that the Company infringes Sprint’s patents purportedly by providing certain VOD related services. The lawsuits are part of a pattern of litigation that was initiated as far back as 2005 by Sprint against numerous broadband and telecommunications providers, which has resulted in judgments and settlements of significant value for Sprint. The Company intends to vigorously defend the lawsuits. Although the outcome of the matter cannot be predicted and the impact of the final resolution of this matter on the Company’s results of operations in any particular subsequent reporting period is not known at this time, management does not believe that the ultimate resolution of the matter will have a material adverse effect on the operations or financial position of the Company or the ability of the Company to meet its financial obligations as they become due, but it could be material to the Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows for any one period.
The Company receives notices from third parties and, in some cases, is named as a defendant in certain lawsuits claiming infringement of various patents relating to various aspects of the Company's businesses. In certain of these cases other industry participants are also defendants. In certain of these cases the Company expects that any potential liability would be the responsibility of the Company's equipment vendors pursuant to applicable contractual indemnification provisions.
In the event that the Company is found to infringe on any patent rights, the Company may be subject to substantial damages and/or an injunction that could require the Company or its vendors to modify certain products and services the Company offers to its subscribers, as well as enter into royalty or license agreements with respect to the patents at issue. The Company believes that the claims are without merit, but is unable to predict the outcome of these matters or reasonably estimate a range of possible loss.
In addition to the matters discussed above, the Company is party to various lawsuits, disputes and investigations, some of which may involve claims for substantial damages, fines or penalties. Although the outcome of these other matters cannot be predicted and the impact of the final resolution of these other matters on the Company's results of operations in a particular subsequent reporting period is not known, management does not believe that the resolution of these other lawsuits will have a material adverse effect on the financial position of the Company or the ability of the Company to meet its financial obligations as they become due.
44


Item 2.    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
All dollar amounts and customer metrics, except per customer and per share data, included in the following discussion, are presented in thousands.
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. For a complete discussion of the accounting judgments and estimates that we have identified as critical in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, please refer to our Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Overview
Our Business
We principally provide broadband communications and video services in the United States and market our services primarily under two brands: Optimum, in the New York metropolitan area, and Suddenlink, principally in markets in the south-central United States. We deliver broadband, video, and telephony services to approximately 5.0 million residential and business customers. Our footprint extends across 21 states through a fiber-rich broadband network with approximately 9.0 million homes passed as of September 30, 2020. Additionally, we offer news programming and content, and advertising services. In September 2019, the Company launched Altice Mobile, a full service mobile offering, to consumers across its footprint.
Key Factors Impacting Operating Results and Financial Condition
Our future performance is dependent, to a large extent, on the impact of direct competition, general economic conditions (including capital and credit market conditions), our ability to manage our businesses effectively, and our relative strength and leverage in the marketplace, both with suppliers and customers. For more information, see "Risk Factors" and "Business-Competition" included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
In March 2020, the United States declared a national emergency concerning the outbreak of the coronavirus ("COVID-19"). There have also been extraordinary and wide-ranging actions taken by federal, state and local governmental authorities to contain and combat the outbreak and spread of the virus. We have continued to provide our telecommunications services to our customers during this pandemic. We expect that our future results may be impacted, including if residential or business customers discontinue their service or are unable to pay for our products and services, or if advertising revenue continues to decline. Additionally, in order to prioritize the demands of the business, we may continue to delay certain capital investments. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the magnitude and duration of business and economic impacts relating to COVID-19, including the effort to contain and combat the spread of the virus, and business impacts of government actions, we currently cannot reasonably estimate the ultimate impact of COVID-19 on our business. See "Risk Factors - Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic."
We derive revenue principally through monthly charges to residential customers of our broadband, video, and telephony services. We also derive revenue from digital video recorder ("DVR"), video-on-demand ("VOD"), pay-per-view, installation and home shopping commissions. Our residential broadband, video, and telephony services accounted for approximately 37%, 38%, and 5%, respectively, of our consolidated revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. We also derive revenue from the sale of a wide and growing variety of products and services to both large enterprise and SMB customers, including broadband, telephony, networking and video services. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, 15% of our consolidated revenue was derived from these business services. In addition, we derive revenues from the sale of advertising time available on the programming carried on our cable television systems, digital advertising and data analytics, and affiliation fees for news programming, which accounted for approximately 4% of our consolidated revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Our mobile and other revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 accounted for approximately 1% of our consolidated revenue.
Revenue is impacted by rate increases, changes in the number of customers to our services, including additional services sold to our existing customers, programming package changes by our video customers, speed tier changes by our broadband customers, and acquisitions and construction of cable systems that result in the addition of new customers.
Our ability to increase the number of customers to our services is significantly related to our penetration rates.
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We operate in a highly competitive consumer-driven industry and we compete against a variety of broadband, video and telephony providers and delivery systems, including broadband communications companies, wireless data and telephony providers, satellite-delivered video signals, Internet-delivered video content and broadcast television signals available to residential and business customers in our service areas. Our competitors include AT&T and its DirecTV subsidiary, CenturyLink, DISH, Frontier and Verizon. Consumers' selection of an alternate source of service, whether due to economic constraints, technological advances or preference, negatively impacts the demand for our services. For more information on our competitive landscape, see "Risk Factors" and "Business-Competition" included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Our programming costs, which are the most significant component of our operating expenses, have increased and are expected to continue to increase primarily as a result of contractual rate increases. See "Results of Operations" below for more information regarding our key factors impacting our revenues and operating expenses.
Historically, we have made substantial investments in our network and the development of new and innovative products and other service offerings for our customers as a way of differentiating ourselves from our competitors and may continue to do so in the future. We are constructing a FTTH network, which will ultimately enable us to deliver more than 10 Gbps symmetric broadband speeds in areas where FTTH is deployed. In addition, we launched Altice Mobile to consumers across our footprint in September 2019. We may incur greater than anticipated capital expenditures in connection with these initiatives, fail to realize anticipated benefits, experience delays and business disruptions or encounter other challenges to executing them as planned. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for additional information regarding our capital expenditures.
Certain Transactions
The following transactions occurred during the periods covered by this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations:
On July 14, 2020, the Company completed its acquisition of certain cable assets in New Jersey and the operating results of the acquired business were consolidated as of the acquisition date.
In June 2019, the Company completed the acquisition of Cheddar Inc., a digital-first news company and the operating results of Cheddar were consolidated as of June 1, 2019.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We define Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, as net income (loss) excluding income taxes, non-operating income or expenses, loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs, gain (loss) on interest rate swap contracts, gain (loss) on derivative contracts, gain (loss) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, interest expense, interest income, depreciation and amortization (including impairments), share-based compensation expense or benefit, restructuring expense or credits and transaction expenses.
We believe Adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate measure for evaluating the operating performance of the Company. Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures with similar titles are common performance measures used by investors, analysts and peers to compare performance in our industry. Internally, we use revenue and Adjusted EBITDA measures as important indicators of our business performance and evaluate management’s effectiveness with specific reference to these indicators. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides management and investors a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business and operating results by excluding items that are not comparable across reporting periods or that do not otherwise relate to the Company’s ongoing operating results. Adjusted EBITDA should be viewed as a supplement to and not a substitute for operating income (loss), net income (loss), and other measures of performance presented in accordance with GAAP. Since Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance calculated in accordance with GAAP, this measure may not be comparable to similar measures with similar titles used by other companies.
We also use Operating Free Cash Flow (defined as Adjusted EBITDA less cash capital expenditures), and Free Cash Flow (defined as net cash flows from operating activities less cash capital expenditures) as indicators of the Company’s financial performance. We believe these measures are two of several benchmarks used by investors, analysts and peers for comparison of performance in the Company’s industry, although they may not be directly comparable to similar measures reported by other companies.
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Results of Operations - Altice USA
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2020201920202019
Revenue:
Residential:
Broadband$941,237 $814,328 $2,747,129 $2,396,151 
Video867,021 993,158 2,766,608 3,028,914 
Telephony115,995 148,231 358,347 452,927 
Business services and wholesale
362,215 357,628 1,092,309 1,066,123 
News and advertising
124,177 118,067 326,348 327,255 
Mobile
19,722 3,174 57,944 3,174 
Other
3,619 4,076 10,536 11,766 
Total revenue2,433,986 2,438,662 7,359,221 7,286,310 
Operating expenses:
Programming and other direct costs
783,934 820,896 2,509,323 2,452,875 
Other operating expenses
558,092 568,233 1,683,038 1,702,124 
Restructuring and other expense
40,419 12,381 88,679 39,090 
Depreciation and amortization (including impairments)
502,248 565,637 1,571,611 1,695,685 
Operating income549,293 471,515 1,506,570 1,396,536 
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net
(322,454)(387,276)(1,036,880)(1,154,353)
Gain on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net314,177 120,253 56,301 478,124 
Gain (loss) on derivative contracts, net
(261,597)(77,333)26,203 (303,986)
Loss on interest rate swap contracts, net
(158)(11,163)(88,725)(61,735)
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs
(250,489)(503)(250,489)(159,599)
Other income (expense), net1,685 (226)3,277 66 
Income before income taxes30,457 115,267 216,257 195,053 
Income tax expense(33,186)(37,871)(109,047)(56,445)
Net income (loss)(2,729)77,396 107,210 138,608 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests(1,966)(157)(1,499)(1)
Net income (loss) attributable to Altice USA, Inc. stockholders$(4,695)$77,239 $105,711 $138,607 
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The following is a reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Free Cash Flow:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2020201920202019
Net income (loss)$(2,729)$77,396 $107,210 $138,608 
Income tax expense33,186 37,871 109,047 56,445 
Other expense (income), net(1,685)226 (3,277)(66)
Loss on interest rate swap contracts, net
158 11,163 88,725 61,735 
Loss (gain) on derivative contracts, net261,597 77,333 (26,203)303,986 
Gain on investments and sales of affiliate interests, net(314,177)(120,253)(56,301)(478,124)
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs
250,489 503 250,489 159,599 
Interest expense, net
322,454 387,276 1,036,880 1,154,353 
Depreciation and amortization
502,248 565,637 1,571,611 1,695,685 
Restructuring and other expense
40,419 12,381 88,679 39,090 
Share-based compensation
34,710 18,835 96,974 49,160 
Adjusted EBITDA1,126,670 1,068,368 3,263,834 3,180,471 
Capital expenditures (cash)201,572 375,302 729,377 1,032,555 
Operating Free Cash Flow$925,098 $693,066 $2,534,457 $2,147,916 
The following is a reconciliation of net cash flows from operating activities to Free Cash Flow:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2020201920202019
Net cash flows from operating activities$659,120 $541,023 $2,188,661 $1,833,987 
Capital expenditures (cash)201,572 375,302 729,377 1,032,555 
Free Cash Flow$457,548 $165,721 $1,459,284 $801,432 

The following table sets forth certain customer metrics, excluding Altice Mobile customers, for the Company:
September 30,June 30, September 30,
2020 (f)2020 (f)2019
Homes passed (a)
8,987.9 8,880.1 8,769.1 
Total customer relationships (b)(c)5,040.9 4,997.1 4,922.9 
Residential4,663.5 4,621.4 4,538.6 
SMB377.5 375.7 384.4 
Residential customers:
Broadband4,363.5 4,307.8 4,180.3 
Video3,035.1 3,102.9 3,223.4 
Telephony2,279.5 2,337.1 2,446.6 
Penetration of homes passed (d)
56.1 %56.3 %56.1 %
ARPU(e) (g)
$138.16 $144.38 $143.63 
(a)Represents the estimated number of single residence homes, apartments and condominium units passed by the broadband network in areas serviceable without further extending the transmission lines. In addition, it includes commercial establishments that have connected to our broadband network. Broadband services were not available to approximately 30 thousand homes passed and telephony services were not available to approximately 500 thousand homes passed.
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(b)Represents number of households/businesses that receive at least one of the Company's fixed-line services.
(c)Customers represent each customer account (set up and segregated by customer name and address), weighted equally and counted as one customer, regardless of size, revenue generated, or number of boxes, units, or outlets.  In calculating the number of customers, we count all customers other than inactive/disconnected customers.  With the exception of free Altice Advantage customers, free accounts are included in the customer counts along with all active accounts, but they are limited to a prescribed group.  Most of these accounts are also not entirely free, as they typically generate revenue through pay-per-view or other pay services and certain equipment fees.  Free status is not granted to regular customers as a promotion.  In counting bulk residential customers, such as an apartment building, we count each subscribing family unit within the building as one customer, but do not count the master account for the entire building as a customer. We count a bulk commercial customer, such as a hotel, as one customer, and do not count individual room units at that hotel.
(d)Represents the number of total customer relationships divided by homes passed.
(e)Calculated by dividing the average monthly revenue for the respective quarter (fourth quarter for annual periods) derived from the sale of broadband, video and telephony services to residential customers for the quarter by the average number of total residential customers for the same period.
(f)Customer metrics for the 2020 periods include customers that were not disconnected pursuant to the Keep Americans Connected pledge ("Pledge") through June 30, 2020 that the Company made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and customers that have not been disconnected pursuant to the New Jersey Executive Order No. 126 ("NJ Order") enacted in April 2020 that protects New Jersey residents from disconnection of internet and voice services for non-payment. However, the metrics exclude new customers with students in the household that were receiving broadband services for free ("Altice Advantage"). The following table provides details of these COVID-19 related offers and programs:
September 30, 2020June 30, 2020
Pledge and NJ Order (i)Altice Advantage CustomersPledge and NJ Order (ii)Altice Advantage Customers
Included(Excluded)Included(Excluded)
Total customer relationships
22.4 (1.4)18.7 (17.8)
Residential22.4 (1.4)18.1 (17.8)
SMB— — 0.6 — 
Residential customers:
Broadband22.1 (1.4)17.9 (17.8)
Video2.4 — 8.0 — 
Telephony9.5 — 8.9 — 
(i)Represent customers who would have been disconnected as a result of non-payment under our normal policies, but were not disconnected pursuant to the NJ Order and customers who were previously protected by the Pledge who were not disconnected. As of September 30, 2020, an aggregate of 49.5 thousand customers (48.7 thousand residential and 0.7 thousand SMB) with past-due account balances are protected pursuant to the NJ Order or had requested protection pursuant to the Pledge prior to June 30, 2020.
(ii)Represent customers who would have been disconnected as a result of non-payment under our normal policies, but were not disconnected pursuant to the Pledge and the NJ Order. As of June 30, 2020, an aggregate of 56.1 thousand customers (54.8 thousand residential and 1.3 thousand SMB) with past-due account balances requested protection pursuant to the Pledge or are protected pursuant to the NJ Order.
(g)    ARPU for the September 30, 2020 period reflects a reduction of $5.51 due to credits that we currently anticipate will be issued to video customers as a result of credits the Company expects to receive from certain sports programming networks whereby the minimum number of events were not delivered pursuant to the contractual agreements with the networks and related franchise fees.

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Altice USA- Comparison of Results for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 compared to the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019
Broadband Revenue
Broadband revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $941,237 and $2,747,129, respectively, while broadband revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $814,328 and $2,396,151, respectively. Broadband revenue is derived principally through monthly charges to residential subscribers of our broadband services. Revenue is impacted by rate increases, changes in the number of customers, including additional services sold to our existing subscribers, and changes in speed tiers. Additionally, revenue is impacted by changes in the standalone selling price of each performance obligation within our promotional bundled offers.
Broadband revenue increased $126,909 (16%) and $350,978 (15%) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019. The increase was due primarily to higher average recurring broadband revenue per broadband customer, primarily driven by certain rate increases and service level changes, and an increase in broadband customers, partially offset by customer credits issued for service outages following certain storms.
Video Revenue
Video revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $867,021 and $2,766,608, respectively. Video revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $993,158 and $3,028,914, respectively. Video revenue is derived principally through monthly charges to residential customers of our video services. Revenue is impacted by rate increases, changes in the number of customers, including additional services sold to our existing customers, and changes in programming packages. Additionally, revenue is impacted by changes in the standalone selling price of each performance obligation within our promotional bundled offers.
Video revenue decreased $126,137 (13%) and $262,306 (9%) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019. Video revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 includes estimated credits of approximately $76,700 that we currently anticipate will be issued to customers as a result of $73,300 of credits the Company expects to receive from certain sports programming networks whereby the minimum number of events were not delivered pursuant to the contractual agreements with the networks and related franchise fees. These credits did not impact Adjusted EBITDA for the periods. The remaining decrease was due primarily to a decline in video customers, as well as customer credits issued for service outages following certain storms.
Telephony Revenue
Telephony revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $115,995 and $358,347, respectively. Telephony revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $148,231 and $452,927, respectively. Telephony revenue is derived principally through monthly charges to residential customers of our telephony services. Revenue is impacted by changes in rates for services, changes in the number of customers, and additional services sold to our existing customers. Additionally, revenue is impacted by changes in the standalone selling price of each performance obligation within our promotional bundled offers.
Telephony revenue decreased $32,236 (22%) and $94,580 (21%) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. The decrease was due to lower average revenue per telephony customer and a decline in telephony customers, as well as customer credits issued for service outages following certain storms.
Business Services and Wholesale Revenue
Business services and wholesale revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $362,215 and $1,092,309, respectively. Business services and wholesale revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $357,628 and $1,066,123, respectively. Business services and wholesale revenue is derived primarily from the sale of fiber based telecommunications services to the business market, and the sale of broadband, video and telephony services to SMB customers.
Business services and wholesale revenue increased $4,587 (1%) and $26,186 (2%) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. The increase was primarily due to higher average recurring broadband revenue per SMB customer, primarily driven by certain rate increases and service level changes and an increase in revenue related to an indefeasible right of use contract recorded in the second quarter of 2020, partially offset by a decrease in SMB customers for the nine month
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period, customer credits issued for service outages following certain storms and customer credits of approximately $2,000 that we currently anticipate will be issued to SMB customers as a result of credits the Company expects to receive from certain sports programming networks whereby the minimum number of events were not delivered pursuant to the contractual agreements with the networks and related franchise fees. These credits did not impact Adjusted EBITDA for the periods.
News and Advertising Revenue
News and advertising revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $124,177 and $326,348, respectively. News and advertising revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $118,067 and $327,255, respectively. News and advertising revenue is primarily derived from the sale of (i) advertising inventory available on the programming carried on our cable television systems, (ii) advertising on over the top ("OTT") platforms, (iii) digital advertising, and (iv) data analytics. News and advertising revenue also includes affiliation fees for news programming.
News and advertising revenue increased $6,110 (5%) and decreased $907 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019. The increase for the three months ended September 30, 2020 was primarily due to growth in political advertising and higher affiliate revenue for News 12, partially offset by a decline in other advertising revenue. The decrease for the nine month period was primarily due to a net decline in advertising revenue, other than political advertising which increased, partially offset by higher affiliate revenue for News 12.
Mobile Revenue
Mobile revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $19,722 and $57,944, respectively, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $3,174 and relates to sales of devices and mobile services, which was launched to consumers in September 2019. As of September 30, 2020, we had approximately 162,000 mobile lines.
Other Revenue
Other revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $3,619 and $10,536, respectively. Other revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $4,076 and $11,766, respectively. Other revenue includes revenue from other miscellaneous revenue streams.
Programming and Other Direct Costs
Programming and other direct costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 amounted to $783,934 and $2,509,323, respectively. Programming and other direct costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 amounted to $820,896 and $2,452,875, respectively. Programming and other direct costs include cable programming costs, which are costs paid to programmers (net of amortization of any incentives received from programmers for carriage) for cable content (including costs of VOD and pay-per-view) and are generally paid on a per-customer basis. These costs typically rise due to increases in contractual rates and new channel launches and are also impacted by changes in the number of customers receiving certain programming services. These costs also include interconnection, call completion, circuit and transport fees paid to other telecommunication companies for the transport and termination of voice and data services, which typically vary based on rate changes and the level of usage by our customers. These costs also include franchise fees which are payable to the state governments and local municipalities where we operate and are primarily based on a percentage of certain categories of revenue derived from the provision of video service over our cable systems, which vary by state and municipality. These costs change in relation to changes in such categories of revenues or rate changes. Additionally, these costs include the costs of mobile devices sold to our customers and direct costs of providing mobile services.
The decrease of $36,962 (5%) and increase of $56,448 (2%) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, as compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 are primarily attributable to the following:
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Three MonthsNine Months
Costs of mobile devices$5,829 $31,475 
Increase in call completion and transfer costs primarily related to our mobile business ($10,191 and $23,390 for the three and nine months) and an increase in call activity11,608 25,332 
Increase primarily relating to costs of digital media and linear advertising spots for resale1,727 8,486 
Net increase (decrease) in programming costs which includes estimated credits expected to be received (see discussion below), a decrease in costs due to lower video customers, and an increase in costs due to net contractual rate increases(47,272)627 
Decrease in costs due to certain tax refunds(11,033)(11,033)
Other net increases2,179 1,561 
$(36,962)$56,448 
Programming costs
Programming costs aggregated $631,211 and $2,044,475 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $678,483 and $2,043,848 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. The programming costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 include estimated credits of $75,300 that the Company expects to receive from certain sports programming networks whereby the minimum number of events were not delivered pursuant to the contractual agreements with the networks. These credits did not impact Adjusted EBITDA for the periods as we reduced video revenue for a corresponding amount as it is currently anticipated that these credits will be issued to customers. Our programming costs in 2020 will continue to be impacted by changes in programming rates, which we expect to increase, and by changes in the number of video customers.
Other Operating Expenses
Other operating expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 amounted to $558,092 and $1,683,038, respectively. Other operating expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 amounted to $568,233 and $1,702,124, respectively. Other operating expenses include staff costs and employee benefits including salaries of company employees and related taxes, benefits and other employee related expenses, as well as third-party labor costs. Other operating expenses also include network management and field service costs, which represent costs associated with the maintenance of our broadband network, including costs of certain customer connections and other costs associated with providing and maintaining services to our customers.
Customer installation and network repair and maintenance costs may fluctuate as a result of changes in the level of activities and the utilization of contractors as compared to employees. Also, customer installation costs fluctuate as the portion of our expenses that we are able to capitalize changes. Costs associated with the initial deployment of new customer premise equipment necessary to provide broadband, video and telephony services are capitalized (asset-based). The redeployment of customer premise equipment is expensed as incurred.
Other operating expenses also include costs related to the operation and maintenance of our call center facilities that handle customer inquiries and billing and collection activities and sales and marketing costs, which include advertising production and placement costs associated with acquiring and retaining customers. These costs vary period to period and certain of these costs, such as sales and marketing, may increase with intense competition. Additionally, other operating expenses include various other administrative costs, including legal fees, and product development costs.
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The decreases in other operating expenses of $10,141 and $19,086, offset by an increase of $9,559 and $34,659 relating to our mobile service, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, as compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was attributable to the following:
Three MonthsNine Months
Net decrease in labor costs and benefits (offset by an increase in costs related to Cheddar of $9,596 for the nine months, which was acquired in June 2019), partially offset by a decrease in capitalizable activity$(15,017)$(57,303)
Decrease in sales and marketing(1,174)(14,322)
Decrease in billing costs, primarily due to systems integration
(1,398)(7,414)
Decrease in bad debt expense
(17,714)(10,671)
Increase in share-based compensation15,874 47,813 
Increase in rent and property taxes3,872 11,392 
Increase in repairs and maintenance3,373 4,058 
Other net increases (including a decrease of $5,598 due to a favorable resolution of a tax matter)2,043 7,361 
$(10,141)$(19,086)
Restructuring and Other Expense
Restructuring and other expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 amounted to $40,419 and $88,679, as compared to $12,381 and $39,090 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019. Restructuring and other expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 primarily includes $5,428 and $45,556, respectively, related to contractual payments for terminated employees. In addition, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $26,621 and $28,937 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. respectively, related primarily to the impairment of right-of-use operating ("ROU") lease assets, included in the Company's restructuring initiatives, as their carrying amount was not recoverable and exceeded their fair value. The remaining balance includes severance and other employee related costs resulting from headcount reductions and facility realignment costs related to initiatives which commenced in 2016 and 2019 and certain transaction costs.
The amounts for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 primarily related to severance and other employee related costs resulting from headcount reductions, facility realignment costs and impairments of certain ROU lease assets, related to initiatives which commenced in 2016 and 2019 that are intended to simplify the Company's organizational structure.
We currently anticipate that additional restructuring expenses will be recognized as we continue to analyze and make modifications to our organizational structure.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 amounted to $502,248 and $1,571,611, respectively. Depreciation and amortization for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 amounted to $565,637 and $1,695,685, respectively.
The decreases in depreciation and amortization of $63,389 (11%) and $124,074 (7%) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, as compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 are due to certain fixed assets and intangible assets becoming fully depreciated or amortized, partially offset by the acceleration of amortization expense related to certain customer relationship intangible assets and an increase in depreciation as a result of asset additions.
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA amounted to $1,126,670 and $3,263,834 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively as compared to $1,068,368 and $3,180,471 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively.
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure that is defined as net income (loss) excluding income taxes, non-operating income or expenses, loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs, gain (loss) on interest rate swap contracts, gain (loss) on derivative contracts, gain (loss) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, interest expense, interest income, depreciation and amortization (including impairments), share-based compensation expense or benefit, restructuring expense or credits and transaction expenses. See reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA above.
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The increase in adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 as compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was due to an increase in revenue and a net decrease in operating expenses (excluding depreciation and amortization, restructuring and other expense and share-based compensation), as discussed above.
Operating Free Cash Flow
Operating free cash flow was $925,098 and $2,534,457 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, and $693,066 and $2,147,916 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. The increase in operating free cash flow for the 2020 periods as compared to 2019 is due to a decrease in capital expenditures and an increase in adjusted EBITDA.
Operating Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP measure that is defined as Adjusted EBITDA less cash capital expenditures. See discussion above under "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for further information.
Free Cash Flow
Free cash flow was $457,548 and $1,459,284 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, and $165,721 and $801,432 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. The increase in free cash flow in the 2020 periods as compared to the 2019 periods is due to an increase in cash flows from operating activities and a decrease in capital expenditures.
Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP measure that is defined as net cash flows from operating activities less cash capital expenditures. See discussion above under "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for further information.
Interest expense
Interest expense, net was $322,454 and $1,036,880 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, and $387,276 and $1,154,353 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. The decreases of $64,822 and $117,473 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, as compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 are attributable to the following:
Three MonthsNine Months
Decrease due to changes in average debt balances and interest rates on our indebtedness, including our collateralized debt$(61,238)$(109,371)
Lower interest income
1,360 1,974 
Other net decreases, primarily amortization of deferred financing costs and original issue discounts
(4,944)(10,076)
$(64,822)$(117,473)
Gain on Investments and Sale of Affiliate Interests, net
Gain on investments, net for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, of $314,177 and $56,301, respectively and $120,253 and $478,124, respectively, consists primarily of the increase in the fair value of Comcast common stock owned by the Company for the periods. The effects of these gains are partially offset by the losses (gains) on the related equity derivative contracts, net described below.
Gain (Loss) on Derivative Contracts, net
Gain (loss) on derivative contracts, net for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 amounted to $(261,597) and $26,203, respectively, and $(77,333) and $(303,986) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, and includes realized and unrealized gains or losses due to the change in fair value of equity derivative contracts relating to the Comcast common stock owned by the Company. The effects of these gains (losses) are generally offset by losses (gains) on investment securities pledged as collateral, which are included in gain (loss) on investments, net discussed above.
Loss on Interest Rate Swap Contracts, net
Loss on interest rate swap contracts, net was $158 and $88,725 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, and $11,163 and $61,735 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively. These amounts represent the increase or decrease in the fair value of interest rate swap contracts. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the loss is net of a gain recognized in connection with the early termination of two interest rate swap contracts. These swap contracts are not designated as hedges for accounting purposes.
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Loss on Extinguishment of Debt and Write-off of Deferred Financing Costs
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs amounted to $250,489 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $503 and $159,599 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019.
The following tables provide a summary of the loss on extinguishment of debt and the write-off of deferred financing costs recorded by the Company upon the redemption of senior notes and the refinancing of credit facilities:
Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020
CSC Holdings 5.375% Senior Guaranteed Notes due 2023$26,721 
CSC Holdings 10.875% Senior Notes due 202535,375 
CSC Holdings 7.75% Senior Notes due 2025136,249 
CSC Holdings 6.625% Senior Guaranteed Notes due 202552,144 
$250,489 

Three months ended September 30, 2019Nine months ended September 30, 2019
CSC Holdings 10.125% Senior Notes due 2023
$— $154,666 
Cablevision 5.125% Senior Notes due 2021503 503 
Refinancing and subsequent amendment to CSC Holdings credit facility
— 4,430 
$503 $159,599 
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net amounted to $1,685 and $3,277 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, compared to $(226) and $66 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively.
Income Tax Expense
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, Altice USA recorded a tax expense of $33,186 and $109,047 on pre-tax income of $30,457 and $216,257, respectively, resulting in an effective tax rate that was higher than the U.S. statutory tax rate. The higher tax rate was due to the impact of certain non-deductible expenses and certain state tax expense adjustments, partially offset by a benefit resulting from the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security ("CARES Act"). See further details related to the CARES Act in Note 13 of the consolidated financial statements. In addition, income tax expense of $16,878 was recognized in the three months ended September 30, 2020 as a result of the reevaluation of the Company's deferred tax liability in connection with the tax rate increase in New Jersey for 2020 through 2023, enacted in September 2020.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, Altice USA recorded a tax expense of $37,871 and $56,445 on pre-tax income of $115,267 and $195,053, respectively, resulting in an effective tax rate that was higher than the U.S. federal statutory tax rate. The primary differences between the effective tax rate and the statutory tax rate are due to a revaluation of state deferred taxes primarily due to certain changes to the state tax rates used to measure the Company’s deferred tax liabilities and certain non-deductible expenses.
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CSC HOLDINGS, LLC
The consolidated statements of operations of CSC Holdings are essentially identical to the consolidated statements of operations of Altice USA, except for the following:
CSC Holdings
 Three months ended September 30,Nine months ended September 30,
2020201920202019
(in thousands)(in thousands)
Net income (loss) attributable to Altice USA shareholders$(4,695)$77,239 $105,711 $138,607 
Less: items included in Altice USA's consolidated statements of operations:
Income tax expense (benefit)54 (6,822)14,257 (20,400)
Interest expense relating to Cablevision senior notes
— 24,442 — 73,086 
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs — 503 — 503 
Other income, net— (2)— (2)
Gain on investments and sale of affiliate interest recorded by Altice USA
(199)— (546)— 
Net income (loss) attributable to CSC Holdings' sole member$(4,840)$95,360 $119,422 $191,794 
Refer to Altice USA's Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations herein.
The following is a reconciliation of CSC Holdings' net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Free Cash Flow:
CSC Holdings
Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2020201920202019
Net income (loss)$(2,874)$95,517 $120,921 $191,795 
Income tax expense33,132 44,693 94,790 76,845 
Other expense (income), net(1,685)228 (3,277)(64)
Loss on interest rate swap contracts, net
158 11,163 88,725 61,735 
Loss (gain) on derivative contracts, net261,597 77,333 (26,203)303,986 
Gain on investments and sales of affiliate interests, net(313,978)(120,253)(55,755)(478,124)
Loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs
250,489 — 250,489 159,096 
Interest expense, net
322,454 362,834 1,036,880 1,081,267 
Depreciation and amortization
502,248 565,637 1,571,611 1,695,685 
Restructuring and other expense
40,419 12,381 88,679 39,090 
Share-based compensation
34,710 18,835 96,974 49,160 
Adjusted EBITDA1,126,670 1,068,368 3,263,834 3,180,471 
Capital expenditures (cash)201,572 375,302 729,377 1,032,555 
Operating Free Cash Flow$925,098 $693,066 $2,534,457 $2,147,916 

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The following is a reconciliation of net cash flows from operating activities to Free Cash Flow:

CSC Holdings
Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2020201920202019
Net cash flows from operating activities$662,625 $560,220 $2,191,803 $1,881,996 
Capital expenditures (cash)201,572 375,302 729,377 1,032,555 
Free Cash Flow$461,053 $184,918 $1,462,426 $849,441 
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Altice USA has no operations independent of its subsidiaries. Funding for our subsidiaries has generally been provided by cash flow from their respective operations, cash on hand and borrowings under the revolving credit facility and the proceeds from the issuance of securities and borrowings under syndicated term loans in the capital markets.  Our decision as to the use of cash generated from operating activities, cash on hand, borrowings under the revolving credit facility or accessing the capital markets has been based upon an ongoing review of the funding needs of the business, the optimal allocation of cash resources, the timing of cash flow generation and the cost of borrowing under the revolving credit facility, debt securities and syndicated term loans. We target a year-end leverage ratio of 4.5x to 5.0x for our CSC Holdings debt silo. We calculate our consolidated net leverage ratio as net debt to L2QA EBITDA (Adjusted EBITDA for the two most recent consecutive fiscal quarters multiplied by 2.0).
We expect to utilize free cash flow and availability under the CSC Holdings revolving credit facility, as well as future refinancing transactions, to further extend the maturities of, or reduce the principal on, our debt obligations. The timing and terms of any refinancing transactions will be subject to, among other factors, market conditions. Additionally, we may, from time to time, depending on market conditions and other factors, use cash on hand and the proceeds from other borrowings to repay the outstanding debt securities through open market purchases, privately negotiated purchases, tender offers, or redemptions.
We believe existing cash balances, operating cash flows and availability under the CSC Holdings revolving credit facility will provide adequate funds to support our current operating plan, make planned capital expenditures and fulfill our debt service requirements for the next twelve months. However, our ability to fund our operations, make planned capital expenditures, make scheduled payments on our indebtedness and repay our indebtedness depends on our future operating performance and cash flows and our ability to access the capital markets, which, in turn, are subject to prevailing economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Competition, market disruptions or a deterioration in economic conditions could lead to lower demand for our products, as well as lower levels of advertising, and increased incidence of customers' inability to pay for the services we provide.  These events would adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial position.  Although we currently believe amounts available under the CSC Holdings revolving credit facility will be available when, and if, needed, we can provide no assurance that access to such funds will not be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial markets or other conditions.  The obligations of the financial institutions under the revolving credit facility are several and not joint and, as a result, a funding default by one or more institutions does not need to be made up by the others.
In the longer term, we may not be able to generate sufficient cash from operations to fund anticipated capital expenditures, meet all existing future contractual payment obligations and repay our debt at maturity.  As a result, we could be dependent upon our continued access to the capital and credit markets to issue additional debt or equity or refinance existing debt obligations.  We intend to raise significant amounts of funding over the next several years to fund capital expenditures, repay existing obligations and meet other obligations, and the failure to do so successfully could adversely affect our business.  If we are unable to do so, we will need to take other actions including deferring
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capital expenditures, selling assets, seeking strategic investments from third parties or reducing or eliminating stock repurchases and discretionary uses of cash.
Lightpath Transaction
In July 2020, the Company entered into an agreement to sell 49.99% of its Lightpath fiber enterprise business (the "Lightpath Transaction") for an implied enterprise value of $3,200,000. The Company will receive total gross cash proceeds of approximately $2,300,000 from the sale and related financing activity and will record a gain upon closing. The Company will retain a 50.01% interest in the Lightpath business and maintain control of Cablevision Lightpath LLC. Accordingly, the Company will continue to consolidate the operating results of the Lightpath business. The transaction is currently expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020 following the satisfaction of closing conditions, including receipt of necessary regulatory approvals. Lightpath will be financed independently outside of the CSC Holdings restricted group. Proceeds from this transaction may be used for debt repayment, the repurchase of Altice USA shares and/or investment opportunities. See discussion below for additional information regarding the debt financing related to the Lightpath Transaction.
Debt Outstanding
The following tables summarize the carrying value of our outstanding debt, net of unamortized deferred financing costs, discounts and premiums as of September 30, 2020, as well as interest expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.
CSC Holdings Restricted GroupLightpathOther Unrestricted EntitiesAltice USA/CSC Holdings
Debt outstanding:
Credit facility debt
$7,296,129 $— $— $7,296,129 
Senior guaranteed notes
7,625,313 — — 7,625,313 
Senior secured notes— 447,495 — 447,495 
Senior notes
8,000,592 413,320 — 8,413,912 
Subtotal
22,922,034 860,815 — 23,782,849 
Finance lease obligations
155,528 — — 155,528 
Notes payable and supply chain financing
154,425 — — 154,425 
Subtotal
23,231,987 860,815 — 24,092,802 
Collateralized indebtedness relating to stock monetizations (a)
— — 1,609,281 1,609,281 
Total debt$23,231,987 $860,815 $1,609,281 $25,702,083 
Interest expense:
Credit facility debt, senior notes, finance leases, notes payable and supply chain financing (b)$984,025 $227 $— $984,252 
Collateralized indebtedness relating to stock monetizations (a)
— — 54,602 54,602 
Total interest expense$984,025 $227 $54,602 $1,038,854 
(a)This indebtedness is collateralized by shares of Comcast common stock. We intend to settle this debt by (i) delivering shares of Comcast common stock and the related equity contracts, or (ii) delivering cash from the net proceeds from new monetization contracts.
(b)Lightpath interest expense excludes interest on intercompany debt that was eliminated in consolidation.
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The following table provides details of CSC Holdings' outstanding credit facility debt, net of unamortized discounts and deferred financing costs as of September 30, 2020: 
Maturity DateInterest RatePrincipalCarrying Value
Revolving Credit Facility (a)(b)2.48%$200,000 $190,322 
Term Loan BJuly 17, 20252.40%2,902,500 2,890,975 
Incremental Term Loan B-3January 15, 20262.40%1,255,875 1,251,268 
Incremental Term Loan B-5April 15, 20272.65%2,985,000 2,963,564 
$7,343,375 $7,296,129 
(a)At September 30, 2020, $137,920 of the revolving credit facility was restricted for certain letters of credit issued on behalf of the Company and $2,137,080 of the facility was undrawn and available, subject to covenant limitations.
(b)The revolving credit facility of an aggregate principal amount of $2,275,000 matures in January 2024 and is priced at LIBOR plus 2.25%. The remaining revolving credit facility of an aggregate principal amount of $200,000 matures in November 2021 and is priced at LIBOR plus 3.25%.
Payment Obligations Related to Debt
As of September 30, 2020, total amounts payable by us in connection with our outstanding obligations, including related interest, as well as notes payable and supply chain financing, and the value deliverable at maturity under monetization contracts, but excluding finance lease obligations (see Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements) are as follows:
CSC Holdings Restricted GroupLightpathOther Unrestricted Entities (a)Altice USA/CSC Holdings
2020 (excluding the nine months ended September 30, 2020)$291,190 $— $8,541 $299,731 
2021 2,301,238 39,082 33,886 2,374,206 
20221,764,045 40,781 33,886 1,838,712 
20231,076,474 40,781 1,776,378 2,893,633 
20241,979,933 40,781 — 2,020,714 
Thereafter23,605,216 1,010,688 — 24,615,904 
Total$31,018,096 $1,172,113 $1,852,691 $34,042,900 
(a)Relates to the Company's collateralized indebtedness and related interest.  This indebtedness is collateralized by shares of Comcast common stock. We intend to settle this debt by (i) delivering shares of Comcast common stock and the related equity contracts or (ii) delivering cash from the net proceeds on new monetization contracts.
CSC Holdings Restricted Group
For financing purposes, the Company is structured as a restricted group (the "Restricted Group") and an unrestricted group, which includes certain designated subsidiaries and investments (the "Unrestricted Group"). The Restricted Group is comprised of CSC Holdings and substantially all of its wholly-owned operating subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are subject to the covenants and restrictions of the credit facility and indentures governing the notes issued by CSC Holdings.   Cablevision Lightpath LLC became an unrestricted subsidiary prior to the issuance of its senior notes and senior secured notes in September 2020. See discussion below regarding the Lightpath debt financing.
Sources of cash for the Restricted Group include primarily cash flow from the operations of the businesses in the Restricted Group, borrowings under its credit facility and issuance of securities in the capital markets, contributions from its parent, and, from time to time, distributions or loans from its subsidiaries.  The Restricted Group's principal uses of cash include:  capital spending, in particular, the capital requirements associated with the upgrade of its digital broadband, video and telephony services, including costs to build a FTTH network and enhancements to its service offerings such as WiFi; debt service; distributions made to its parent to fund share repurchases; other corporate expenses and changes in working capital; and investments that it may fund from time to time.

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CSC Holdings Credit Facility
In October 2015, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Altice USA, which merged with and into CSC Holdings on June 21, 2016, entered into a senior secured credit facility, which currently provides U.S. dollar term loans currently in an aggregate principal amount of $3,000,000 ($2,902,500 outstanding at September 30, 2020) (the "CSC Term Loan Facility", and the term loans extended under the CSC Term Loan Facility, the "CSC Term Loans") and U.S. dollar revolving loan commitments in an aggregate principal amount of $2,475,000 at September 30, 2020 (the "CSC Revolving Credit Facility" and, together with the CSC Term Loan Facility, the "CSC Credit Facilities"), which are governed by a credit facilities agreement entered into by, inter alios, CSC Holdings certain lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as administrative agent and security agent (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified on June 20, 2016, June 21, 2016, July 21, 2016, September 9, 2016, December 9, 2016, March 15, 2017, January 12, 2018, October 15, 2018, January 24, 2019, February 7, 2019, May 14, 2019, and October 3, 2019, respectively, and as further amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the "CSC Credit Facilities Agreement").
The Company was in compliance with all of its financial covenants under the CSC Credit Facilities Agreement as of September 30, 2020.
See Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements for further information regarding the CSC Credit Facilities Agreement.
CSC Holdings' Senior Guaranteed Notes and Senior Notes
In June 2020, CSC Holdings issued $1,100,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior guaranteed notes that bear interest at a rate of 4.125% and mature on December 1, 2030, and $625,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior notes that bear interest at a rate of 4.625% and mature on December 1, 2030. The net proceeds from the sale of the these notes was used in July 2020 to early redeem the $1,095,825 aggregate principal amount of CSC Holdings' 5.375% senior notes due July 15, 2023, the $617,881 and the $1,740 aggregate principal amount of CSC Holdings' 7.750% senior notes due July 15, 2025, plus pay accrued interest and the associated premiums related to the early redemption of these notes. In connection with the early redemptions, the Company recognized a loss on the extinguishment of debt aggregating $62,096, reflecting the early redemption premiums and the write-off of outstanding deferred financing costs on these notes.
In August 2020, CSC Holdings issued $1,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of new senior guaranteed notes that bear interest at a rate of 3.375% and mature on February 15, 2031 and an additional $1,700,000 in aggregate principal amount of its 4.625% senior notes that mature on December 1, 2030 at a price of 103.25% of the aggregate principal amount. The net proceeds from the sale of the notes was used to early redeem the $1,684,221 aggregate principal amount of CSC Holdings' 10.875% senior notes due October 15, 2025, the $1,000,000 aggregate principal amount of CSC Holdings' 6.625% senior guaranteed notes due October 15, 2025, plus pay accrued interest and the associated premiums related to the early redemption of these notes. In connection with the early redemptions, the Company recognized a loss on the extinguishment of debt aggregating $188,393, reflecting the early redemption premiums and the write-off of outstanding deferred financing costs on these notes.
As of September 30, 2020, the Company was in compliance with all of its financial covenants under the indentures under which the CSC Holdings senior guaranteed notes and senior notes were issued.
Lightpath Debt Financing
On September 29, 2020, in connection with the Lightpath Transaction, Cablevision Lightpath LLC ("Lightpath") issued $450,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes that bear interest at a rate of 3.875% and mature on September 15, 2027 and $415,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior notes that bear interest at a rate of 5.625% and mature on September 15, 2028. Prior to the issuance of these notes, Lightpath became an unrestricted subsidiary under the terms of CSC Holdings' debt. The gross proceeds of $865,000 from the issuance of these notes were deposited into escrow accounts pending the consummation of the Lightpath Transaction and have been reflected as restricted cash on our consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2020.
In addition, on September 29, 2020, Lightpath entered into a credit agreement between, inter alios, certain lenders party thereto and Goldman Sachs Bank USA, as administrative agent, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as collateral agent, (the "Lightpath Credit Agreement") which provides for, among other things, (i) a term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $600,000 (the “Lightpath Term Loan Facility”) at a price of 99.5% of the aggregate principal amount, which will be available in a single drawing, and (ii) revolving loan commitments in an aggregate
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principal amount of $100,000 (the “Lightpath Revolving Credit Facility"). As of September 30, 2020, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Lightpath Credit Agreement.
The loans made pursuant to the Lightpath Credit Agreement may be comprised of eurodollar borrowings or alternative base rate borrowings, and will bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the adjusted LIBOR rate or the alternate base rate, as applicable, plus the applicable margin, where the applicable margin is (i) with respect to any alternate base rate loan, 2.25% per annum and (ii) with respect to any eurodollar loan, 3.25% per annum. The maturity date of the (i) Lightpath Term Loan Facility is expected to be on the seventh anniversary of the first date on which funds are drawn and (ii) Lightpath Revolving Credit Facility is expected to be on the fifth anniversary of the first date on which funds.
Lightpath does not expect to draw upon the Lightpath Term Loan Facility until the closing of the Lightpath Transaction. To the extent the Lightpath Term Loan Facility is drawn upon prior to the closing of the Lightpath transaction, the proceeds will be deposited into segregated escrow accounts.
As of September 30, 2020, the Company was in compliance with all of its financial covenants under the indentures under which the Lightpath senior secured notes and senior notes were issued.
See Note 10 of our consolidated financial statements for further details of the Company’s outstanding senior guaranteed notes, senior secured notes, and senior notes.
Interest Rate Swap Contracts
In March 2020, the Company terminated two swap agreements whereby the Company was paying a floating rate of interest and receiving a fixed rate of interest on an aggregate notional value of $1,500,000. These contracts were due to mature in May 2026. In connection with the early termination, the Company received cash of $74,835 which has been recorded in gain (loss) on interest swap contracts in our consolidated statement of operations and presented in operating activities in our consolidated statement of cash flows.
In addition, in March 2020, the Company executed amendments to two interest swap contracts that reduced the fixed rate of interest that the Company was paying on an aggregate notional value of $1,000,000 and extended the maturity date of the contracts to January 15, 2025 from January 15, 2022. The difference in the fair value of the amended contracts and the original contracts on the date of the transaction of $5,689 (an increase in the liability) is being amortized to loss on derivative contracts over the remaining term of the contracts.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company entered into three new interest rate swap contracts on an aggregate notional value of $3,850,000.
Capital Expenditures
The following table presents the Company's capital expenditures:
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2020201920202019
Customer premise equipment
$18,484 $89,581 $127,667 $267,408 
Network infrastructure
111,675 181,068 366,877 459,594 
Support and other
43,132 53,280 142,984 176,313 
Business services
28,281 51,373 91,849 129,240 
Capital purchases (cash basis)
$201,572 $375,302 $729,377 $1,032,555 
Capital purchases (including accrued not paid and financed capital)$317,912 $356,728 $970,758 $1,068,443 
Customer premise equipment includes expenditures for set-top boxes, cable modems, routers and other equipment that is placed in a customer's home, as well as installation costs for placing assets into service. Network infrastructure includes: (i) scalable infrastructure, such as headend equipment, (ii) line extensions, such as FTTH and fiber/coaxial cable, amplifiers, electronic equipment, make-ready and design engineering, and (iii) upgrade and rebuild, including costs to modify or replace existing fiber/coaxial cable networks, including enhancements. Support and other capital expenditures includes costs associated with the replacement or enhancement of non-network assets, such as software systems, vehicles, facilities and office equipment. Business services capital expenditures include primarily
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equipment, installation, support, and other costs related to our fiber based telecommunications business serving, primary enterprise customers.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, network infrastructure includes the costs of rebuilding certain systems damaged by storms aggregating $37,362 on a cash basis and $76,552, including accrued and unpaid capital.
Other Transactions
On July 14, 2020, the Company completed its acquisition of certain cable assets in New Jersey for approximately $150,000, subject to certain closing adjustments as set forth in the asset purchase agreement.
Cash Flow Discussion
Altice USA
Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to $2,188,661 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to $1,833,987 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. 
The 2020 cash provided by operating activities resulted from $2,193,822 of income before depreciation and amortization and non-cash items, increases in liabilities related to interest rate swap contracts of $138,279, an increase in accounts payable of $879, a decrease in accounts receivable of $4,419, and a net decrease in amounts due from affiliates of $3,377, partially offset by a decrease in accrued expenses of $131,231, a decrease in deferred revenue of $14,908, and an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $5,976.
The 2019 cash provided by operating activities resulted from $2,114,192 of income before depreciation and amortization and non-cash items, an increase in liabilities related to interest rate swap of $50,008 and accounts payable of $27,018, partially offset by a decrease in accrued liabilities of $233,997, an increase in accounts receivable of $46,849, an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $40,176, a decrease in deferred revenue of $30,020, and a net decrease in amounts due to affiliates of $6,189.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $874,665 compared to $1,202,741 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The 2020 investing activities consisted primarily of capital expenditures of $729,377 and payment for acquisitions, net of cash acquired of $150,115. The 2019 investing activities consisted primarily of capital expenditures of $1,032,555 and payment for acquisitions, net of cash acquired of $172,659.
Financing Activities
Net cash used in financing activities amounted to $1,030,308 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, compared to $753,967 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. In 2020, the Company's financing activities consisted primarily of redemption of senior notes, including premiums and fees of $4,599,774, repurchase of common stock pursuant to a share repurchase program of $1,814,689, the repayment of credit facility debt of $697,063, repayment of notes payable of $77,685, principal payments on finance lease obligations of $24,692, additions to deferred financing costs of $14,217, and other net cash payments of $4,947, partially offset by proceeds from the issuance of senior notes of $5,345,250, proceeds from credit facility debt of $850,000, proceeds from stock option exercises of $5,713 and proceeds from notes payable of $1,796.
In 2019, the Company's financing activities consisted primarily of the redemption of senior notes, including premiums and fees of $2,471,578, the repurchase of common stock pursuant to a share repurchase program of $1,686,873, repayments of credit facility debt of $1,342,625, repayment of notes payable of $90,210, additions to deferred financing costs of $16,007, principal payments on finance lease obligations of $6,736 and other net cash payments of $1,500, partially offset by proceeds from the issuance of senior notes, including premiums of $2,754,375, proceeds from credit facility debt of $2,040,000, and proceeds from notes payable of $67,187.
CSC Holdings
Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to $2,191,803 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to $1,881,996 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The 2020 cash provided by operating
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activities resulted from $2,260,876 of income before depreciation and amortization and non-cash items, increases in liabilities related to interest rate swap contracts of $138,279, an increase in accounts payable of $879 and a decrease in accounts receivable of $4,419, partially offset by a decrease in accrued expenses of $131,226, a net increase in amounts due from affiliates of $60,540, a decrease in deferred revenue of $14,908, and an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $5,976.
The 2019 cash provided by operating activities resulted from $2,173,389 of income before depreciation and amortization and non-cash items, an increase in liabilities related to interest rate swap of $50,008 and accounts payable of $27,018, partially offset by a decrease in accrued liabilities of $234,465, an increase in accounts receivable of $46,849, an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $40,177, a decrease in deferred revenue of $30,020, and a net decrease in amounts due to affiliates of $16,908.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $878,873 compared to $1,202,741 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The 2020 investing activities consisted primarily of capital expenditures of $729,377 and payment for acquisitions, net of cash acquired of $150,115. The 2019 investing activities consisted primarily of capital expenditures of $1,032,555 and payment for acquisitions, net of cash acquired of $172,659.
Financing Activities
Net cash used in financing activities amounted to $1,025,165 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to $802,302 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. In 2020, the Company's financing activities consisted primarily of the redemption of senior notes, including premiums and fees of $4,599,774, distributions to its parent of $1,803,833, repayment of credit facility debt of $697,063, repayment of notes payable of $77,685, principal payments on finance lease obligations of $24,692, additions to deferred financing costs of $14,217 and other net cash payments of $4,947, partially offset by the issuance of senior notes of $5,345,250, proceeds from credit facility debt of $850,000, and proceeds from notes payable of $1,796.
In 2019, the Company's financing activities consisted primarily of redemption and repurchase of senior notes, including premiums and fees of $2,462,692, distributions to its parent of $1,744,094, repayments of credit facility debt of $1,342,625, repayment of notes payable of $90,210, additions to deferred financing costs of $16,007, principal payments on finance lease obligations of $6,736 and other net cash payments of $1,500, partially offset by proceeds from the issuance of senior notes, including premiums of $2,754,375, proceeds from credit facility debt of $2,040,000, and proceeds from notes payable of $67,187.
Commitments and Contingencies
As of September 30, 2020, the Company's commitments and contingencies not reflected in the Company's balance sheet decreased to approximately $6,154,000 as compared to approximately $8,454,000 at December 31, 2019. This decrease relates primarily to payments made pursuant to programming commitments, partially offset by renewed multi-year programming agreements entered into during the nine months ended September 30, 2020.
Share Repurchase Program
In June 2018, the Board of Directors of Altice USA authorized a share repurchase program of $2.0 billion, and on July 30, 2019, the Board of Directors authorized a new incremental three-year share repurchase program of $5.0 billion that took effect following the completion in August 2019 of the $2.0 billion repurchase program. Under these repurchase programs, shares of Altice USA Class A common stock may be purchased from time to time in the open market and may include trading plans entered into with one or more brokerage firms in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Size and timing of these purchases will be determined based on market conditions and other factors.  Funding for the repurchase program will be met with cash on hand and/or borrowings under the Company's revolving credit facilities.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company repurchased 73,925,362 shares for a total purchase price of approximately $1,830,088. From the inception of the repurchase program, the Company acquired 174,622,754 for a total purchase price of approximately $4,016,963. These acquired shares have been retired and the associated cost was recorded in paid-in capital in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.
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Recently Issued But Not Yet Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 3 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements contained in "Part I" for a discussion of recently issued accounting standards.
Item 3.     Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
All dollar amounts, except per share data, included in the following discussion are presented in thousands.
Equity Price Risk
We are exposed to market risks from changes in certain equity security prices.  Our exposure to changes in equity security prices stems primarily from the shares of Comcast common stock we hold.  We have entered into equity derivative contracts consisting of a collateralized loan and an equity collar to hedge our equity price risk and to monetize the value of these securities.  These contracts, at maturity, are expected to offset declines in the fair value of these securities below the hedge price per share while allowing us to retain upside appreciation from the hedge price per share to the relevant cap price.  The contracts' actual hedge prices per share vary depending on average stock prices in effect at the time the contracts were executed.  The contracts' actual cap prices vary depending on the maturity and terms of each contract, among other factors.  If any one of these contracts is terminated prior to its scheduled maturity date due to the occurrence of an event specified in the contract, we would be obligated to repay the fair value of the collateralized indebtedness less the sum of the fair values of the underlying stock and equity collar, calculated at the termination date.  As of September 30, 2020, we did not have an early termination shortfall relating to any of these contracts.
The underlying stock and the equity collars are carried at fair value in our consolidated balance sheet and the collateralized indebtedness is carried at its principal value, net of discounts. The discounts are being amortized over the term of the related indebtedness.  The carrying value of our collateralized indebtedness amounted to $1,609,281 at September 30, 2020.  At maturity, the contracts provide for the option to deliver cash or shares of Comcast common stock, with a value determined by reference to the applicable stock price at maturity.
As of September 30, 2020, the fair value and the carrying value of our holdings of Comcast common stock aggregated $1,987,109.  Assuming a 10% change in price, the potential change in the fair value of these investments would be approximately $198,711.  As of September 30, 2020, the net fair value and the carrying value of the equity collar component of the equity derivative contracts entered into to partially hedge the equity price risk of our holdings of Comcast common stock aggregated $43,386, a net liability position.  For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we recorded a net gain of $26,202 related to our outstanding equity derivative contracts and recorded an unrealized gain of $55,412 related to the Comcast common stock that we held.
Fair Value of Equity Derivative Contracts
Fair value as of December 31, 2019, net liability position$(69,588)
Change in fair value, net26,202 
Fair value as of September 30, 2020, net liability position$(43,386)
The maturity, number of shares deliverable at the relevant maturity, hedge price per share, and the lowest and highest cap prices received for the Comcast common stock monetized via an equity derivative prepaid forward contract are summarized in the following table:
# of Shares DeliverableMaturityHedge Price per Share (a)Cap Price (b)
42,955,2362023$40.95$49.55 
(a)Represents the price below which we are provided with downside protection and above which we retain upside appreciation.  Also represents the price used in determining the cash proceeds payable to us at inception of the contracts.
(b)Represents the price up to which we receive the benefit of stock price appreciation.
Fair Value of Debt
At September 30, 2020, the fair value of our fixed rate debt of $19,171,387 was higher than its carrying value of $18,250,426 by $920,961.  The fair value of these financial instruments is estimated based on reference to quoted market prices for these or comparable securities.  Our floating rate borrowings bear interest in reference to current
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LIBOR-based market rates and thus their principal values approximate fair value.  The effect of a hypothetical 100 basis point decrease in interest rates prevailing at September 30, 2020 would increase the estimated fair value of our fixed rate debt by $719,098 to $19,890,485.  This estimate is based on the assumption of an immediate and parallel shift in interest rates across all maturities.
Interest Rate Risk
To manage interest rate risk, we have from time to time entered into interest rate swap contracts to adjust the proportion of total debt that is subject to variable and fixed interest rates. Such contracts effectively fix the borrowing rates on floating rate debt to provide an economic hedge against the risk of rising rates and/or effectively convert fixed rate borrowings to variable rates to permit the Company to realize lower interest expense in a declining interest rate environment. We monitor the financial institutions that are counterparties to our interest rate swap contracts and we only enter into interest rate swap contracts with financial institutions that are rated investment grade. All such contracts are carried at their fair market values on our consolidated balance sheet, with changes in fair values reflected in the consolidated statement of operations.
The following is a summary of interest rate swap contracts outstanding at September 30, 2020:
Trade DateMaturity DateNotional AmountCompany Pays Company Receives
December 2018January 2025$500,000 Fixed rate of 1.53%Three-month LIBOR
December 2018January 2022500,000 Fixed rate of 2.733%Three-month LIBOR
December 2018January 2025500,000 Fixed rate of 1.625%Three-month LIBOR
December 2018December 2026750,000 Fixed rate of 2.9155%Three-month LIBOR
December 2018December 2026750,000 Fixed rate of 2.9025%Three-month LIBOR
March 2020January 2025500,000 Fixed rate of 1.458%Three-month LIBOR
March 2020January 2022500,000 Three-month LIBORFixed rate of 2.733%
April 2020April 20212,850,000 Six-month LIBOR minus 0.5185%One-month LIBOR
These swap contracts are not designated as hedges for accounting purposes. Accordingly, the changes in the fair value of these interest rate swap contracts are recorded in the consolidated statement of operations. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded a loss on interest rate swap contracts of $88,725.
The following represents the location of the assets and liabilities associated with the Company's derivative instruments within the consolidated balance sheets:
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging InstrumentsBalance Sheet LocationFair Value at September 30, 2020
Asset Derivatives:
Interest rate swap contracts
Derivative contracts, long-term$5,028 
Prepaid forward contracts
Derivative contracts, long-term22,770 
$27,798 
Liability Derivatives:
Interest rate swap contracts
Other current liabilities$(3,988)
Prepaid forward contracts
Liabilities under derivative contracts, long-term(66,155)
Interest rate swap contracts
Liabilities under derivative contracts, long-term(300,659)
 $(370,802)
As of September 30, 2020, we did not hold and have not issued derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes.
Item 4.    Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
An evaluation was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of Altice USA's management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined under SEC rules).  Based upon that evaluation, the Chief
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Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the design and operation of these disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of September 30, 2020.
Changes in Internal Control
During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, there were no changes in the Company's internal control over financial reporting that materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
PART II.    OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.        Legal Proceedings
Refer to Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of our legal proceedings.
Item 1A.    Risk Factors
In our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, we described material risk factors facing our business. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. Except as set forth below, as of the date of this report, there have been no material changes to the risk factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic ("COVID-19"), and measures to prevent its spread, may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The severity and timing of the impact will depend on a number of factors, including the level and rapidity of infection, duration of containment measures, changes in consumer spending patterns, measures imposed or taken by governmental authorities in response to the pandemic, macroeconomic conditions in our markets, and negative effects on the financial condition of our customers.
Under difficult economic conditions, including prolonged unemployment and employment furloughs, demand for our products and services could decline and some customers may be unable or unwilling to pay for our products and services. Additionally, in order to prioritize the demands of the business, we may delay certain capital investments, such as FTTH or in other new initiatives, products or services, which may adversely affect our business in the future. If these events occur and were to continue, our revenue may be reduced materially which could result in reduced operating margins and a reduction in cash flows.
Governmental and non-governmental initiatives to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, such as the imposition of restrictions on work and public gatherings and the promotion of social distancing, along with new government service, collection, pricing or rebate mandates, such as New Jersey’s recent executive order to maintain broadband service for non-paying customers, have impacted and could continue to impact our operations and financial results. Our suppliers and vendors also may be affected by such measures in their ability to provide products and services to us and these measures could also make it more difficult for us to serve our customers.
In addition, the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our business, financial condition and results of operations could exacerbate the risks identified in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Future sales, or the perception of future sales, by us or our existing stockholders in the public market could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.
The sale of substantial amounts of shares of our Class A common stock (including shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of our Class B common stock), or the perception that such sales could occur, could cause the prevailing market price of shares of our Class A common stock to decline. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
As of September 30, 2020, we had a total of 377.1 million shares of Class A common stock outstanding and 186.0 million shares of Class B common stock outstanding.
Any shares held by our affiliates, as that term is defined under Rule 144 ("Rule 144") of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), including Next Alt and its affiliates, may be sold only in compliance with certain limitations.
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Pursuant to a stockholders and registration rights agreement between the Company and Next Alt. S.a.r.l. ("Next Alt"), Altice Europe N.V. ("Altice Europe"), BC Partners LLP ("BCP") and entities affiliated with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board ("CPPIB" and together with BCP, the "Sponsors"), the other parties thereto have the right, subject to certain conditions, to require us to register the sale of their shares of our Class A common stock, or shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of our Class B common stock, under the Securities Act. By exercising their registration rights and selling a large number of shares, our existing owners could cause the prevailing market price of our Class A common stock to decline. Registration of any of these outstanding shares of capital stock would result in such shares becoming freely tradable without compliance with Rule 144 upon effectiveness of the registration statement, except for shares received by individuals who are our affiliates.
If these stockholders exercise their registration rights and sell shares of common stock, or if the market perceives that they intend to sell such shares, the market price of our Class A common stock could drop significantly.
In addition, if Next Alt’s lenders foreclose on the shares of Class A and Class B common stock it has pledged in connection with certain transactions, such lenders may have the right to acquire and sell such shares, which could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to drop significantly.
Item 2.        Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
(c)    Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer
Set forth below is information related to transactions under the Company's share repurchase program for the quarter ended September 30, 2020.
 (a)
Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased
(b)
Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit)
(c)
Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (1)(2)
(d)
Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (1)
July 1- July 312,274,781 $24.15 159,928,547 $3,376,949,296 
August 1- August 319,110,608 27.00 169,039,155 3,130,936,191 
September 1 - September 305,583,599 26.49 174,622,754 2,983,037,262 
(1)On June 8, 2018, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $2.0 billion of Altice USA Class A common stock. On July 30, 2019, the Board of Directors authorized a new incremental three-year share repurchase program of $5.0 billion, to take effect following the completion of the June 2018 repurchase program. Under these repurchase programs, shares of Altice USA Class A common stock may be purchased from time to time in the open market and may include trading plans entered into with one or more brokerage firms in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The programs do not have an expiration date and may be suspended at any time at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
(2)This column reflects the cumulative number of shares acquired pursuant to the repurchase program at the end of the respective period.
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Item 6.        Exhibits

EXHIBIT NO.DESCRIPTION
Senior Notes Indenture, dated as of June 16, 2020 between CSC Holdings, LLC, as Issuer, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38126) filed on June 16, 2020).
Senior Guaranteed Notes Indenture, dated as of June 16, 2020 between, inter alios, CSC Holdings, LLC, as Issuer, the Guarantors set forth therein and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38126) filed on June 16, 2020).
Senior Notes Indenture, dated as of September 29, 2020 between Cablevision Lightpath LLC, as Issuer, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38126) filed on October 1, 2020).
Senior Secured Notes Indenture, dated as of September 29, 2020 between Cablevision Lightpath LLC, as Issuer, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38126) filed on October 1, 2020).
Credit Agreement, dated as of September 29, 2020 between Cablevision Lightpath LLC, as Borrower, the Lenders party thereto, Goldman Sachs Bank USA as administrative agent and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas as collateral agent (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38126) filed on October 1, 2020).
Senior Guaranteed Notes Indenture, dated as of August 17, 2020 between, inter alios, CSC Holdings, LLC, as Issuer, the Guarantors set forth therein and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee.
Section 302 Certification of the CEO.
Section 302 Certification of the CFO.
Section 906 Certifications of the CEO and CFO.
101The following financial statements from Altice USA's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 29, 2020 formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language):  (i) the Consolidated Balance Sheets; (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Operations; (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income; (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity; (v) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; and (vi) the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
104The cover page from this quarterly report on Form 10-Q formatted in Inline XBRL.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. 
ALTICE USA, INC.
Date:October 29, 2020/s/ Michael J. Grau
By:
Michael J. Grau
Chief Financial Officer

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