UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 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 number: 001-11001

FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (203) 614-5600

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

(1)On April 29, 2020, the NASDAQ Stock Market filed a Form 25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to delist the common stock, par value $0.25 per share, of Frontier Communications Corporation (the “common stock”) from the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The delisting will be effective 10 days after the Form 25 was filed. The deregistration of the common stock under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 will be effective 90 days, or such shorter period as the Securities and Exchange Commission may determine, after filing of the Form 25. Following deregistration of the common stock under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the common stock shall remain registered under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Trading of Frontier’s common stock now occurs on the OTC Pink market under the symbol “FTRCQ.”

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 x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes x 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 definition of “accelerated filer,” “large accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer ¨ Accelerated filer x Non-accelerated filer ¨

Smaller reporting company x 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 Exchange Act).

Yes ¨ No x

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s Common Stock as of May 1, 2020 was 104,988,000.

FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Table of Contents

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.Financial Statements

FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

($ in millions and shares in thousands, except for per-share amounts)

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements.

‎

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Continued)

FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2020 AND 2019

($ in millions and shares in thousands, except for per-share amounts)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements.

‎

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Continued)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2020 AND 2019

($ in millions)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements.

‎

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Continued)

FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY (DEFICIT)

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2020 AND 2019

($ in millions and shares in thousands)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements.
‎

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Continued)

FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2020 AND 2019

($ in millions)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements.

(1) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies:

a) Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates:

Frontier Communications Corporation and its subsidiaries are referred to as “we,” “us,” “our,” “Frontier,” or the “Company” in this report. Our interim unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Certain reclassifications of amounts previously reported have been made to conform to the current presentation. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. These interim unaudited consolidated financial statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary, in the opinion of Frontier’s management, to present fairly the results for the interim periods shown. Revenues, net loss and cash flows for any interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the full year. For our interim financial statements as of and for the period ended March 31, 2020, we evaluated subsequent events and transactions for potential recognition or disclosure through the date that we filed this Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The preparation of our interim financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect (i) the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, (ii) the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and (iii) the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from those estimates. Estimates and judgments are used when accounting for the allowance for doubtful accounts, asset impairments, indefinite-lived intangibles, depreciation and amortization, income taxes, and pension and other postretirement benefits, among others.

We operate in one reportable segment. Frontier provides both regulated and unregulated voice, data and video services to consumer, commercial and wholesale customers and is typically the incumbent voice services provider in its service areas.

b) Going Concern

Our interim unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern, which contemplates continuity of operations, realization of assets, and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. In connection with the preparation of our interim unaudited consolidated financial statements, we conducted an evaluation as to whether there were conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, which raised substantial doubt as to the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. As reflected in our consolidated financial statements, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $941 million and an accumulated deficit of $8,759 million as of March 31, 2020. The Company also had operating income of $272 million and a net loss of $186 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

On April 14, 2020, Frontier Communications Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Company Parties) entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement (the Restructuring Support Agreement) with certain of its noteholders (the Consenting Noteholders). The Restructuring Support Agreement contemplates agreed-upon terms for a pre-arranged financial restructuring plan (the Plan) that leaves unimpaired all general unsecured creditors and holders of secured debt and subsidiary debt.

Under the Restructuring Support Agreement, the Consenting Noteholders have agreed, subject to certain terms and conditions, to support a financial restructuring (the Restructuring) of the existing debt of, existing equity interests in, and certain other obligations of the Company Parties, pursuant to the Plan to be filed in cases commenced under chapter 11 (the Chapter 11 Cases) of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the Bankruptcy Code).

To implement the Plan, on April 14, 2020 (the Petition Date), the Company Parties filed the Chapter 11 Cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the Bankruptcy Court). Each Company Party will continue to operate its business as a “debtor in possession” under the jurisdiction of

the Bankruptcy Court and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and the orders of the Bankruptcy Court. The Chapter 11 Cases are being jointly administered under the caption In re Frontier Communications Corporation., et al., Case No. 20-22476 (RDD).

Our ability to continue as a going concern is contingent upon, among other things, our ability to, subject to the Bankruptcy Court’s approval, implement the Plan, successfully emerge from the Chapter 11 Cases and generate sufficient liquidity from the Restructuring to meet our obligations and operating needs. As a result of risks and uncertainties related to (i) the Company’s ability to obtain requisite support for the Plan from various stakeholders, and (ii) the effects of disruption from the Chapter 11 Cases making it more difficult to maintain business, financing and operational relationships, together with the Company’s recurring losses from operations and accumulated deficit, substantial doubt exists regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. For detailed discussion about the Restructuring Support Agreement and the Plan, refer to note 18.

The filing of the Chapter 11 Cases constituted an event of default that accelerated substantially all of our obligations under the documents governing the JPM Credit Facilities, the First Lien Notes, the Second Lien Notes, our unsecured notes and debentures and the secured and unsecured debentures of our subsidiaries. As such, we have reclassified all debt obligations to “Long term debt due within one year” on our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2020. For additional discussion related to the impact of the Chapter 11 Cases on our debt obligations, refer to Note 9.

Our consolidated interim unaudited financial statements do not include any adjustments related to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.

c) Impact of COVID-19

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the highly contagious and lethal corona virus outbreak a global pandemic (COVID-19) and recommended containment and other mitigation measures worldwide to lessen the transmission of COVID-19. In the first quarter of 2020, governments from around the world, including the United States federal government as well as state and local governments have reacted to this public health crisis, imposing travel restrictions and restrictions on large gatherings of people, which includes school and non-essential business closures. The rapid spread of COVID-19 and the drastic responses being taken to curb its spread have resulted in a significant negative impact to the global and domestic economies, which will increase the longer these limitations are in place. In an effort to reduce the economic impacts of COVID-19, the United States federal government has responded with multiple stimulus bills, including the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the largest economic stimulus legislation in American history. Despite these efforts, the short-term and long-term impacts of COVID-19 cannot be determined.

With more people staying at home and an increased reliance on broadband and telephone networks, the FCC issued the Keep Americans Connected Pledge on March 11, 2020, which provides for telecommunication providers, including Frontier, to not terminate service and to waive any late payment fees for 60 days for certain customers due to economic circumstances they are facing related to COVID-19 as well as making WIFI hotspots available to all Americans who need them. In addition, we have seen a number of the states we operate in issue executive orders that impact our business, including prohibiting the disconnection of services for customers for the length of the state of emergency. State and federal governments continue to ask companies to aid in pandemic response. Given the unprecedented and evolving nature of the pandemic and the swift moving response of multiple levels of government as well as the uncertainty of funding available for services provided, the impact of these changes and potential changes on the Company are unknown at this time.

In addition to committing to the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, Frontier’s response to COVID-19 includes limiting our product offerings to those that do not require a field service employee to enter a customer’s home and directing most non-field service employees to work from home. Thus far only a few of Frontier’s employees have been tested positive for COVID-19. Through March 31, 2020, we had not experienced any disruptions in our supply chain; however, some of our business partners, particularly

those operating outside of the United States, have been more greatly impacted which has affected our service levels and distribution of work.

While overall the operational and financial impact to Frontier of the COVID-19 pandemic for the three months ended March 31, 2020 were not significant, we continue to closely monitor the ongoing impact to our employees, our customers, our business and our results of operations. For example, we have experienced a slowdown in service activations and an increase in deactivations for our SMB customers; however, these negative impacts have been partially offset, by higher residential activations and lower churn. While we haven’t noticed any meaningful changes in our customers’ payment behaviors, we continue to closely monitor as any changes could have a material financial impact to Frontier. With more people working from home, we have experienced higher demands on our network and higher sales activity for our residential broadband service offering. We have not experienced any significant disruptions in our service through March 31, 2020; however, a sustained increase in network demand that we have experienced could lead to reduced network availability and potential outages, which may impair our ability to meet customer service level commitments, lead to higher costs, higher customer churn and potential increased regulatory actions.

d) Revenue Recognition:

Revenue for data & Internet services, voice services, video services and switched and non-switched access services is recognized as the service is provided. Services that are billed in advance include monthly recurring network access services (including data services), special access services, and monthly recurring voice, video, and related charges. The unearned portion of these fees is initially deferred as a component of “Advanced billings” on our consolidated balance sheet and recognized as revenue over the period that the services are provided. Services that are billed in arrears include non-recurring network access services (including data services), switched access services, and non-recurring voice and video services. The earned but unbilled portion of these fees is recognized as revenue in our consolidated statements of operations and accrued in “Accounts receivable” on our consolidated balance sheet in the period that services are provided. Excise taxes are recognized as a liability when billed.

Satisfaction of Performance Obligations

Frontier satisfies its obligations to customers by transferring goods and services in exchange for consideration received from the customer. The timing of Frontier’s satisfaction of the performance obligation often differs from the timing of the customer’s payment, which results in the recognition of a contract asset or a contract liability. Frontier recognizes a contract asset or liability when the Company transfers goods or services to a customer and bills an amount which differs from the revenue allocated to the related performance obligations.

Bundled Service and Allocation of Discounts

When customers purchase more than one service, the revenue allocable to each service is determined based upon the relative stand-alone selling price of each service received. We frequently offer service discounts as an incentive to customers. Service discounts reduce the total transaction price allocated to the performance obligations that are satisfied over the term of the customer contract. We may also offer incentives which are considered cash equivalents (e.g. Visa gift cards) that similarly result in a reduction of the total transaction price as well as lower revenue over the term of the contract. A contract asset is often created during the beginning of the contract term when the term of the incentive is shorter than the contract term. These contract assets are realized over the term of the contract as our performance obligations are satisfied and customer consideration is received.

Customer Incentives

In the process of acquiring and/or retaining customers, we may issue a variety of other incentives aside from service discounts or cash equivalent incentives. Those incentives that have stand-alone value (e.g. gift cards not considered cash equivalents or free goods/services) are considered a separate performance obligation. As a result, while these incentives are free to the customer, a portion of the consideration received from the customer over the contract term is ascribed to them based upon their relative stand-alone selling price. The revenue, reflected in “Other” revenue, and costs, reflected in “Network access expenses”, for these incentives are recognized when they are delivered to the customer and the performance obligation is satisfied. Similar to discounts, these types of incentives generally result in the creation of a contract asset during the beginning of the contract term which is recorded in Other current assets and Other assets on our consolidated balance sheet.

Upfront Fees

All non-refundable upfront fees provide our customers with a material right to renew, and therefore, are deferred and amortized into revenue over the expected period for which related services are provided. With upfront fees assessed at the beginning of a contract, a contract liability is often created, which is reduced over the term of the contract as the performance obligations are satisfied. The contract liabilities are recorded in Other current liabilities and Other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet.

Contributions in Aid of Construction (CIAC)

It is customary for us to charge customers for certain construction activities. These activities are requested by the customer and construction charges are assessed at the beginning of a contract. When charges are incurred, a contract liability is often created, which is reduced over the term of the contract as performance obligations are satisfied. The contract liabilities are recorded in Other current liabilities and Other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet.

Contract Acquisition Costs

Certain costs to acquire customers are deferred and amortized over the expected customer life (average of 4.0 years). For Frontier, this includes certain commissions paid to acquire new customers. Commissions attributable to new customer contracts are deferred and amortized into expense. Unamortized deferred commissions are recorded in Contract acquisition costs and Other assets on our consolidated balance sheet.

Surcharges and Subsidies

Frontier collects various taxes from its customers and subsequently remits these taxes to governmental authorities. Substantially all of these taxes are recorded through the consolidated balance sheet and presented on a net basis in our consolidated statements of operations. We also collect Universal Service Fund (USF) surcharges from customers (primarily federal USF), which amounted to $49 million and $53 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and video franchise fees, which amounted to $9 million and $11 million, for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, that we have recorded on a gross basis in our consolidated statements of operations and included within “Revenue” and “Network related expenses”.

In June 2015, Frontier accepted the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) offer of support to price cap carriers under the Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II program, which is intended to provide long-term support for broadband in high cost unserved or underserved areas. We are recognizing FCC’s Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II subsidies into revenue on a straight-line basis over the six year funding term.

e)Cash Equivalents:

We consider all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Restricted cash of $50 million is included within “Income taxes and other current assets” on our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. This amount represents funds held as collateral by a bank against letters of credit issued predominately to insurance carriers.

f)Goodwill and Other Intangibles:

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the fair value of identifiable tangible and intangible net assets acquired. We undertake studies to determine the fair values of assets and liabilities acquired and allocate purchase prices to assets and liabilities, including property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other identifiable intangibles. We examine the carrying value of our goodwill and trade name annually as of December 31, or more frequently, as circumstances warrant, to determine whether there are any impairment losses. We test for goodwill impairment at the “reporting unit” level, as that term is defined in GAAP.

We have two reporting units (following the announcement of the sale of the Northwest Operations) that aggregate to one operating segment, based on a number of factors that our management uses to evaluate and run our business operations, including similarities of customers, products and technology. As of December 31, 2019, all goodwill was fully impaired, other than goodwill reclassified to Assets held for sale. No further impairment testing is required as of March 31, 2020. Refer to Note 6.

Frontier amortizes its acquired customer lists and certain other finite-lived intangible assets over their estimated useful lives on the accelerated method of sum of the years digits and its royalty agreement over its estimated useful life on the straight-line method. We review such intangible assets at least annually as of December 31 to assess whether any potential impairment exists and whether factors exist that would necessitate a change in useful life and a different amortization period.

g)Lease Accounting:

We determine if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating and Finance lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The operating and finance lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives. Our lease terms used in accounting for leases may reflect options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. ROU assets for operating leases are recorded to “Other Assets”, and the related liabilities recorded to “Other current liabilities”, and “Other liabilities” on our consolidated balance sheets. Assets subject to finance leases are included in “Property, Plant & Equipment”, with corresponding liabilities recorded to “Other current liabilities”, and “Other liabilities” on our consolidated balance sheets.

h)Assets Held for Sale:

We classify assets and related liabilities as held for sale when the following criteria are met: when management has committed to a plan to sell the asset, the asset is available for immediate sale, there is an active program to locate a buyer and the sale and transfer of the asset is probable within one year. Assets and liabilities are presented separately on the Consolidated Balance Sheets with a valuation allowance, if necessary, to recognize the net carrying amount at the lower of cost or fair value, less costs to sell. Depreciation and amortization for property, plant and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets, are not recorded while these assets are classified as held for sale. Assets held for sale are tested for recoverability each period that they are classified as held for sale.

On May 1, 2020, Frontier completed its sale of its operations and associated assets in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana (Northwest Operations). See note 18 for further details. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we have reclassified assets and liabilities of our Northwest Operations as held for sale on our consolidated balance sheets, and the amounts and information in the footnotes as they are presented do not include assets and liabilities that have been reclassified. Refer to Note 7.

(2) Recent Accounting Literature:

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement,” which adds, removes, and modifies certain disclosures required by ASC 820. ASU 2018-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The standard’s new disclosures are not applicable for our interim periods and will be included in Frontier’s 10-K disclosures for our Level 3 assets.

Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes.” This standard simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740. The amendments also improve consistent application of and simplify GAAP for other areas of Topic 740 by clarifying and amending existing guidance. ASU 2019-12 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. Frontier adopted this standard effective for January 1, 2020, with no impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

Financial Instrument Credit Losses

In June 2016, The FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses”. This standard, along with its amendments, update the current financial statement impairment model requiring entities to use a forward looking approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables. For the Company, ASU 2016-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, with early adoption permitted. Frontier is currently still evaluating the impact of adopting this standard on our consolidated financial statements.

Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14, "Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Defined Benefit Plans-General: Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans." This standard eliminates requirements for certain disclosures that are not considered cost beneficial, clarifies certain required disclosures and adds additional disclosures under defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement plans. We are required to adopt this guidance beginning January 1, 2021. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments in the standard would need to be applied on a retrospective basis. Frontier is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard on our disclosures.

(3) Revenue Recognition:

We categorize our products, services and other revenues into the following categories:

Data and Internet services include broadband services for residential and business customers. We provide data transmission services to high volume business customers and other carriers with dedicated high capacity circuits (“nonswitched access”) including services to wireless providers (“wireless backhaul”);

Voice services include traditional local and long-distance wireline services, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, as well as a number of unified messaging services offered to our residential and business customers. Voice services also include the long-distance voice origination and termination services that we provide to our business customers and other carriers;

Video services include services provided directly to residential customers through the FiOS^® and Vantage video brands, and through DISH^® satellite TV services;

Other customer revenue includes switched access revenue, sales of customer premise equipment to our business customers, rents collected for collocation services, and revenue from other services and fees. Switched access revenue includes revenues derived from allowing other carriers to use our network to originate and/or terminate their local and long-distance voice traffic (“switched access”). These services are primarily billed on a minutes-of-use basis applying tariffed rates filed with the FCC or state agencies; and

Subsidy and other regulatory revenue includes revenues generated from cost subsidies from state and federal authorities, including the Connect America Fund Phase II.

The following tables provide a summary of revenues, by category: