Site rental contracts and customer relationships, net

3,119,957

2,035,390

2,652,560

2,074,982

Other intangible assets, net

289,136

103,200

Deferred income tax assets

33,914

Long-term prepaid rent, deferred financing costs and other assets, net

629,468

250,042

Total assets

16,088,709

10,545,096

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Accounts payable

115,999

32,055

Accrued interest

52,592

65,392

Deferred revenues

241,127

167,238

Other accrued liabilities

140,084

104,904

Current maturities of debt and other obligations

688,056

^[1]

32,517

Total current liabilities

1,237,858

402,106

Debt and other long-term obligations

10,923,186

6,853,182

Deferred income tax liabilities

65,830

97,562

Below-market tenant leases, deferred ground lease payable and other liabilities

910,571

500,350

Total liabilities

13,137,445

7,853,200

Commitments and contingencies (note 14)

Redeemable convertible preferred stock, $0.1 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding: December 31, 2012—0 and December 31, 2011—6,111,000; stated net of unamortized issue costs; mandatory redemption and aggregate liquidation value: December 31, 2012—$0 and December 31, 2011—$305,550

305,032

CCIC stockholders' equity:

Common stock, $.01 par value; 600,000,000 shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding: December 31, 2012—293,164,786 and December 31, 2011—284,449,372

2,932

2,844

Additional paid-in capital

5,623,595

5,312,342

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

(61,791)

(116,996)

Accumulated deficit

(2,625,990)

(2,811,945)

Total CCIC stockholders' equity

2,938,746

2,386,245

Noncontrolling interest

12,518

619

Total equity

2,951,264

2,386,864

Total liabilities and equity

$ 16,088,709

$ 10,545,096

[1]	Inclusive of the 9% senior notes ("9% Senior Notes") and the 7.75% secured notes ("7.75% Secured Notes") whose repurchase and redemption was completed in January 2013. See note 20.

Consolidated Balance Sheet (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, current	$ 7,726	$ 5,891
Redeemable preferred stock, par value	$ 0.1	$ 0.1
Redeemable preferred stock, shares authorized	20,000,000	20,000,000
Redeemable preferred stock, shares issued	0	6,111,000
Redeemable preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	6,111,000
Mandatory redemption and aggregate liquidation value, redeemable preferred stock	$ 0	$ 305,550
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	600,000,000	600,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	293,164,786	284,449,372
Common stock, shares outstanding	293,164,786	284,449,372

Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (USD $)
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

$ 2,124,190

$ 1,853,550

$ 1,700,761

308,490

179,179

177,897

2,432,680

2,032,729

1,878,658

539,239

^[1]

481,398

^[1]

467,136

^[1]

189,750

^[1]

106,987

^[1]

114,241

^[1]

212,572

173,493

165,356

15,548

22,285

13,687

18,298

3,310

2,102

622,592

552,951

540,771

1,597,999

1,340,424

1,303,293

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

834,681

692,305

575,365

(601,044)

(507,587)

(490,269)

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

(131,974)

^[2]

(138,367)

^[3]

(286,435)

4,556

666

2,204

Income (loss) before income taxes

(5,392)

(5,577)

(603)

100,827

179,807

(338,105)

100,061

(8,347)

26,846

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest

200,888

171,460

(311,259)

12,304

383

(319)

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders

188,584

171,077

(310,940)

Dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock

(2,629)

(22,940)

(20,806)

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock

185,955

148,137

(331,746)

Available-for-sale securities, net of taxes of $0, $0, and $0, respectively:

200,888

171,460

(311,259)

Unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes

(7,537)

738

Derivative instruments, net of taxes of $17,115, $0, and $(14,997), respectively:

Net change in fair value of cash flow hedging instruments, net of taxes

(973)

(140,194)

Amounts reclassified into results of operations, net of taxes

48,124

71,707

56,890

Foreign currency translation adjustments

6,308

(848)

27,908

Total other comprehensive income (loss)

54,432

62,349

(54,658)

Comprehensive income (loss)

255,320

233,809

(365,917)

Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest

11,531

750

(223)

Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders

$ 243,789

$ 233,059

$ (365,694)

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, per common share:

Basic (in dollars per share)

$ 0.64

$ 0.52

$ (1.16)

Diluted (in dollars per share)

$ 0.64

$ 0.52

$ (1.16)

Weighted-average common shares outstanding (in thousands):

Basic (in shares)

289,285

283,821

286,764

Diluted (in shares)

291,270

285,947

286,764

[1]	Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately.
[2]	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.
[3]	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.

Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Tax effect on available-for-sale securities	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Tax effect on derivative instruments	$ 17,115	$ 0	$ (14,997)

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (USD $)
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

Cash flows from operating activities:

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used for) operating activities:

$ 200,888

$ 171,460

$ (311,259)

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

622,592

552,951

540,771

131,974

^[1]

138,367

^[2]

Amortization of deferred financing costs and other non-cash interest

109,350

102,943

85,454

41,944

32,610

36,540

Deferred income tax benefit (provision)

15,548

22,285

13,687

(110,374)

4,626

(26,196)

Income (expense) from forward-starting interest rate swaps

286,435

Other adjustments

612

4,122

857

Changes in assets and liabilities, excluding the effects of acquisitions:

Increase (decrease) in accrued interest

(13,520)

201

(4,285)

Increase (decrease) in accounts payable

34,543

(7,497)

1,702

Increase (decrease) in deferred revenues, deferred ground lease payables, other accrued liabilities and other liabilities

98,686

19,606

39,012

Decrease (increase) in receivables

(98,570)

(17,407)

(11,653)

Decrease (increase) in prepaid expenses, deferred site rental receivables, long-term prepaid rent, restricted cash and other assets

(261,116)

(242,446)

(186,002)

Net cash provided by (used for) operating activities

772,557

643,454

603,430

Cash flows from investing activities:

Payment for acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired

(3,759,475)

(37,551)

(139,158)

Other investing activities, net

(441,383)

(347,942)

(228,058)

1,262

(14,372)

(23,733)

Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities

(4,199,596)

(399,865)

(390,949)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

5,250,000

3,450,000

Proceeds from issuance of capital stock

258

1,557

18,731

Principal payments on debt and other long-term obligations

(80,818)

(35,345)

(26,398)

Purchases and redemptions of long-term debt

(1,978,709)

(3,541,312)

Purchases of capital stock

(36,043)

(303,414)

(159,639)

Purchases of preferred stock

(15,002)

Borrowings under revolving credit facility

1,253,000

283,000

157,000

Payments under revolving credit facility

(251,000)

(189,000)

Payments for financing costs

(78,641)

(59,259)

Payments for forward-starting interest rate swap settlements

(697,821)

Net (increase) decrease in restricted cash

(288,763)

1,979

11,953

Dividends on preferred stock

(2,481)

(19,487)

(19,879)

Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities

3,786,803

(275,712)

(866,624)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

1,480

(288)

528

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

361,244

(32,411)

(653,615)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

80,120

112,531

766,146

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

$ 441,364

$ 80,120

$ 112,531

[1]	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.
[2]	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.

Consolidated Statement of Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock and Equity (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments	Derivative Instruments	Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Available-for-sale Securities	Accumulated Deficit	Noncontrolling Interest	Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock
Balance, value at Dec. 31, 2009	$ 2,936,085	$ 2,927	$ 5,685,874	$ 68,447	$ (199,470)	$ 6,799	$ (2,628,336)	$ (156)
Balance, (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2009		292,729,684
Redeemable preferred stock, shares at Dec. 31, 2009									6,361,000
Redeemable convertible preferred stock, value									316,581
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, value	55,271	22	55,249
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, shares		2,230,458
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, value	(159,639)	(41)	(159,598)					0
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, shares		(4,133,858)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	27,908			27,812				96
Available-for-sale securities:
Unrealized gain (loss), net of tax	738					738
Derivative instruments:
Net change in fair value of cash flow hedging instruments, net of tax	(140,194)				(140,194)
Amounts reclassified into results of operations, net of tax	56,890				56,890
Dividends on preferred stock and amortization of issue costs, preferred stock									927
Dividends on preferred stock and amortization of issue costs, accumulated deficit	(20,806)						(20,806)
Net income (loss)	(311,259)						(310,940)	(319)
Balance, value at Dec. 31, 2010	2,444,994	2,908	5,581,525	96,259	(282,774)	7,537	(2,960,082)	(379)
Redeemable preferred stock, shares at Dec. 31, 2010									6,361,000
Balance, (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2010		290,826,284
Redeemable convertible preferred stock, value	305,032								305,032
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, value	34,167	10	34,157
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, shares		1,000,891
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, value	(303,414)	(74)	(303,340)		0	0	0	0
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, shares		(7,377,803)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(848)			(1,215)				367
Available-for-sale securities:
Unrealized gain (loss), net of tax	(7,537)					(7,537)
Derivative instruments:
Net change in fair value of cash flow hedging instruments, net of tax	(973)				(973)
Amounts reclassified into results of operations, net of tax	71,707				71,707
Dividends on preferred stock and amortization of issue costs, preferred stock									915
Dividends on preferred stock and amortization of issue costs, accumulated deficit	(20,402)						(20,402)
Acquisition of noncontrolling interest	248							248
Net income (loss)	171,460						171,077	383
Balance, value at Dec. 31, 2011	2,386,864	2,844	5,312,342	95,044	(212,040)	0	(2,811,945)	619
Redeemable preferred stock, shares at Dec. 31, 2011	6,111,000								6,111,000
Balance, (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011	284,449,372	284,449,372
Redeemable convertible preferred stock, value	0								0
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, value	42,204	12	42,192
Stock-based compensation related activity, net of forfeitures, shares		1,129,579
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, value	(36,043)	(7)	(36,036)
Purchases and retirement of capital stock, shares		(700,070)
Purchases and retirement of preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, value	305,180						0		(305,180)
Purchases and retirement of preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, shares									(6,111,000)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	6,308			7,081				(773)
Available-for-sale securities:
Unrealized gain (loss), net of tax	0
Derivative instruments:
Net change in fair value of cash flow hedging instruments, net of tax	0
Amounts reclassified into results of operations, net of tax	48,124				48,124
Dividends on preferred stock and amortization of issue costs, preferred stock									148
Dividends on preferred stock and amortization of issue costs, accumulated deficit	(2,629)						(2,629)
Disposition of noncontrolling interest	368							368
Net income (loss)	200,888						188,584	12,304
Balance, value at Dec. 31, 2012	$ 2,951,264	$ 2,932	$ 5,623,595	$ 102,125	$ (163,916)	$ 0	$ (2,625,990)	$ 12,518
Redeemable preferred stock, shares at Dec. 31, 2012	0								0
Balance, (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2012	293,164,786	293,164,786

Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Basis of Presentation [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation


	Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Crown Castle International Corp. ("CCIC") and its majority and wholly-owned subsidiaries, collectively referred to herein as the "Company." All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The Company owns, operates and leases shared wireless infrastructure, including: (1) towers and other structures, such as rooftops (collectively, "towers"), (2) distributed antenna systems ("DAS"), a type of small cell network ("small cells"), and (3) interests in land under third party towers in various forms (collectively, "third party land interests") (collectively, "wireless infrastructure"). The Company conducts operations through subsidiaries of Crown Castle Operating Company ("CCOC"), including (1) certain subsidiaries which operate wireless infrastructure portfolios in the United States, including Puerto Rico ("U.S." or "CCUSA") and (2) a 77.6% owned subsidiary that operates towers in Australia (referred to as "CCAL"). The Company's core business is providing access, including space or capacity, to (1) its approximately 31,500 towers of which approximately 29,800 towers are in CCUSA and approximately 1,700 towers are in CCAL, and to a lesser extent, to (2) its small cells, and (3) third party land interests to wireless communications companies via long-term contracts in various forms, including licenses, subleases and lease agreements (collectively, "contracts").

Approximately 6,500 of our towers are leased or operated for an initial period of 32 years (through May 2037) under master leases and subleases with Sprint Nextel ("Sprint"). The Company has the option to purchase in 2037 all (but not less than all) of the Sprint towers from Sprint for approximately $2.3 billion. Approximately 6,200 of our towers are leased or subleased or operated or managed under a master prepaid lease and other related agreements with T-Mobile USA, Inc. ("T-Mobile") with a weighted-average term of approximately 28 years, weighted on site rental gross margin. The Company has the option to purchase these towers from T-Mobile at the end of the respective lease or sublease terms for aggregate option payments of approximately $2.0 billion , which payments, if exercised would be between 2035 and 2049. Approximately 470 of our towers are subject to a lease and sublease and other related arrangements with AT&T. The Company has the option to purchase these towers that we do not otherwise already own at the end of the respective lease terms for aggregate option payments of up to approximately $405 million, which payments, if exercised would be due between 2018 and 2032 (less than $10 million would be due before 2025).

To a lesser extent, the Company also provides certain network services relating to its wireless infrastructure, consisting of (1) customer equipment installation and subsequent augmentation services (collectively, "installation services"), and (2) the following additional site development services relating to existing and new antenna installations on its wireless infrastructure: site acquisition, architectural and engineering, zoning and permitting, fiber installation, other construction and other services related network development.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The entire disclosure for organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

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+ Details

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies


	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash represents (1) the cash held in reserve by the indenture trustees pursuant to the indenture governing certain of the Company's debt instruments, (2) cash securing performance obligations such as letters of credit, as well as (3) any other cash whose use is limited by contractual provisions. The restriction of all rental cash receipts is a critical feature of the Company's debt instruments, due to the applicable indenture trustee's ability to utilize the restricted cash for the payment of (1) debt service costs, (2) ground rents, (3) real estate and personal property taxes, (4) insurance premiums related to towers, (5) other assessments by governmental authorities and potential environmental remediation costs, and (6) a portion of advance rents from customers. The restricted cash in excess of required reserve balances is subsequently released to the Company in accordance with the terms of the indentures. The Company has classified the increases and decreases in restricted cash as (1) cash provided by financing activities for cash held by indenture trustees based on consideration of the terms of the related indebtedness, although the cash flows have aspects of both financing activities and operating activities, (2) cash provided by investing activities for cash securing performance obligations, and (3) cash provided by operating activities for the other remaining restricted cash.

The following table is a summary of the impact of restricted cash on the statement of cash flows for the three years ending December 31, 2012.



	For the years ending December 31,
	2012				2011			2010
Net cash provided by (used from) operating activities	$	11,475			$	(17,902	)	$	(18,939	)
Net cash provided by (used from) investing activities	$	(46,282	)	^(a)	$	(15,430	)	$	(515	)
Net cash provided by (used from) financing activities	$	(288,763	)	^(b)	$	1,979		$	11,953

(a) Inclusive of $46.3 million of acquired restricted cash.

(b) Inclusive of $316.6 million of cash held by the trustee to retire the 7.75% Secured Notes as discussed in notes 6 and 20.

Receivables Allowance

An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded as an offset to accounts receivable in order to present a net balance that the Company believes will be collected. An allowance for uncollectible amounts is recorded to offset the deferred site rental receivables that arise from site rental revenues recognized in excess of amounts currently due under the contract. The Company uses judgment in estimating these allowances and considers historical collections, current credit status and contractual provisions. Additions to the allowance for doubtful accounts are charged either to "site rental costs of operations" or to "network services and other costs of operations," as appropriate; and deductions from the allowance are recorded when specific accounts receivable are written off as uncollectible. Additions or reversals to the allowance for uncollectible deferred site rental receivables are charged to site rental revenues, and deductions from the allowance are recorded as contracts terminate.

Lease Accounting

General. The Company classifies its leases at inception as either operating leases or capital leases. A lease is classified as a capital lease if at least one of the following criteria are met, subject to certain exceptions noted below: (1) the lease transfers ownership of the leased assets to the lessee, (2) there is a bargain purchase option, (3) the lease term is equal to 75% or more of the economic life of the leased assets or (4) the present value of the minimum lease payments equals or exceeds 90% of the fair value of the leased assets.

Lessee. Leases for land are evaluated for capital lease treatment if at least one of the first two criteria mentioned in the immediately preceding paragraph is present relating to the leased assets. When the Company, as lessee, classifies a lease as a capital lease, it records an asset in an amount equal to the present value of the minimum lease payments under the lease at the beginning of the lease term. Applicable operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis as discussed under "costs of operations" below.

Lessor. If the Company is the lessor of leased property that is part of a larger whole (including with respect to a portion of space on a tower) and for which fair value is not objectively determinable, then such lease is accounted for as an operating lease. As applicable, operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis as discussed under "revenue recognition."

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Property and equipment includes land owned in fee and perpetual easements for land which have no definite life. Land owned in fee and perpetual easements for land are recorded as "property and equipment, net." When the Company purchases fee ownership or perpetual easements for the land previously subject to ground lease, the Company reduces the value recorded as land by the amount of the deferred ground lease payable and unamortized above-market leases. Depreciation is computed utilizing the straight-line method at rates based upon the estimated useful lives of the various classes of assets. Depreciation of wireless infrastructure is computed with a useful life equal to the shorter of 20 years or the term of the underlying ground lease (including optional renewal periods). Additions, renewals and improvements are capitalized, while maintenance and repairs are expensed. Interest costs incurred related to the construction of certain property and equipment are capitalized. Upon the sale or retirement of an asset, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is recognized. The carrying value of property and equipment will be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. If the sum of the estimated future cash flows (undiscounted) expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset group is less than the carrying amount of the asset group, an impairment loss is recognized. Measurement of an impairment loss is based on the fair value of the asset. Construction in process is impaired when projects are abandoned or terminated.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Pursuant to its ground lease and easement agreements, the Company records obligations to perform asset retirement activities, including requirements to remove wireless infrastructure or remediate the land upon which the Company's wireless infrastructure resides. The fair value of the liability for asset retirement obligations, which represents the net present value of the estimated expected future cash outlay, is recognized in the period in which it is incurred and the fair value of the liability can reasonably be estimated. Changes subsequent to initial measurement resulting from revisions to the timing or amount of the original estimate of undiscounted cash flows are recognized as an increase or decrease in the carrying amount of the liability and related carrying amount of the capitalized asset. Asset retirement obligations are included in "below-market tenant leases, deferred ground lease payable and other liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The liability accretes as a result of the passage of time and the related accretion expense is included in "depreciation, amortization and accretion expense" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). The associated asset retirement costs are capitalized as an additional carrying amount of the related long-lived asset and depreciated over the useful life of such asset.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price for an acquired business over the allocated value of the related net assets. The Company tests goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, regardless of whether adverse events or changes in circumstances have occurred. The annual test begins with goodwill and all intangible assets being allocated to applicable reporting units. The Company then performs a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of the reporting units is less than its carrying amount. If it is concluded that it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of a reporting until is less than its carrying amount, it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test. The two-step goodwill impairment test begins with an estimation of fair value of the reporting unit using an income approach, which looks to the present value of expected future cash flows. The first step, commonly referred to as a "step-one impairment test," is a screen for potential impairment while the second step measures the amount of impairment if there is an indication from the first step that one exists. The Company's measurement of the fair value for goodwill is based on an estimate of discounted future cash flows of the reporting unit. The Company performed its most recent annual goodwill impairment test as of October 1, 2012, which resulted in no impairments.

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets are included in "site rental contracts and customer relationships, net" and "other intangible assets, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and predominately consist of the estimated fair value of the following items recorded in conjunction with acquisitions: (1) site rental contracts and customer relationships, (2) below-market leases for land interest under the acquired wireless infrastructure, (3) term easement rights for land interest under the acquired wireless infrastructure, and (4) other contractual rights such as trademarks. The site rental contracts and customer relationships intangible assets are comprised of (1) the current term of the existing contracts, (2) the expected exercise of the renewal provisions contained within the existing contracts, which automatically occur under contractual provisions, and (3) any associated relationships that are expected to generate value following the expiration of all renewal periods under existing contracts.

The useful lives of intangible assets are estimated based on the period over which the intangible asset is expected to benefit the Company and gives consideration to the expected useful life of other assets to which the useful life may relate. Amortization expense for intangible assets is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each of the intangible assets. The useful life of the site rental contracts and customer relationships intangible asset is limited by the maximum depreciable life of the wireless infrastructure (20 years), as a result of the interdependency of the wireless infrastructure and site rental contracts. In contrast, the site rental contracts and customer relationships are estimated to provide economic benefits for several decades because of the low rate of customer cancellations and high rate of renewals experienced to date. Thus, while site rental contracts and customer relationships are valued based upon the fair value, which includes assumptions regarding both (1) customers' exercise of optional renewals contained in the acquired contracts and (2) renewals of the acquired contracts past the contractual term including exercisable options, the site rental contracts and customer relationships are amortized over a period not to exceed 20 years as a result of the useful life being limited by the depreciable life of the wireless infrastructure.

The carrying value of other intangible assets with finite useful lives will be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. The Company has a dual grouping policy for purposes of determining the unit of account for testing impairment of the site rental contracts and customer relationships intangible assets. First, the Company pools the site rental contracts and customer relationships with the related wireless infrastructure assets into portfolio groups for purposes of determining the unit of account for impairment testing. Second and separately, the Company evaluates the site rental contracts and customer relationships by significant customer or by customer grouping for individually insignificant customers, as appropriate. If the sum of the estimated future cash flows (undiscounted) expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of an asset is less than the carrying amount of the asset, an impairment loss is recognized. Measurement of an impairment loss is based on the fair value of the asset.

Deferred Credits

Deferred credits are included in “deferred revenues” and “below-market tenant leases, deferred ground lease payable and other liabilities” on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and consist of the estimated fair value of the following items recorded in conjunction with acquisitions: (1) below-market tenant leases for contractual interests with tenants on the acquired wireless infrastructure and (2) above-market leases for land interests under the Company's wireless infrastructure.

Fair value for these deferred credits represents the difference between (1) the stated contractual payments to be made pursuant to the in-place lease and (2) management's estimate of fair market lease rates for each corresponding lease. Deferred credits are measured over a period equal to the estimated remaining economic lease term considering renewal provisions, and economics associated with those renewal provisions, to the extent applicable. Below-market tenant leases and above-market leases for land interests are amortized to site rental revenues and site rental costs of operations, respectively, over their respective estimated remaining lease term at the acquisition date.

Deferred Financing Costs

Costs incurred to obtain financing, including underwriter, banker, legal and accounting fees, are deferred and amortized over the estimated term of the related borrowing using the effective yield method. Deferred financing costs are included in "long-term prepaid rent, deferred financing costs and other assets" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet.

Accrued Estimated Property Taxes

The accrual for estimated property tax obligations is based on assessments currently in effect and estimates of additional taxes. The Company recognizes the benefit of tax appeals upon ultimate resolution of the appeal.

Revenue Recognition

Site rental revenues are recognized on a monthly basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the relevant contract (generally ranging from five to 15 years), regardless of whether the payments from the customer are received in equal monthly amounts. The Company's contracts contain fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed dollar or fixed percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the consumer price index ("CPI")). If the payment terms call for fixed escalations or rent free periods, the effect is recognized on a straight-line basis over the fixed, non-cancelable term of the agreement. When calculating straight-line rental revenues, the Company considers all fixed elements of tenant contractual escalation provisions, even if such escalation provisions contain a variable element in addition to a minimum. The Company's assets related to straight-line site rental revenues are included in "other current assets" and "deferred site rental receivables, net" and amounts received in advance are recorded as "deferred revenues."

Network services revenues are recognized after completion of the applicable service. Nearly all of the antenna installation services are billed on a cost-plus profit basis.

Sales taxes and value-added taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis.

Costs of Operations

Approximately two-thirds of the Company's site rental costs of operations expenses consist of ground lease expenses, and the remainder includes property taxes, repairs and maintenance expenses, employee compensation and related benefit costs, and utilities. Network services and other costs of operations predominately consist of third party service providers such as contractors and professional service firms.

Generally, the ground leases for land are specific to each site and are for an initial term of five years and are renewable for pre-determined periods. The Company also enters into term easements and ground leases in which it prepays the entire term in advance. Ground lease expense is recognized on a monthly basis, regardless of whether the lease agreement payment terms require the Company to make payments annually, quarterly, monthly, or for the entire term in advance. The Company's ground leases contain fixed escalation clauses (such as fixed dollar or fixed percentage increases) or inflation-based escalation clauses (such as those tied to the CPI). If the payment terms include fixed escalation provisions, the effect of such increases is recognized on a straight-line basis. The Company calculates the straight-line ground lease expense using a time period that equals or exceeds the remaining depreciable life of the wireless infrastructure asset. Further, when a tenant has exercisable renewal options that would compel the Company to exercise existing ground lease renewal options, the Company has straight-lined the ground lease expense over a sufficient portion of such ground lease renewals to coincide with the final termination of the tenant's renewal options. The Company's non-current liability related to straight-line ground lease expense is included in "below-market tenant leases, deferred ground lease payable and other liabilities" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The Company's asset related to prepaid ground leases is included in "prepaid expenses" and "long-term prepaid rent, deferred financing costs and other assets, net" on the Company's consolidated balance sheet.

Acquisition and Integration Costs

All direct or incremental costs related to a business combination are expensed as incurred. Costs include severance, retention bonuses payable to employees of an acquired enterprise, temporary employees to assist with the integration of the acquired operations, and fees paid for services such as consulting, accounting, legal, or engineering reviews. These business combination costs are included in "acquisition and integration costs" on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

Stock-Based Compensation

Restricted Stock Awards. The Company records stock-based compensation expense only for those nonvested stock awards ("restricted stock awards") for which the requisite service is expected to be rendered. The cumulative effect of a change in the estimated number of restricted stock awards for which the requisite service is expected to be or has been rendered is recognized in the period of the change in the estimate. To the extent that the requisite service is rendered, compensation cost for accounting purposes is not reversed; rather, it is recognized regardless of whether or not the awards vest. A discussion of the Company's valuation techniques and related assumptions and estimates used to measure the Company's stock-based compensation is as follows:

Valuation. The fair value of restricted stock awards without market conditions is determined based on the number of shares granted and the quoted price of the Company's stock at the date of grant. The Company estimates the fair value of restricted stock awards with market conditions granted using a Monte Carlo simulation. The Company's determination of the fair value of restricted stock awards with market conditions on the date of grant is affected by its stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. The determination of fair value using a Monte Carlo simulation requires the input of subjective assumptions, and other reasonable assumptions could provide differing results.

Amortization Method. The Company amortizes the fair value of all restricted stock awards on a straight-line basis for each separately vesting tranche of the award (graded vesting schedule) over the requisite service periods. In the case of accelerated vesting based on the market performance of the Company's common stock, the compensation costs related to the vested awards that have not previously been amortized are recognized upon vesting.

Expected Volatility. The Company estimates the volatility of its common stock at the date of grant based on the historical volatility of its common stock and implied volatility on publicly traded options on the Company's common stock.

Risk-Free Rate. The Company bases the risk-free rate on the implied yield currently available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent remaining term equal to the expected life of the award.

Forfeitures. The Company uses historical data and management's judgment about the future employee turnover rates to estimate the number of shares for which the requisite service period will not be rendered.

Interest Expense and Amortization of Deferred Financing Costs

The components of interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs are as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011		2010
Interest expense on debt obligations	$	491,694		$	404,644	$	404,815
Amortization of deferred financing costs	23,324			15,086		15,397
Amortization of discounts on long-term debt	21,297			16,090		14,481
Amortization of interest rate swaps	65,239			71,707		54,169
Other, net of capitalized interest	(510		)	60		1,407
Total	$	601,044		$	507,587	$	490,269

The Company amortizes discounts and purchase price adjustments on long-term debt over the estimated term of the related borrowing using the effective interest yield method. Discounts and purchase price adjustments are presented as a reduction to the related debt obligation on the Company's consolidated balance sheet.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using an asset and liability approach, which requires the recognition of deferred income tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the Company's financial statements or tax returns. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates. A valuation allowance is provided on deferred tax assets if it is determined that it is more likely than not that the asset will not be realized.

The Company records a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets when it is "more likely than not" that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company reviews the recoverability of deferred tax assets each quarter and based upon projections of future taxable income, reversing deferred tax liabilities and other known events that are expected to affect future taxable income, records a valuation allowance for assets that do not meet the "more likely than not" realization threshold. Valuation allowances may be reversed if related deferred tax assets are deemed realizable based upon changes in facts and circumstances that impact the recoverability of the asset.

The Company recognizes a tax position if it is more likely than not that it will be sustained upon examination. The tax position is measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company reports penalties and tax-related interest expense as a component of the benefit (provision) for income taxes. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company has not recorded any penalties related to income taxes.

Per Share Information

Basic net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, per common share excludes dilution and is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period plus any potential dilutive common share equivalents, including shares issuable (1) upon exercise of stock options and the vesting of restricted stock awards as determined under the treasury stock method and (2) upon conversion of the Company's preferred stock, as determined under the if-converted method. The Company's restricted stock awards are considered participating securities and may be included in the computation of earnings pursuant to the two-class. However, the Company does not present the two-class method when there is no difference between the per share amount under the two-class method and the treasury stock method.

A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted per share computations is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	$	188,584		$	171,077		$	(310,940	)
Dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock	(2,629		)	(22,940		)	(20,806		)
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock	$	185,955		$	148,137		$	(331,746	)
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding (in thousands):
Basic weighted-average number of common stock outstanding	289,285			283,821			286,764
Effect of assumed dilution from potential common shares relating to stock options and restricted stock awards	1,985			2,126			—
Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding	291,270			285,947			286,764
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share:
Basic	$	0.64		$	0.52		$	(1.16	)
Diluted	$	0.64		$	0.52		$	(1.16	)

For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, 0.2 million and 0.9 million restricted stock awards, respectively, were excluded from the dilutive common shares because certain stock price hurdles would not have been achieved assuming that December 31, 2012 and 2011 were the respective ends of the contingency periods. For the year ended December 31, 2010, all of the CCIC stock options and unvested restricted stock awards are excluded from dilutive common shares because the net impact is anti-dilutive. In addition, for the years ended 2011 and 2010, 8.3 million and 8.6 million shares, respectively, reserved for issuance upon conversion of the 6.25% Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock are excluded from dilutive common shares in 2011 and 2010 as well because the impact of such conversion would be anti-dilutive. See notes 10 and 12.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company's international operations use the local currency as their functional currency. The Company translates the results of these international operations using the applicable average exchange rate for the period, and translates the assets and liabilities using the applicable exchange rate at the end of the period. The cumulative effect of changes in the exchange rate is recorded as "foreign currency translation adjustments" in other comprehensive income (loss). See note 16.

Fair Values

The Company's assets and liabilities recorded at fair value are categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy that ranks the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair value. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are (1) Level 1 — quoted prices (unadjusted) in active and accessible markets, (2) Level 2 — observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted in active markets but corroborated by market data, and (3) Level 3 — unobservable inputs and are not corroborated by market data. The Company evaluates level classifications quarterly, and transfers between levels are effective at the end of the quarterly period.

The fair value of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash approximate the carrying value. The Company determines fair value of its debt securities based on indicative quotes (that is non-binding quotes) from brokers that require judgment to interpret market information including implied credit spreads for similar borrowings on recent trades or bid/ask prices or quotes from active markets if applicable. The fair value of interest rate swaps is determined using the income approach and is predominately based on observable interest rates and yield curves and, to a lesser extent, the Company's and the contract counterparty's credit risk. There were no changes since December 31, 2011 in the Company's valuation techniques used to measure fair values.

See note 8 for a further discussion of fair values.

Derivative Instruments

The Company had previously entered into interest rate swaps, to manage and reduce its interest rate risk. Derivative financial instruments are entered into for periods that match the related underlying exposures and do not constitute positions independent of these exposures. The Company can designate derivative financial instruments as hedges. The Company can also enter into derivative financial instruments that are not designated as accounting hedges.

Derivatives are recognized on the consolidated balance sheet at fair value. If the derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the change in the fair value of the derivative is recorded as a separate component of stockholders' equity, captioned "accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)," and recognized as increases or decreases to "interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs" when the hedged item affects earnings. Any hedge ineffectiveness is included in "net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps" on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). If a hedge ceases to qualify for hedge accounting, any change in the fair value of the derivative since the date it ceased to qualify is recorded to "net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps." However, any amounts previously recorded to "accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)" would remain there until the original forecasted transaction affects earnings. In a situation where it becomes probable that the hedged forecasted transaction will not occur, any gains or losses that have been recorded to "accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)" are immediately reclassified to earnings. Derivatives that do not meet the requirements for hedge accounting are marked to market through "net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps" on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). Forward-starting interest rate swaps with an other-than-insignificant financing element at inception are classified as cash provided by financing activities, while other interest rate swaps are classified as cash provided by operating activities.

To qualify for hedge accounting, the details of the hedging relationship must be formally documented at the inception of the arrangement, including the risk management objective, hedging strategy, hedged item, specific risks that are being hedged, the derivative instrument, how effectiveness is being assessed and how ineffectiveness will be measured. The derivative must be highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows for the risk being hedged. In the context of hedging relationships, effectiveness refers to the degree to which fair value changes in the hedging instrument offset the corresponding expected earnings effects of the hedged item. The Company assesses the effectiveness of hedging relationships using regression analysis both at the inception of the hedge and on an on-going basis. In measuring ineffectiveness, the Company uses the hypothetical derivative method which compares the change in fair value of the actual swap with the change in fair value of a hypothetical swap that would have terms that would identically match the critical terms of the hedged floating rate liability.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In September 2011, the FASB issued amended guidance on goodwill impairment testing. The amended guidance permits an entity to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If it is concluded that it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, it is then necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test. Otherwise, the two-step goodwill impairment test is not required. The Company adopted this amended guidance during 2011.

The entire disclosure for all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity.

+ References+ Details

Acquisitions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Acquisitions

Acquisitions

NewPath Acquisition

In September 2010, the Company acquired NewPath Networks, Inc. ("NewPath") for cash consideration of $128 million through a merger with and into a subsidiary of the Company. NewPath was a provider of DAS, a network of antennas connected by fiber to a communications hub designed to facilitate wireless communications for wireless carriers. The final purchase price was predominately allocated to (1) property and equipment, (2) intangible assets consisting of site rental contracts and customer relationships, (3) goodwill, (4) deferred tax liabilities, and (5) other working capital, all of which are based on estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The Company paid a purchase price that resulted in goodwill at CCUSA due to (1) the expected growth in DAS including the co-location of additional tenants and (2) opportunities to construct and lease future DAS.

WCP Acquisition

On January 12, 2012, the Company announced a definitive agreement to acquire certain subsidiaries of Wireless Capital Partners, LLC ("WCP"). On January 31, 2012 the Company closed the acquisition (“WCP Acquisition”). Upon closing, WCP held various contracts with wireless site owners, including approximately 2,300 ground lease related assets.

The purchase price of $214.7 million includes $39.2 million of restricted cash and excludes the assumption of $336.3 million (after fair value adjustments) of debt. See note 6. The Company utilized a portion of the borrowings under the senior secured term loans issued in January 2012 ("2012 Term Loans") to fund the cash consideration.

The final allocation of the total purchase price for the WCP Acquisition was primarily allocated to restricted cash, long-term prepaid rent, other intangible assets, deferred income tax assets, goodwill and debt. The final purchase price allocation to long-term prepaid rent was approximately $322.4 million and had a weighted-average amortization period of 37 years.

NextG Networks Acquisition

In December 2011, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NextG Networks, Inc. ("NextG") for approximately $1.0 billion in cash, subject to certain adjustments. On April 10, 2012, the Company closed the acquisition (“NextG Acquisition”). The Company utilized borrowings under the 2012 Term Loans to fund the cash consideration of approximately $1.0 billion.

Prior to the NextG Acquisition, NextG was the largest U.S. provider of outdoor DAS, a network of antennas connected by fiber to a communications hub designed to facilitate wireless communications for wireless carriers. Approximately 75% of NextG's DAS at the time of the acquisition were located in the ten largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S.

Solely as a result of uncertainty related to potential adjustments to the purchase consideration with the seller, which adjustments, if any, are not expected to be material, the preliminary purchase price allocation is not finalized as of December 31, 2012. The preliminary purchase price allocation for the NextG Acquisition, as of December 31, 2012, is shown below.



Current assets	$	74,995
Property and equipment	515,590
Goodwill	573,617
Other intangible assets, net	408,000
Other assets	237
Current liabilities	(104,987		)
Below-market tenant leases and other non-current liabilities	(322,175		)
Deferred income tax liabilities	(144,817		)
Net assets acquired	$	1,000,460		^(a)

(a)

Since the initial preliminary purchase price allocation, adjustments to the purchase price included an increase of $213.0 million to other intangible assets, net, a decrease of $108.5 million to goodwill, and an increase of $87.4 million to deferred tax liabilities. The effect of the change in the purchase price allocation on the Company's statement of operations is immaterial to the periods presented.

Subsequent to the closing of the NextG Acquisition, the Company finalized plans for the integration of NextG's operations and assets into the Company's operations, including with respect to the Company's policies, procedures and systems. As a result, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2012 the Company recognized integration costs of: (1) $4.3 million related to severance and retention bonuses payable to involuntarily terminated employees of NextG and (2) other incremental costs directly related to the integration of $6.0 million, including costs associated with temporary employees assisting with the NextG integration. These costs are classified as acquisition and integration costs in the Company's consolidated statement of operation and comprehensive income (loss).

T-Mobile Acquisition

In September 2012, the Company entered into a definitive agreement with T-Mobile to acquire the exclusive rights to lease, operate or otherwise acquire approximately 7,100 T-Mobile towers for approximately $2.5 billion. On November 30, 2012, the Company closed on the acquisition ("T-Mobile Acquisition"). Upon closing, the Company obtained the exclusive right to lease and operate the T-Mobile towers (that are otherwise not owned by the Company). See note 1 for a further discussion of the terms of the T-Mobile lease including the purchase option. The Company utilized cash on hand, inclusive of the proceeds from the 5.25% Senior Notes, and borrowings from the 2012 Revolver (as defined in note 6) to fund the T-Mobile Acquisition. The Company recognized acquisition and integration costs of approximately $3.6 million for the year ending December 31, 2012.

The preliminary purchase price allocation is not finalized as of December 31, 2012, and is based upon a preliminary valuation which is subject to change as the Company obtains additional information, including with respect to fixed assets, intangibles assets, deferred taxes and certain liabilities. The preliminary purchase price allocation for the T-Mobile Acquisition, as of December 31, 2012, is shown below.



Current assets	$	17,854
Property and equipment	1,459,413
Goodwill	428,019
Other intangible assets, net	403,260
Deferred income tax assets	203,619
Other assets	5,000
Below-market tenant leases and other non-current liabilities	(31,379		)	^(a)
Net assets acquired	$	2,485,786

(a)Inclusive of above-market leases for land interests under the Company's towers.

For additional discussion of the WCP Acquisition, NextG Acquisition and T-Mobile Acquisition see note 5 and note 9.

Actual and Pro Forma Financial Information

Net revenues and net income (loss) attributable to acquisitions completed during the year ended December 31, 2012 are included in the Company's consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), since the date of each respective acquisition. For the year ended December 31, 2012, the WCP Acquisition, NextG Acquisition and T-Mobile Acquisition resulted in (1) increases to consolidated net revenues of $143.3 million and (2) a net loss of $12.6 million included in net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders, which includes the impact of the debt assumed in the WCP acquisition and approximately $16.2 million of acquisition and integration expenses, but excludes the interest expense associated with the financing to fund each of these acquisitions.

The unaudited pro forma financial results for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 combine the historical results of the Company, along with the historical results of the WCP Acquisition, NextG Acquisition and T-Mobile Acquisition for the respective periods. The following table presents the unaudited pro forma consolidated results of operations of the Company as if each acquisition was completed as of January 1, 2011 for the periods presented below. The unaudited pro forma amounts are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of future consolidated results of operations.



	Twelve Months Ended December 31,
	2012			2011
Net revenues	$	2,716,833	^(a)	$	2,457,078		^(a)
Income (loss) before income taxes	$	71,083		$	92,052
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	$	112,280	^(d)	$	(8,347	)	^(d)
Net income (loss)	$	183,363	^(b)(c)	$	83,705		^(b)(c)(e)
Basic net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share	$	0.58		$	0.21
Diluted net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share	$	0.58		$	0.21


(a)	For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, amounts are inclusive of pro forma adjustments to increase net revenues of $255.6 million and $261.1 million, respectively, that we expect to recognize from T-Mobile under T-Mobile's contracted lease of space on the towers acquired in the T-Mobile Acquisition.


(b)	For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, amounts are inclusive of pro forma adjustments to depreciation and amortization of $109.8 million and $125.7 million, respectively, related to property and equipment and intangibles recorded as a result of the WCP Acquisition, NextG Acquisition, and T-Mobile Acquisition.


(c)	Amounts are exclusive of interest expense associated with the financing to fund each of these acquisitions but includes the impact of the debt assumed in the WCP Acquisition.


(d)	For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company did not make pro forma adjustments to the benefits (provision) for income tax as a result of the Company's tax position. For the year ended December 31, 2012, the pro forma adjustments reflects the federal statutory rate and no adjustment was made with respect to the Company's reversal of valuation allowance.


(e)	Amounts are inclusive of $46.3 million in NextG stock-based compensation charges and $15.7 million in acquisition and integration costs incurred by NextG prior to the acquisition date.

The entire disclosure for a business combination (or series of individually immaterial business combinations) completed during the period, including background, timing, and recognized assets and liabilities. The disclosure may include leverage buyout transactions (as applicable).

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 141R

-Paragraph F4

-Subparagraph e

-Appendix F

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 141

-Paragraph 51, 52

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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-Name Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF)

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+ Details

Property and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Property and Equipment


	Property and Equipment

The major classes of property and equipment are as follows:



	Estimated Useful Lives	December 31,
	Estimated Useful Lives	2012			2011
Land owned in fee and perpetual easements	—	$	1,119,592		$	960,191
Buildings	40 years	56,883			37,454
Wireless infrastructure	1-20 years	9,589,282			7,359,480
Information technology assets and other	2-7 years	160,670			151,992
Construction in process	—	240,287			176,246
Total gross property and equipment		11,166,714			8,685,363
Less: accumulated depreciation		(4,249,183		)	(3,824,136		)
Total property and equipment, net		$	6,917,531		$	4,861,227

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $438.9 million, $387.8 million and $379.3 million, respectively. Capital leases related to gross property and equipment and accumulated depreciation was $2.6 billion and$423.2 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2012. See note 1 and 2.

Intangible Assets and Deferred Credits

The entire disclosure for long-lived, physical assets that are used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software. This disclosure may include property plant and equipment accounting policies and methodology, a schedule of property, plant and equipment gross, additions, deletions, transfers and other changes, depreciation, depletion and amortization expense, net, accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization expense and useful lives, income statement disclosures, assets held for sale and public utility disclosures.

+ References+ Details

Intangible Assets and Deferred Credits

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Intangible Assets and Deferred Credits

Goodwill

The changes in the carrying value of goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2012 were as follows:



Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	2,035,390
Additions due to NextG Acquisition^(a)(b)	573,617
Additions due to WCP Acquisition^(a)(c)	54,824
Additions due to T-Mobile Acquisition^(a)(d)	428,019
Additions due to other acquisitions	28,113
Effect of exchange rate fluctuations	(6		)
Balance as of December 31, 2012	$	3,119,957


(a)	$573.6 million, $40.8 million and $363.6 million of the recorded amounts are not expected to be deductible for tax purposes in relation to the NextG Acquisition, WCP Acquisition and T-Mobile Acquisition, respectively.


(b)	The preliminary purchase price allocation for the NextG Acquisition resulted in the recognition of a substantial amount of goodwill at CCUSA relative to the purchase price based on the following:


•	the acquired and in-process DAS have low average tenancy, which the Company believes provides an opportunity to co-locate additional tenants on those systems;


•	the Company believes that the economics associated with DAS are similar to the economics associated with the Company's towers, whereby expected increases in revenues from additional tenants on existing DAS are expected to result in high incremental margins due to relatively fixed operating costs;


•	the Company believes the demand for tenants to co-locate on DAS will be driven by the continued growth trends in the wireless communication industry as wireless carriers continue to focus on improving network quality and expanding capacity;


•	the Company believes the acquired DAS are well-positioned to benefit from the anticipated growth in the wireless industry with their previously mentioned locations in the ten largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S.; and


•	other intangibles not qualified for separate recognition, including the assembled work force.

To a lesser extent, a portion of the goodwill recognized is the result of recording the tax impact of the NextG Acquisition. See also note 9.


(c)	The Company paid a purchase price for the WCP Acquisition that resulted in goodwill at CCUSA primarily because of the strategic opportunities related to the acquired portfolio.


(d)	The preliminary purchase price allocation for the T-Mobile Acquisition resulted in the recognition of goodwill at CCUSA primarily because of the anticipated growth opportunities in the tower portfolio.

Intangibles

The following is a summary of the Company's intangible assets.



	As of December 31, 2012							As of December 31, 2011
	Gross Carrying Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net Book Value		Gross Carrying Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net Book Value
Site rental contracts and customer relationships	$	3,566,207	$	(913,647	)	$	2,652,560	$	2,823,832	$	(748,850	)	$	2,074,982
Other intangible assets	354,208		(65,072		)	289,136		152,375		(49,175		)	103,200
Total	$	3,920,415	$	(978,719	)	$	2,941,696	$	2,976,207	$	(798,025	)	$	2,178,182

The components of the additions to intangible assets during the years ended December 31, 2012 are as follows:



	For Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011
	Amount^(a)		Weighted-Average Amortization Period	Amount		Weighted-Average Amortization Period
			(In years)			(In years)
Site rental contracts and customer relationships	$	741,526	21.3	$	23,362	20.0
Other intangible assets	208,700		19.4	—		N/A
Total	$	950,226	20.9	$	23,362	20.0


(a)	Inclusive of $178.3 million related to below-market leases for land interests under acquired wireless infrastructure.

Amortization expense related to intangible assets is classified as follows on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss):



	For Years Ended December 31,
Classification	2012		2011		2010
Depreciation, amortization and accretion	$	177,163	$	159,478	$	156,150
Site rental costs of operations	3,352		3,709		3,764
Total amortization expense	$	180,515	$	163,187	$	159,914

The estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets (inclusive of those recorded to "site rental costs of operations") for the years ended December 31, 2013 to 2017 is as follows:



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
Estimated annual amortization	$	196,851	$	193,520	$	187,905	$	187,878	$	186,880

Deferred Credits

See note 2 for a further discussion of deferred credits related to above-market leases for land interests under the Company's towers recorded in connection with acquisitions. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company recorded $3.4 million, $3.8 million and $4.4 million, respectively, as a decrease to "site rental costs of operations." The net book value of the above-market leases for land interests under the Company's towers was $58.2 million and $46.8 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

The estimated annual amortization expense related to above-market leases for land interests under the Company's towers for the years ended December 31, 2013 to 2017 is as follows:



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
Estimated annual amortization	$	4,361	$	4,337	$	4,322	$	4,280	$	4,250

During the twelve months ended December 31, 2012, the Company recorded deferred credits of $291.9 million related to below-market tenant leases as a result of the purchase price allocation for the NextG Acquisition (see note 3). Since the acquisition date, the Company has recognized a total of $20.8 million in site rental revenues related to the amortization of deferred credits. The net book value of the below-market tenants leases was $271.1 million as of December 31, 2012. The below-market tenant leases recorded during the twelve months ended December 31, 2012 have a weighted-average amortization period of 10 years.

The estimated annual amounts related to below-market tenant leases expected to be amortized into site rental revenues for the years ended December 31, 2013 to 2017 are as follows:



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
Estimated annual amortization	$	30,443	$	30,263	$	28,937	$	28,512	$	25,628

Debt and Other Obligations [Abstract]

The entire disclosure for all or part of the information related to intangible assets.

+ References+ Details

Debt and Other Obligations

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Debt and Other Obligations

The following is a summary of the Company's indebtedness.



	Original Issue Date	Contractual Maturity Date		Outstanding Balance as of December 31, 2012			Outstanding Balance as of December 31, 2011		Stated Interest Rate as of December 31, 2012^(a)
Bank debt – variable rate:
2007 Revolver	Jan. 2007	Sept. 2013		$	—		$	251,000	N/A
2012 Revolver	Jan. 2012	Jan. 2017	^(b)	1,253,000		^(b)	—		2.7	%	^(c)
2007 Term Loans	Jan. 2007	March 2014		—			619,125		N/A
2012 Term Loans	Jan. 2012	2017/2019		2,065,250			—		3.7	%	^(c)
Total bank debt				3,318,250			870,125
Securitized debt – fixed rate:
January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes	Jan. 2010	2035-2040	^(d)	1,900,000			1,900,000		5.7	%	^(d)
August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes	Aug. 2010	2035-2040	^(d)	1,550,000			1,550,000		4.5	%	^(d)
2009 Securitized Notes	July 2009	2019/2029	^(e)	198,463			216,431		7.0	%
WCP Securitized Notes	Jan. 2010	Nov. 2040	^(f)	307,739			—		5.4	%	^(g)
Total securitized debt				3,956,202			3,666,431
Bonds – fixed rate:
9% Senior Notes	Jan. 2009	Jan. 2015		304,718			817,799		9.0	%	^(h)
7.75% Secured Notes	Apr. 2009	May 2017		291,394			978,983		7.8	%	⁽ⁱ⁾
7.125% Senior Notes	Oct. 2009	Nov. 2019		498,110			497,904		7.1	%	^(j)
7.5% Senior Notes	Dec. 2003	Dec. 2013		—			51		N/A
5.25% Senior Notes	Oct. 2012	Jan. 2023		1,650,000			—		5.3	%
2012 Secured Notes	Dec. 2012	2017/2023	^(m)	1,500,000			—		3.4	%
Total bonds				4,244,222			2,294,737
Other:
Capital leases and other obligations	Various	Various	^(k)	92,568			54,406		Various		^(k)
Total debt and other obligations				11,611,242			6,885,699
Less: current maturities and short-term debt and other current obligations				688,056		^(l)	32,517
Non-current portion of long-term debt and other long-term obligations				$	10,923,186		$	6,853,182


(a)	Represents the weighted-average stated interest rate.


(b)	As of December 31, 2012, the undrawn availability under the $1.5 billion senior secured revolving credit facility ("2012 Revolver") is $247.0 million.

(c)

The 2012 Revolver and Term Loan A bear interest at a rate per annum equal to LIBOR plus a credit spread ranging from 2.0% to 2.75%, based on the CCOC total net leverage ratio. Term Loan B bears interest at a rate per annum equal to LIBOR plus 3.0% (with LIBOR subject to a floor of 1% per annum). The Company pays a commitment fee of approximately 0.4% per annum on the undrawn available amount under the 2012 Revolver.

(d)

If the respective series of the January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes and August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes (collectively, "2010 Tower Revenue Notes") are not paid in full on or prior to 2015, 2017 and 2020, as applicable, then Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture) of the issuers (of such notes) will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the 2010 Tower Revenue Notes, and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the respective 2010 Tower Revenue Notes. The January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes consist of three series of notes with principal amounts of $300.0 million, $350.0 million and $1.3 billion, having anticipated repayment dates in 2015, 2017 and 2020, respectively. The August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes consist of three series of notes with principal amounts of $250.0 million, $300.0 million and $1.0 billion, having anticipated repayment dates in 2015, 2017 and 2020, respectively.


(e)	The 2009 Securitized Notes consist of $128.5 million of principal as of December 31, 2012 that amortizes through 2019, and $70.0 million of principal as of December 31, 2012 that amortizes during the period beginning in 2019 and ending in 2029.

(f)

The WCP securitized notes ("WCP Securitized Notes") were assumed in connection with the WCP Acquisition. The WCP Securitized Notes include a fair value adjustment that increased the debt carrying value by $11.7 million as of December 31, 2012. The anticipated repayment date is 2015 for each class. If the WCP Securitized Notes are not repaid in full by their anticipated repayment dates, the applicable interest rate increases by an additional approximately 5% per annum. If the WCP Securitized Notes are not repaid in full by their rapid amortization date of 2017, monthly principal payments commence using the excess cash flows of the issuers of the WCP Securitized Notes.


(g)	The effective yield is approximately 4.0%, inclusive of the fair value adjustment.


(h)	The effective yield is approximately 11.3%, inclusive of the discount.


(i)	The effective yield is approximately 8.2%, inclusive of the discount.


(j)	The effective yield is approximately 7.2%, inclusive of the discount.


(k)	The Company's capital leases and other obligations bear interest rates ranging up to 10% and mature in periods ranging from less than one year to approximately 20 years.


(l)	Inclusive of the 9% senior notes ("9% Senior Notes") and the 7.75% secured notes ("7.75% Secured Notes") whose repurchase and redemption was completed in January 2013. See note 20.


(m)	The Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 2.381% secured notes due 2017 and $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 3.849% secured notes due 2023 (collectively, "2012 Secured Notes").

The Company's debt obligations contain certain financial covenants with which CCIC or its subsidiaries must comply. Failure to comply with such covenants may result in the imposition of restrictions. As of and for the year ended December 31, 2012, CCIC and its subsidiaries had no financial covenant violations. Various of the Company's debt obligations also place other restrictions on CCIC or its subsidiaries including the ability to incur debt and liens, purchase Company securities, make capital expenditures, dispose of assets, undertake transactions with affiliates, enter into certain merger or change of control transactions, make other investments, pay dividends and engage in certain other activities as set forth in the indentures.

See note 20 for a discussion of the repurchase and redemption of the 9% Senior Notes and the 7.75% Secured Notes completed in January 2013.

Bank Debt

In January 2012, the Company refinanced and repaid the the previously outstanding Revolver ("2007 Revolver") and 2007 Term Loans with the proceeds of a senior credit facility ("2012 Credit Facility") issued by CCOC. The 2012 Credit Facility consists of (1) a $1.5 billion 2012 Revolver which will mature in January 2017, (2) a $500.0 million Term Loan A which will mature in January 2017, and (3) a $1.6 billion Term Loan B which will mature in January 2019. The Term Loan B was fully drawn at closing and the 2012 Revolver and the Term Loan A were undrawn at closing. In March 2012, the Company drew the full amount under the Term Loan A. The proceeds of the 2012 Term Loans were used in part to repay the 2007 Revolver, repay the 2007 Term Loans and to fund the cash consideration of the WCP Acquisition and NextG Acquisition (see note 3). The borrowings under the 2012 Revolver were used to partially fund the T-Mobile Acquisition and the repurchase and repayment of the 9% Senior Notes.

The 2012 Credit Facility is secured by a pledge of certain equity interests of certain subsidiaries of CCIC, as well as a security interest in CCOC's and certain of its subsidiaries' deposit accounts ($52.0 million as of December 31, 2012) and securities accounts. The 2012 Credit Facility is guaranteed by CCIC and certain of its subsidiaries.

Securitized Debt

The 2010 Tower Revenue Notes, the 2009 Securitized Notes and the WCP Securitized Notes (collectively, "Securitized Debt") are obligations of special purpose entities and their direct and indirect subsidiaries (each an "issuer"), all of which are wholly-owned indirect subsidiaries of the Company. The 2010 Tower Revenue Notes, 2009 Securitized Notes and the WCP Securitized Notes are governed by separate indentures. The 2010 Tower Revenue Notes are governed by one indenture and consist of multiple series of notes, each with its own anticipated repayment date. The net proceeds of the January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes and August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes were primarily used to repay the portion of the 2005 Tower Revenue Notes not previously purchased and 2006 Tower Revenue Notes not previously purchased, respectively. The WCP Securitized Notes were assumed in connection with the WCP Acquisition in January 2012. Interest is paid monthly on the Securitized Debt.

The Securitized Debt is paid solely from the cash flows generated by the operation of the towers or third party land interests held directly and indirectly by the issuers of the respective Securitized Debt. The Securitized Debt is secured by, among other things, (1) a security interest in substantially all of the applicable issuers' assignable personal property, (2) a pledge of the equity interests in each applicable issuer, (3) a security interest in the applicable issuers' contracts with customers to lease tower space (space licenses) or third party land interests, and (4) in the case of the WCP Securitized Notes, a perfected first mortgage lien on certain prepaid lease arrangements. The governing instruments of two indirect subsidiaries ("Crown Atlantic" and "Crown GT") of the issuers of the 2010 Tower Revenue Notes generally prevent them from issuing debt and granting liens on their assets without the approval of a subsidiary of Verizon Communications. Consequently, while distributions paid by Crown Atlantic and Crown GT will service the 2010 Tower Revenue Notes, the 2010 Tower Revenue Notes are not obligations of, nor are the 2010 Tower Revenue Notes secured by the cash flows or any other assets of, Crown Atlantic and Crown GT. As of December 31, 2012, the Securitized Debt was collateralized with personal property and equipment with a net book value of an aggregate approximately $1.6 billion, exclusive of Crown Atlantic and Crown GT personal property and equipment.

The excess cash flows from the issuers of the Securitized Debt, after the payment of principal, interest, reserves, expenses, and management fees are distributed to the Company in accordance with the terms of the indentures. If the Debt Service Coverage Ratio ("DSCR") (as defined in the applicable governing loan agreement) as of the end of any calendar quarter falls to a certain level, then all excess cash flow of the issuers of the applicable debt instrument will be deposited into a reserve account instead of being released to the Company. The funds in the reserve account will not be released to the Company until the DSCR exceeds a certain level for two consecutive calendar quarters. If the DSCR falls below a certain level as of the end of any calendar quarter, then all cash on deposit in the reserve account along with future excess cash flows of the issuers will be applied to prepay the debt with applicable prepayment consideration.

The Company may repay the 2010 Tower Revenue Notes and the 2009 Securitized Notes in whole or in part at any time after the second anniversary of the applicable issuance date, provided such prepayment is accompanied by any applicable prepayment consideration. The Securitized Debt has covenants and restrictions customary for rated securitizations, including provisions prohibiting the issuers from incurring additional indebtedness or further encumbering their assets.

Bonds—Senior Notes

The 9% Senior Notes, 7.125% senior notesdue 2019 ("7.125% Senior Notes") and the 5.25% senior notes due 2023 ("5.25% Senior Notes") (collectively, "Senior Notes") are general obligations of CCIC, which rank equally with all existing and future senior debt of CCIC. The Senior Notes are effectively subordinated to all liabilities (including trade payables) of each subsidiary of the Company and rank pari passu with the other respective high yield bonds of the Company. The Company used the net proceeds from the 7.125% Senior Notes to purchase certain indebtedness of its subsidiaries. The Company used the net proceeds from the 5.25% Senior Notes offering to partially fund the T-Mobile Acquisition.

The Senior Notes contain restrictive covenants with which the Company and its restricted subsidiaries must comply, subject to a number of exceptions and qualifications, including restrictions on its ability to incur incremental debt, issue preferred stock, guarantee debt, pay dividends, repurchase its capital stock, use assets as security in other transactions, sell assets or merge with or into other companies, and make certain investments. Certain of these restrictions are not applicable if there is no event of default and if the ratio of the Company's Consolidated Debt (as defined in the respective Senior Notes indenture) to its Adjusted Consolidated Cash Flows (as defined in the respective Senior Notes indenture) is less than or equal to 7.0 to 1.0. The Senior Notes do not contain any financial maintenance covenants.

Prior to January 2013 and November 2014, the Company may redeem the 9% Senior Notes and the 7.125% Senior Notes, respectively, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus a make whole premium, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any. After these dates, the respective Senior Notes may be redeemed at the redemption prices set forth in the respective indenture governing such notes. The Company may redeem the 5.25% Senior Notes at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus a make whole premium, and accrued and unpaid interest if any.

On December 11, 2012, we commenced a cash tender offer for any and all of the then outstanding 9% Senior Notes. In accordance with the terms of the tender offer, the total consideration for each $1,000 principal amount of notes validly tendered on or prior to the early settlement date received $1,062.30 (plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including the settlement date), which included an early tender premium of $30.00. Holders who validly tendered after the early settlement date but before the expiration date received $1,032.30 (plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including the settlement date) for each $1,000 principal amount of notes. On December 26, 2012, we accepted for purchase approximately $515.5 million aggregate principal amount of the 9% Senior Notes validly tendered on or prior to the early settlement date. On January 10, 2013, we accepted for purchase $839,000 aggregate principal amount of the 9% Senior Notes validly tendered after the early settlement date but on or prior to the expiration date. All of the remaining then outstanding 9% Senior Notes (approximately $313.3 million aggregate principal amount) were redeemed on January 23, 2013. The repurchase and redemption of the 9% Senior Notes was funded by borrowings under the 2012 Revolver and proceeds from the issuance of the 2012 Secured Notes. See note 20.

Bonds—Secured Notes

The 7.75% Secured Notes were issued and guaranteed by certain subsidiaries of the Company that are special purpose entities and that were obligors under the 2006 Mortgage Loan. These 7.75% Secured Notes are secured on a first priority basis by a pledge of the equity interests of such subsidiaries and by certain other assets of such subsidiaries. The 7.75% Secured Notes are obligations of the subsidiaries that were obligated under the 2006 Mortgage Loan, which was repaid in part through the proceeds from the 7.75% Secured Notes. The 7.75% Secured Notes are not guaranteed by and are not obligations of CCIC or any of its subsidiaries other than the issuers and guarantors of the 7.75% Secured Notes. The 7.75% Secured Notes will be paid solely from the cash flows generated from operations of the towers held directly and indirectly by the issuers and the guarantors of such notes. As of December 31, 2012, the 7.75% Secured Notes were collateralized with personal property and equipment with a net book value of an aggregate approximately $1.1 billion. The Company used the net proceeds of the issuance of the 7.75% Secured Notes, along with other cash, to repay the 2006 Mortgage Loan.

The 7.75% Secured Notes contain financial covenants that could result in cash being deposited in a reserve account and require the Company to offer to purchase the 7.75% Secured Notes.

Prior to May 2013 the Company may redeem the 7.75% Secured Notes at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus a make whole premium, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any. After May 2013, the debt may be redeemed at the redemption prices set forth in the indenture.

On December 11, 2012, the Company commenced a cash tender offer for any and all of their then outstanding 7.75% Secured Notes. In accordance with the terms of the tender offer, the total consideration for principal amount of notes validly tendered on or prior to the expiration date was $1,063.45 (plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including the settlement date). On December 26, 2012, the Company accepted for purchase $670.6 million aggregate principal amount of the 7.75% Secured Notes validly tendered on or prior to the expiration date. All of the remaining then outstanding 7.75% Secured Notes (approximately $294.4 million aggregate principal amount) were redeemed on January 10, 2013. The repurchase and redemption of the 7.75% Secured Notes was funded by the issuance of the 2012 Secured Notes. See note 20.

The "2012 Secured Notes" consist of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 2.381% secured notes due 2017 and $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 3.849% secured notes due 2023. The 2012 Secured Notes were issued and guaranteed by the same subsidiaries of the Company that had previously issued and guaranteed the 7.75% Secured Notes. The 2012 Secured Notes are secured by a pledge of the equity interests of the subsidiaries that guaranteed the 7.75% Secured Notes. The 2012 Secured Notes are not guaranteed by and are not obligations of CCIC or any of its subsidiaries other than the issuers and guarantors of the 2012 Secured Notes. The 2012 Secured Notes will be paid solely from the cash flows generated from operations of the towers held directly and indirectly by the issuers and the guarantors of such notes. The Company used the net proceeds from the issuance of the 2012 Secured Notes to repurchase and redeem the 7.75% Secured Notes and a portion of the 9% Senior Notes (see note 20). The 2012 Secured Notes may be redeemed at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus a make whole premium, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any.

Previously Outstanding Indebtedness

Credit Facility. In January 2012, the Company repaid the 2007 Revolver and term loans pursuant its previously outstanding credit agreement entered into by CCOC. The 2007 Revolver previously had a total revolving commitment of $450 million.

2005 Tower Revenue Notes and 2006 Tower Revenue Notes. In 2010, the Company purchased and repaid the outstanding portions of the 2005 Tower Revenue Notes and the 2006 Tower Revenue Notes. The 2005 Tower Revenue Notes were repaid in part through the proceeds of the January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes. The 2006 Tower Revenue Notes were repaid in part through the proceeds of the August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes. See below for the net losses on these retirements.

Contractual Maturities

The following are the scheduled contractual maturities of the total debt and other long-term obligations outstanding at December 31, 2012. These maturities reflect contractual maturity dates and do not consider the principal payments that will commence following the anticipated repayment dates on the Tower Revenue Notes and WCP Securitized Notes. If the Tower Revenue Notes are not paid in full on or prior to 2015, 2017 and 2020, as applicable, then the Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture) of the issuers of such notes will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the Tower Revenue Notes, and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the Tower Revenue Notes. If the WCP Securitized Notes are not paid in full by their anticipated repayment dates in 2015, the applicable interest rate increases by an additional approximately 5% per annum. If the WCP Securitized Notes are not rapid in full by their rapid amortization date of 2017, monthly principal payments commence using the Excess Cash Flow of the issuers of the WCP Securitized Notes. See note 20.



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013			2014		2015		2016		2017		Thereafter		Total Cash Obligations		Net Unamortized Discounts			Total Debt and Other Obligations Outstanding
Scheduled contractual maturities	$	696,715	^(a)	$	99,101	$	111,437	$	112,782	$	2,139,893	$	8,453,916	$	11,613,844	$	(2,602	)	$	11,611,242


(a)	Inclusive of the repurchase or redemption in January 2013 of the 9% Senior Notes and the 7.75% Secured Notes that remained outstanding as of December 31, 2012. See note 20.

Debt Purchases and Repayments

The following is a summary of the purchases and repayments of debt during the years ended December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2010. There were no purchases and repayments of debt during the year ended December 31, 2011.



	Year Ending December 31, 2012
	Principal Amount		Cash Paid^(a)		Gains (losses)
Revolver	$	251,000	$	251,000	$	(1,445	)
2007 Term Loans	619,125		619,125		(1,893		)
9% Senior Notes	552,715		589,105		(62,966		)
7.75% Secured Notes	706,045		752,332		(64,989		)
7.5% Senior Notes	51		51		—
WCP Securitized Notes	16,911		18,096		(681		)
Total	$	2,145,847	$	2,229,709	$	(131,974	)	^(b)


(a)	Exclusive of accrued interest.


(b)	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.



	Year Ending December 31, 2010
	Principal Amount		Cash Paid^(a)		Gains (losses)
2005 Tower Revenue Notes	$	1,638,616	$	1,651,255	$	(15,718	)
2006 Tower Revenue Notes	1,550,000		1,629,920		(87,755		)
2009 Securitized Notes^(b)	5,000		5,250		(393		)
9% Senior Notes	33,115		36,116		(6,425		)
7.75% Secured Notes	199,593		218,771		(28,076		)
Total	$	3,426,324	$	3,541,312	$	(138,367	)	^(c)


(a)	Exclusive of accrued interest.


(b)	These debt purchases were made by CCIC, rather than by the subsidiaries issuing the debt, because of restrictions upon the subsidiaries issuing the debt. As a result, the debt remains outstanding at the Company's subsidiaries.


(c)	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.

Interest Rate Swaps

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Interest Rate Derivatives [Abstract]

Interest Rate Swaps

The Company has entered into interest rate swaps only to manage and reduce its interest rate risk, including the use of (1) forward-starting interest rate swaps to hedge its exposure to variability in future cash flows attributable to changes in LIBOR on anticipated financings, including refinancings and potential future borrowings and (2) interest rate swaps to hedge the interest rate variability on a portion of the Company's floating rate debt. The Company does not enter into interest rate swaps for speculative or trading purposes. As of December 31, 2012, the Company does not have any interest rate swaps outstanding.

During the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2007, the Company entered into an aggregate $5.3 billion notional value of forward-starting interest rate swaps hedging certain anticipated refinancings, all of which were settled during the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009. The forward-starting interest rate swaps fixed LIBOR for five years relating to the anticipated refinancings at a weighted-average rate of 5.2%, while the actual five-year LIBOR swap rate upon issuance of the anticipated refinancings was a weighted-average of 2.4%. In certain circumstances, these forward-starting interest rate swaps were outstanding following the refinancing of the respective debt which they hedged. As a result, changes in the fair value of such non-economic swaps were prospectively recorded in earnings until settlement in "net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps" on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). For refinancings that did not qualify as the respective hedged forecasted transaction, the Company discontinued hedge accounting and reclassified the entire loss from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to earnings. During 2010, the Company paid $697.8 million to settle its previously outstanding forward-starting interest rate swaps.

The following table shows the effect of interest rate swaps on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). The estimated net amount, pre-tax, loss that is expected to be reclassified into earnings from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) is approximately $65 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. See also note 8.



Interest Rate Swaps Designated as Hedging Instruments^(a)	Years Ended December 31,										Classification
Interest Rate Swaps Designated as Hedging Instruments^(a)	2012			2011			2010				Classification
Gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income ("OCI") (effective portion)	$	—		$	(973	)	$	(125,850	)		OCI
Gain (loss) reclassified from accumulated OCI into income (effective portion)	(65,239		)	(71,707		)	(54,169		)		Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs
Interest Rate Swaps Not Designated as Hedging Instruments^(a)	Years Ended December 31,										Classification
	2012			2011			2010				Classification
Gain (loss) recognized in income	$	—		$	—		$	(286,435	)	^(b)	Net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps

____________________


(a)	Exclusive of benefit (provision) for income taxes.


(b)	Inclusive of $3.4 million related to the discontinuation of amortization into interest expense of an interest rate swap that previously qualified for hedge accounting as a result of early repayment of debt in 2010 and the remainder is related to losses due to the decrease in fair value of interest rate swaps not designated as hedging instruments.

The entire disclosure for the entity's entire derivative instruments and hedging activities. Describes an entity's risk management strategies, derivatives in hedging activities and non-hedging derivative instruments, the assets, obligations, liabilities, revenues and expenses arising therefrom, and the amounts of and methodologies and assumptions used in determining the amounts of such items.

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+ Details

Fair Value Disclosures

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Fair Value Disclosures

Fair Value Disclosures

The following table shows the estimated fair values of the Company's financial instruments, along with the carrying amounts of the related assets (liabilities). See also note 2.



	Level in Fair Value Hierarchy	December 31, 2012				December 31, 2011
	Level in Fair Value Hierarchy	Carrying Amount		Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Fair Value
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	1	$	441,364	$	441,364	$	80,120	$	80,120
Restricted cash	1	580,938		580,938		257,368		257,368
Liabilities:
Debt and other obligations	2	$	11,611,242	$	12,438,032	$	6,885,699	$	7,355,652

The following table shows a summary of the activity for fair value classified as Level 3 during the year ended December 31, 2010:



	Fair Value Measurements Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
	Interest Rate Swap, Net
	December 31, 2010
Beginning balance	$	300,040
Settlements	(703,754		)
Less: total (gains) loss:
Included in earnings^(a)	283,062
Included in other comprehensive income (loss)	125,850
Transfers out of Level 3^(b)	(5,198		)
Ending balance	$	—


(a)	As of December 31, 2010, there were no unrealized gains or losses relating to liabilities still held at the reporting date.


(b)	As of December 31, 2010, the interest rate swaps were transferred from Level 3 to Level 2 because of a decrease in the magnitude of unobservable inputs in relation to the observable inputs, including settlement value.

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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+ Details

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income (loss) before income taxes by geographic area is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
Domestic	$	77,254	$	168,804	$	(342,333	)
Foreign^(a)	23,573		11,003		4,228
	$	100,827	$	179,807	$	(338,105	)


(a)	Inclusive of income (loss) before income taxes from Australia and Puerto Rico.

The benefit (provision) for income taxes consists of the following:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Current:
Federal	$	229		$	3,213		$	4,038
Foreign	(6,837		)	(3,377		)	(2,187		)
State	(3,705		)	(3,557		)	(1,201		)
Total current	(10,313		)	(3,721		)	650
Deferred:
Federal	65,643			1,054			30,770
Foreign	42,714			(694		)	(298		)
State	2,017			(4,986		)	(4,276		)
Total deferred	110,374			(4,626		)	26,196
Total tax benefit (provision)	$	100,061		$	(8,347	)	$	26,846

For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company received a $9.6 million alternative minimum tax carryback refund, of which (1) $5.6 million was recorded in 2009 and (2) $4.0 million reduced its alternative minimum tax credit carryforward. The alternative minimum tax credit has an indefinite carryforward period.

A reconciliation between the benefit (provision) for income taxes and the amount computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate to the loss before income taxes is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Benefit (provision) for income taxes at statutory rate	$	(35,289	)	$	(62,932	)	$	118,337
Tax effect of foreign income (losses)	8,251			3,851			1,480
Expenses for which no federal tax benefit was recognized	(3,874		)	(5,433		)	(3,657		)
Valuation allowances	95,072			61,921			(85,605		)
State tax (provision) benefit, net of federal	(1,097		)	(4,565		)	(3,560		)
Foreign tax	35,877			(4,071		)	(2,485		)
Change in unrecognized tax benefits	—			1,693			—
Other	1,121			1,189			2,336
	$	100,061		$	(8,347	)	$	26,846

The components of the net deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows:



	December 31,
	2012			2011
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Property and equipment	$	1,246,899		$	511,205
Deferred site rental receivable	340,113			238,203
Intangible assets	894,800			655,512
Total deferred income tax liabilities	2,481,812			1,404,920
Deferred income tax assets:
Net operating loss carryforwards	950,195			908,747
Deferred ground lease payable	121,752			109,948
Alternate minimum tax credit carryforward	3,566			3,591
Accrued liabilities	190,121			81,719
Receivables allowance	4,140			2,253
Prepaid lease	1,358,430			405,993
Derivative instruments	51,380			74,214
Available-for-sale securities	—			29,402
Capital loss carryforwards	29,402			—
Other	5,270			5,293
Valuation allowances	(70,940		)	(228,417		)
Total deferred income tax assets, net	2,643,316			1,392,743
Net deferred income tax asset (liabilities)	$	161,504		$	(12,177	)

During 2012, the Company recorded $100.5 million of net U.S. federal deferred tax assets and $19.7 million of net state deferred tax liabilities in connection with the WCP Acquisition, NextG Acquisition and T-Mobile Acquisition. Also, during 2012, the Company reversed a total of $95.1 million of federal and $20.1 million of state valuation allowances to benefit (provision) for income taxes resulting from (1) the NextG Acquisition and (2) the determination that the Company is more likely than not to realize these deferred tax assets as a result of the Company's recent historical trends of earnings and anticipated future earnings. As a result of the valuation allowance reversal, the Company is now in a position to record a full U.S. federal tax provision on earnings. In addition, during 2012, the Company reversed the remaining valuation allowance of $51.1 million on its foreign deferred tax assets relating to its Australian subsidiaries to benefit (provision) for income taxes. This reversal results from our determination that the Company is more likely than not to realize these deferred assets as a result of the Australian subsidiaries increased profitability and anticipated future earnings.

Before giving effect to any valuation allowance, during 2011 and 2010, the Company was in an overall net deferred tax asset position. The Company had recorded a valuation allowance on its net deferred tax assets that do not meet the "more likely than not" realization threshold. As a result, during 2011 and 2010 the Company was limited in its ability to recognize tax benefits in its results of operations. During 2010, the Company recorded $19.8 million of federal tax benefit recorded predominately as a result of discrete events, including the acquisition of NewPath (see note 3).

The components of the net deferred income tax assets (liabilities) are as follows:



	December 31, 2012								December 31, 2011
Classification	Gross		Valuation Allowance			Net			Gross		Valuation Allowance			Net
Federal	$	104,213	$	(29,402	)	$	74,811		$	33,103	$	(55,980	)	$	(22,877	)
State	35,474		(41,538		)	(6,064		)	45,813		(34,156		)	11,657
Foreign	41,377		—			41,377			63,110		(64,067		)	(957		)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	51,380		—			51,380			74,214		(74,214		)	—
Total	$	232,444	$	(70,940	)	$	161,504		$	216,240	$	(228,417	)	$	(12,177	)

The Company's deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 in the table above do not include $87.1 million and $55.3 million, respectively, of excess tax benefits relating to stock-based compensation that are a component of net operating losses. Total stockholders' equity as of December 31, 2011 will be increased by $87.1 million if and when any such excess tax benefits are ultimately realized.

At December 31, 2012, the Company had U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $2.7 billion and $1.4 billion, respectively, which are available to offset future taxable income. These amounts include $0.2 billion of losses related to stock-based compensation. The Company also had foreign net operating loss carryforwards of $0.1 billion. If not utilized, the Company's U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards expire starting in 2021 and ending in 2032, and the state net operating carryforwards expire starting in 2013 and ending in 2032. The Company has capital loss carryforwards of $84.0 million that, if not utilized, will expire in 2017. The foreign net operating loss carryforwards predominately remain available indefinitely provided certain continuity of business requirements is met. The utilization of the loss carryforwards is subject to certain limitations. The Company's U.S. federal and state income tax returns generally remain open to examination by taxing authorities until three years after the applicable loss carryforwards have been used or expired. The remaining valuation allowance relates to federal capital loss carryforwards and certain state net deferred tax assets (primarily net operating loss carryforwards).

As of December 31, 2012, the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits that would impact the effective tax rate, if recognized, was $19.2 million. The aggregate changes in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits are as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011
Balance at beginning of year	$	8,376	$	9,255
Additions based on current year tax positions	10,808		2,334
Reductions as a result of the lapse of statute limitations	—		(3,213		)
Balance at end of year	$	19,184	$	8,376

From time to time, the Company is subject to examinations by various tax authorities in jurisdictions in which the Company has business operations. The Company regularly assesses the likelihood of additional assessments in each of the tax jurisdictions resulting from these examinations. During 2011, the IRS completed an examination of the Company's U.S. federal tax return for the 2009 tax year with no material adjustments. The Company reversed its previously unrecognized federal tax benefit of $3.2 million during 2011, as a result of both the completion of the IRS examination and the expiration of the statute of limitations for 2007. At this time, the Company is not subject to an IRS examination.

The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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+ Details

Stockholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
Stockholders' Equity	Dec. 31, 2012
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	Stockholders' Equity Purchases of the Company's Common Stock For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company purchased 0.7 million, 7.4 million and 4.1 million shares of common stock, respectively, utilizing $36.0 million, $303.4 million and $159.6 million in cash, respectively. Stock Options and Restricted Stock Awards See note 12 for a discussion of the stock option and restricted stock awards activity.

The entire disclosure for shareholders' equity, comprised of portions attributable to the parent entity and noncontrolling interest, if any, including other comprehensive income (as applicable). Including, but not limited to: (1) balances of common stock, preferred stock, additional paid-in capital, other capital and retained earnings; (2) accumulated balance for each classification of other comprehensive income and total amount of comprehensive income; (3) amount and nature of changes in separate accounts, including the number of shares authorized and outstanding, number of shares issued upon exercise and conversion, and for other comprehensive income, the adjustments for reclassifications to net income; (4) rights and privileges of each class of stock authorized; (5) basis of treasury stock, if other than cost, and amounts paid and accounting treatment for treasury stock purchased significantly in excess of market; (6) dividends paid or payable per share and in the aggregate for each class of stock for each period presented; (7) dividend restrictions and accumulated preferred dividends in arrears (in aggregate and per share amount); (8) retained earnings appropriations or restrictions, such as dividend restrictions; (9) impact of change in accounting principle, initial adoption of new accounting principle and correction of an error in previously issued financial statements; (10) shares held in trust for Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP); (11) deferred compensation related to issuance of capital stock; (12) note received for issuance of stock; (13) unamortized discount on shares; (14) description, terms, and number of warrants or rights outstanding; (15) shares under subscription and subscription receivables, effective date of new retained earnings after quasi-reorganization and deficit eliminated by quasi-reorganization and, for a period of at least ten years after the effective date, the point in time from which the new retained dates; and (16) retroactive effective of subsequent change in capital structure.

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-Glossary Preferred Stock

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6521494

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+ Details

Stock-based Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Share-based Compensation [Abstract]

Stock-based Compensation


	Stock-based Compensation

Stock Compensation Plans

Pursuant to stockholder approved plans, the Company has and is permitted to grant stock-based awards to certain employees, consultants and non-employee directors of the Company and its subsidiaries or affiliates. As of December 31, 2012, the Company has 7.1 million shares available for future issuance pursuant to its stock compensation plans.

Restricted Stock Awards

The Company's restricted stock awards to certain executives and employees include (1) annual performance awards that often include provisions for forfeiture by the employee if certain market performance of the Company's common stock is not achieved, (2) new hire or promotional awards that generally contain only service conditions, and (3) other awards related to specific business initiatives or compensation objectives including retention and merger integration. Such restricted stock awards vest over periods of up to five years.

The following is a summary of the restricted stock award activity during the year ended December 31, 2012.



	Number of Shares		Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
	(In thousands of shares)		(In dollars per share)
Shares outstanding at the beginning of year	3,403		$	21.1
Shares granted	972		38.8
Shares vested	(1,974	)	13.7
Shares forfeited	(58	)	40.4
Shares outstanding at end of year	2,343		$	34.2

For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company granted 1.0 million shares, 0.9 million shares and 1.1 million shares, respectively, of restricted stock awards to the Company's executives and certain other employees. The weighted-average grant-date fair value per share of the grants for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $38.82, $37.05 and $31.13 per share, respectively. The weighted-average requisite service period for the restricted stock awards granted during 2012 was 2.5 years.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company granted 0.5 million shares of restricted stock awards that time vest over a three-year or five-year period. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company granted 0.5 million shares of restricted stock awards to the Company's executives and certain other employees which may vest on the third anniversary of the grant date based upon achieving a price appreciation hurdle along a price range continuum using the highest average closing price per share of common stock for 20 consecutive trading days during the last 180 days of the performance period.

Certain restricted stock awards contain provisions that result in forfeiture by the employee of any unvested shares in the event that the Company's common stock does not achieve certain price targets. To the extent that the requisite service is rendered, compensation cost for accounting purposes is not reversed; rather, it is recognized regardless of whether or not the market performance target is achieved.

The following table summarizes the assumptions used in the Monte Carlo simulation to determine the grant-date fair value for the awards granted during the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, with market conditions.



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
Risk-free rate	0.4	%	1.4	%	1.5	%
Expected volatility	31	%	48	%	49	%
Expected dividend rate	—	%	—	%	—	%

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense related to restricted stock awards of $32.7 million, $31.3 million and $35.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The unrecognized compensation (net of estimated forfeitures) related to restricted stock awards at December 31, 2012 is $28.8 million and is estimated to be recognized over a weighted-average period of less than one year.

The following table is a summary of the restricted stock awards vested during the three years ended December 31, 2012.



Years Ended December 31,	Total Shares Vested	Fair Value on Vesting Date
	(In thousands of shares)
2012	1,974	$	101,692
2011	1,717	74,754
2010	891	34,813

Other Awards

At December 31, 2012, there we no options outstanding, and at December 31, 2011, there were 0.1 million options outstanding, respectively. The intrinsic value of CCIC stock options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $3.1 million, $4.8 million and $28.2 million, respectively. The Company received cash from the exercise of CCIC stock options during the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 of $0.3 million, $1.6 million and $18.7 million, respectively.

CCAL may award to its employees and directors restricted units settled in cash. The CCAL vested options for the purchase of CCAL shares, vested restricted units and CCAL shares may be periodically settled in cash. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the liability for the CCAL options and restricted units was $11.7 million and $8.9 million, respectively.

Stock-based Compensation by Segment

The following table discloses the components of stock-based compensation expense. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company recorded tax benefits, exclusive of the change in the valuation allowance, of $14.7 million, $11.4 million and $12.8 million, respectively, related to stock-based compensation expense (see note 9).



	Year Ended December 31, 2012
	CCUSA		CCAL		Consolidated Total
Stock-based compensation expense:
Site rental costs of operations	$	3,401	$	—	$	3,401
Network services and other costs of operations	2,721		—		2,721
General and administrative expenses	35,822		5,597		41,419
Total stock-based compensation	$	41,944	$	5,597	$	47,541
	Year Ended December 31, 2011
	CCUSA		CCAL		Consolidated Total
Stock-based compensation expense:
Site rental costs of operations	$	942	$	—	$	942
Network services and other costs of operations	1,555		—		1,555
General and administrative expenses	30,113		3,381		33,494
Total stock-based compensation	$	32,610	$	3,381	$	35,991
	Year Ended December 31, 2010
	CCUSA		CCAL		Consolidated Total
Stock-based compensation expense:
Site rental costs of operations	$	1,131	$	—	$	1,131
Network services and other costs of operations	1,568		—		1,568
General and administrative expenses	33,841		3,425		37,266
Total stock-based compensation	$	36,540	$	3,425	$	39,965

The entire disclosure for compensation-related costs for equity-based compensation, which may include disclosure of policies, compensation plan details, allocation of equity compensation, incentive distributions, equity-based arrangements to obtain goods and services, deferred compensation arrangements, employee stock ownership plan details and employee stock purchase plan details.

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+ Details

Employee Benefit Plans	12 Months Ended
Employee Benefit Plans	Dec. 31, 2012
Defined Contribution Pension and Other Postretirement Plans Disclosure [Abstract]
Employee Benefit Plans	Employee Benefit Plans The Company and its subsidiaries have various defined contribution savings plans covering substantially all employees. Employees may elect to contribute a portion of their eligible compensation, subject to limits imposed by the various plans. Certain of the plans provide for partial matching of such contributions. The cost to the Company for these plans amounted to $15.3 million, $6.1 million and $5.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The entire disclosure for pension and other postretirement benefits.

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

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-Number 158

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+ Details

Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies


	Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is involved in various claims, lawsuits and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. While there are uncertainties inherent in the ultimate outcome of such matters, and it is impossible to presently determine the ultimate costs or losses that may be incurred, if any, management believes the resolution of such uncertainties and the incurrence of such costs should not have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position or results of operations. Additionally, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries are contingently liable for commitments and performance guarantees arising in the ordinary course of business.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Pursuant to its ground lease and easement agreements, the Company has the obligation to perform certain asset retirement activities, including requirements upon lease and easement termination to remove wireless infrastructure or remediate the land upon which its wireless infrastructure resides. Accretion expense related to liabilities for retirement obligations amounted to $6.5 million, $5.6 million and $5.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company recorded $21.1 million in asset retirement obligations as a result of our acquisitions. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, liabilities for retirement obligations were $95.0 million and $68.5 million, respectively, representing the net present value of the estimated expected future cash outlay. As of December 31, 2012, the estimated undiscounted future cash outlay for asset retirement obligations was approximately $1.0 billion. See note 2.

Property Tax Commitments

The Company is obligated to pay, or reimburse others for, property taxes related to the Company's wireless infrastructure pursuant to operating leases with landlords and other contractual agreements. The property taxes for the year ended December 31, 2013 and future periods are contingent upon new assessments of the wireless infrastructure and the Company's appeals of assessments. The Company has an obligation to reimburse Sprint and T-Mobile for property taxes it pays on the Company's behalf related to certain towers the Company leases from them. The Company paid Sprint and T-Mobile an aggregate of $16.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 and expects to pay Sprint and T-Mobile an aggregate of $27.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2013.

Letters of Credit and Surety Bonds

In the normal course of business, the Company posts letters of credit and surety bonds pursuant to certain performance related obligations. The Company has issued letters of credit to various landlords, insurers and other parties in connection with certain contingent retirement obligations under various tower land interest leases and certain other contractual obligations. The letters of credit were issued through the Company's lenders in amounts aggregating $12.6 million and expire on various dates through December 2013.

Operating Lease Commitments

See note 15 for a discussion of the operating lease commitments.

The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies.

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk [Abstract]

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+ Details

Leases

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Leases [Abstract]

Leases


	Leases

Tenant Contracts

The following table is a summary of the rental cash payments owed to the Company, as a lessor, by tenants pursuant to contractual agreements in effect as of December 31, 2012. Generally, the Company's contracts with its tenants provide for (1) annual escalations and multiple renewal periods at the tenant's option and (2) only limited termination rights at the applicable tenant's option through the current term. As of December 31, 2012, the weighted-average remaining term of tenant contracts is approximately eight years, exclusive of renewals at the tenant's option. The tenants' rental payments included in the table below are through the current terms with a maximum current term of 20 years and do not assume exercise of tenant renewal options.



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		Thereafter		Total
Tenant leases	$	2,105,703	$	1,982,547	$	1,966,147	$	1,895,196	$	1,823,029	$	10,480,786	$	20,253,408

Operating Leases

The following table is a summary of rental cash payments owed by the Company, as lessee, to landlords pursuant to contractual agreements in effect as of December 31, 2012. The Company is obligated under non-cancelable operating contracts for office space, equipment and land interests under 77% of its towers. The majority of these operating lease agreements have certain termination rights that provide for cancellation after a notice period. The majority of the land interests and managed tower leases have multiple renewal options at the Company's option and annual escalations. Lease agreements may also contain provisions for a contingent payment based on revenues or the gross margin derived from the wireless infrastructure located on the leased land interest. Approximately 77% and 91% of the Company's site rental gross margins for the year ended December 31, 2012, are derived from towers where the land interest under the tower is owned or leased with final expiration dates of greater than 20 years and ten years, respectively, inclusive of renewals at the Company's option. The operating lease payments included in the table below include payments for certain renewal periods at the Company's option up to the estimated wireless infrastructure useful life of 20 years and an estimate of contingent payments based on revenues and gross margins derived from existing tenant leases.



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		Thereafter		Total
Operating leases	$	428,839	$	430,348	$	434,247	$	437,690	$	440,573	$	5,761,353	$	7,933,050

Rental expense from operating leases was $372.3 million, $338.3 million and $330.1 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010. The rental expense was inclusive of contingent payments based on revenues or gross margin derived from the wireless infrastructure located on the leased land interests of $57.6 million, $56.4 million and $55.1 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risks


	Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk

Operating Segments

The Company's reportable operating segments are (1) CCUSA, consisting of the Company's U.S. operations, and (2) CCAL, the Company's Australian operations. Financial results for the Company are reported to management and the board of directors in this manner.

The measurement of profit or loss currently used by management to evaluate the results of operations for the Company and its operating segments is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and accretion, as adjusted ("Adjusted EBITDA"). The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus restructuring charges (credits), asset write-down charges, acquisition and integration costs, depreciation, amortization and accretion, amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments, interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs, gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations, net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps, impairment of available-for-sale securities, interest income, other income (expense), benefit (provision) for income taxes, cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, income (loss) from discontinued operations and stock-based compensation expense. Adjusted EBITDA is not intended as an alternative measure of operating results or cash flows from operations (as determined in accordance with GAAP), and the Company's measure of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. There are no significant revenues resulting from transactions between the Company's operating segments. Inter-company borrowings and related interest between segments are eliminated to reconcile segment results and assets to the consolidated basis. Noncontrolling interests primarily represent the noncontrolling shareholders' 22.4% interests in CCAL, the Company's 77.6% majority-owned subsidiary.

The financial results for the Company's operating segments are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31, 2012												Year Ended December 31, 2011												Year Ended December 31, 2010
	CCUSA			CCAL			Elim^(a)			Consolidated Total			CCUSA			CCAL			Elim^(a)			Consolidated Total			CCUSA			CCAL			Elim(a)			Consolidated Total
Net revenues:
Site rental	$	2,001,049		$	123,141		$	—		$	2,124,190		$	1,744,993		$	108,557		$	—		$	1,853,550		$	1,608,141		$	92,620		$	—		$	1,700,761
Network services and other	285,287			23,203			—			308,490			161,522			17,657			—			179,179			168,101			9,796			—			177,897
Net revenues	2,286,336			146,344			—			2,432,680			1,906,515			126,214			—			2,032,729			1,776,242			102,416			—			1,878,658
Operating expenses:
Costs of operations^(b):
Site rental	503,661			35,578			—			539,239			446,868			34,530			—			481,398			437,812			29,324			—			467,136
Network services and other	173,762			15,988			—			189,750			96,057			10,930			—			106,987			107,668			6,573			—			114,241
General and administrative	184,911			27,661			—			212,572			151,737			21,756			—			173,493			148,374			16,982			—			165,356
Asset write-down charges	15,226			322			—			15,548			21,986			299			—			22,285			13,243			444			—			13,687
Acquisition and integration costs	18,216			82			—			18,298			3,310			—			—			3,310			2,102			—			—			2,102
Depreciation, amortization and accretion	591,428			31,164			—			622,592			522,681			30,270			—			552,951			513,433			27,338			—			540,771
Total operating expenses	1,487,204			110,795			—			1,597,999			1,242,639			97,785			—			1,340,424			1,222,632			80,661			—			1,303,293
Operating income (loss)	799,132			35,549			—			834,681			663,876			28,429			—			692,305			553,610			21,755			—			575,365
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs	(601,031		)	(19,330		)	19,317			(601,044		)	(507,264		)	(22,974		)	22,651			(507,587		)	(488,863		)	(21,381		)	19,975			(490,269		)
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	(131,974		)	—			—			(131,974		)	—			—			—			—			(138,367		)	—			—			(138,367		)
Net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(286,435		)	—			—			(286,435		)
Interest income	4,089			467			—			4,556			187			479			—			666			1,888			316			—			2,204
Other income (expense)	13,954			(29		)	(19,317		)	(5,392		)	17,048			26			(22,651		)	(5,577		)	19,151			221			(19,975		)	(603		)
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	60,144			39,917			—			100,061			(6,126		)	(2,221		)	—			(8,347		)	28,808			(1,962		)	—			26,846
Net income (loss)	144,314			56,574			—			200,888			167,721			3,739			—			171,460			(310,208		)	(1,051		)	—			(311,259		)
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest	(268		)	12,572			—			12,304			(348		)	731			—			383			—			(319		)	—			(319		)
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	$	144,582		$	44,002		$	—		$	188,584		$	168,069		$	3,008		$	—		$	171,077		$	(310,208	)	$	(732	)	$	—		$	(310,940	)
Capital expenditures	$	419,980		$	21,403		$	—		$	441,383		$	333,862		$	14,080		$	—		$	347,942		$	216,556		$	11,502		$	—		$	228,058
Total assets (at year end)	$	15,969,084		$	440,395		$	(320,770	)	$	16,088,709		$	10,497,387		$	341,852		$	(294,143	)	$	10,545,096
Goodwill	$	3,116,824		$	3,133		$	—		$	3,119,957		$	2,034,683		$	707		$	—		$	2,035,390


(a)	Elimination of inter-company borrowings and related interest expense.


(b)	Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately.

The following are reconciliations of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010:



	Year Ended December 31, 2012												Year Ended December 31, 2011												Year Ended December 31, 2010
	CCUSA			CCAL			Elim^(a)			Consolidated Total			CCUSA			CCAL			Elim^(a)			Consolidated Total			CCUSA			CCAL			Elim(a)			Consolidated Total
Net income (loss)	$	144,314		$	56,574		$	—		$	200,888		$	167,721		$	3,739		$	—		$	171,460		$	(310,208	)	$	(1,051	)	$	—		$	(311,259	)
Adjustments to increase (decrease) net income (loss):
Asset write-down charges	15,226			322			—			15,548			21,986			299			—			22,285			13,243			444			—			13,687
Acquisition and integration costs	18,216			82			—			18,298			3,310			—			—			3,310			2,102			—			—			2,102
Depreciation, amortization and accretion	591,428			31,164			—			622,592			522,681			30,270			—			552,951			513,433			27,338			—			540,771
Amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments	14,166			—			—			14,166			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs	601,031			19,330			(19,317		)	601,044			507,264			22,974			(22,651		)	507,587			488,863			21,381			(19,975		)	490,269
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	131,974			—			—			131,974			—			—			—			—			138,367			—			—			138,367
Net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			286,435			—			—			286,435
Interest income	(4,089		)	(467		)	—			(4,556		)	(187		)	(479		)	—			(666		)	(1,888		)	(316		)	—			(2,204		)
Other income (expense)	(13,954		)	29			19,317			5,392			(17,048		)	(26		)	22,651			5,577			(19,151		)	(221		)	19,975			603
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	(60,144		)	(39,917		)	—			(100,061		)	6,126			2,221			—			8,347			(28,808		)	1,962			—			(26,846		)
Stock-based compensation expense	41,785			5,597			—			47,382			32,610			3,381			—			35,991			36,540			3,425			—			39,965
Adjusted EBITDA	$	1,479,953		$	72,714		$	—		$	1,552,667		$	1,244,463		$	62,379		$	—		$	1,306,842		$	1,118,928		$	52,962		$	—		$	1,171,890

____________________


(a)	Elimination of inter-company borrowings and related interest expense.

Geographic Information

A summary of net revenues by country, based on the location of the Company's subsidiaries, is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
United States	$	2,283,088	$	1,902,536	$	1,772,793
Australia	146,344		126,214		102,416
Other countries	3,248		3,979		3,449
Total net revenues	$	2,432,680	$	2,032,729	$	1,878,658

A summary of long-lived assets (property and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets) by country of location is as follows:



	December 31,
	2012		2011
United States	$	12,730,337	$	8,847,161
Australia	232,099		212,067
Other countries	16,748		15,571
Total long-lived assets	$	12,979,184	$	9,074,799

Major Customers

The following table summarizes the percentage of the consolidated revenues for those customers accounting for more than 10% of the consolidated revenues, all of which relates to CCUSA.



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
Sprint	24	%	21	%	20	%
AT&T	20	%	23	%	21	%
Verizon Wireless	17	%	19	%	21	%
T-Mobile	11	%	11	%	11	%
Total	72	%	74	%	73	%

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk are primarily cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and trade receivables. The Company mitigates its risk with respect to cash and cash equivalents by maintaining such deposits at high credit quality financial institutions and monitoring the credit ratings of those institutions. The Company's restricted cash is predominately held and directed by a trustee (see note 2).

The Company derives the largest portion of its revenues from customers in the wireless communications industry. The Company also has a concentration in its volume of business with Sprint, AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile or their agents that accounts for a significant portion of the Company's revenues, receivables and deferred site rental receivables. The Company mitigates its concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade receivables by actively monitoring the creditworthiness of its customers, the use of customer leases with contractually determinable payment terms and proactive management of past due balances.

The entire disclosure for reporting segments including data and tables. Reportable segments include those that meet any of the following quantitative thresholds a) it's reported revenue, including sales to external customers and intersegment sales or transfers is 10 percent or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating segments b) the absolute amount of its reported profit or loss is 10 percent or more of the greater, in absolute amount of 1) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or 2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a loss c) its assets are 10 percent or more of the combined assets of all operating segments.

Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]

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+ Details

Supplemental Cash Flow Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Supplemental Cash Flow Information

The following table is a summary of the supplemental cash flow information during the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Interest paid	$	504,494	$	404,443	$	409,293
Income taxes paid (refund)	3,375		4,340		(5,935		)
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Increase (decrease) in the fair value of forward-starting interest rate swaps (note 7)	—		—		(114,157		)
Increase (decrease) in liabilities for purchases of property and equipment	58,638		27,094		18,682
Conversion of redeemable convertible preferred stock (note 10)	305,180		—		—
Assumption of WCP Securitized Notes	336,273		—		—

Selected Quarterly Financial Information [Abstract]

The entire disclosure for supplemental cash flow activities, including cash, noncash, and part noncash transactions, for the period. Noncash is defined as information about all investing and financing activities of an enterprise during a period that affect recognized assets or liabilities but that do not result in cash receipts or cash payments in the period. "Part noncash" refers to that portion of the transaction not resulting in cash receipts or cash payments in the period.

+ References+ Details

Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)

Summary quarterly financial information for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 is as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31
2012:
Net revenues	$	551,745		$	585,511		$	621,337		$	674,087
Operating income (loss)	202,228			202,977			220,768			208,708
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	(7,068		)	(7,518		)	—			(117,388		)
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	(6,695		)	68,432			(32,300		)	70,624
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	50,031			116,013			42,045			(19,505		)
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, per common share:
Basic	$	0.17		$	0.40		$	0.14		$	(0.07	)
Diluted	$	0.17		$	0.40		$	0.14		$	(0.07	)
	Three Months Ended
	March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31
2011:
Net revenues	$	499,039		$	500,336		$	513,883		$	519,471
Operating income (loss)	166,428			167,142			181,889			176,846
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	40,017			30,871			51,278			48,911
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, per common share:
Basic	$	0.12		$	0.09		$	0.16		$	0.16
Diluted	$	0.12		$	0.09		$	0.15		$	0.16

Schedule II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

The entire disclosure for the quarterly financial data in the annual financial statements. The disclosure may include a tabular presentation of financial information for each fiscal quarter for the current and previous year, including revenues, gross profit, income or loss before extraordinary items and earnings per share data. It also includes an indication if the information in the note is unaudited, comments on the aggregate effect of year-end adjustments, and an explanation of matters or transactions that affect comparability or are pertinent to an understanding of the information furnished.

+ References+ Details

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Text Block]



			Additions		Deductions
	Balance at Beginning of Year		Charged to Operations		Credited to Operations			Written Off			Effect of Exchange Rate Changes		Balance at End of Year
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable:
2012	$	5,891	$	3,673	$	—		$	(1,838	)	$	—	$	7,726
2011	$	5,683	$	1,819	$	—		$	(1,611	)	$	—	$	5,891
2010	$	5,497	$	1,829	$	—		$	(1,669	)	$	26	$	5,683
			Additions		Deductions
	Balance at Beginning of Year		Charged to Operations		Credited to Operations			Written Off			Effect of Exchange Rate Changes		Balance at End of Year
Allowance for Deferred Site Rental Receivables:
2012	$	—	$	—	$	—		$	—		$	—	$	—
2011	$	5,080	$	—	$	(5,080	)	$	—		$	—	$	—
2010	$	3,600	$	7,200	$	(5,720	)	$	—		$	—	$	5,080



			Additions				Deductions
	Balance at Beginning of Year		Charged to Operations		Charged to Additional Paid-in Capital and Other Comprehensive Income		Credited to Operations			Credited to Additional Paid-in Capital and Other Comprehensive Income			Other Adjustments(a)		Balance at End of Year
Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance:
2012	$	228,417	$	—	$	—	$	(166,911	)	$	(5,718	)	$	15,152	$	70,940
2011	$	318,055	$	—	$	—	$	(83,115	)	$	(22,119	)	$	15,596	$	228,417
2010	$	190,848	$	76,125	$	38,646	$	—		$	—		$	12,436	$	318,055

____________________


(a)	Inclusive of the effects of exchange rate changes and acquisitions.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less.

Restricted Cash

The following table is a summary of the impact of restricted cash on the statement of cash flows for the three years ending December 31, 2012.



	For the years ending December 31,
	2012				2011			2010
Net cash provided by (used from) operating activities	$	11,475			$	(17,902	)	$	(18,939	)
Net cash provided by (used from) investing activities	$	(46,282	)	^(a)	$	(15,430	)	$	(515	)
Net cash provided by (used from) financing activities	$	(288,763	)	^(b)	$	1,979		$	11,953

(a) Inclusive of $46.3 million of acquired restricted cash.

(b) Inclusive of $316.6 million of cash held by the trustee to retire the 7.75% Secured Notes as discussed in notes 6 and 20.

Receivables Allowance

Lease, Policy

Lease Accounting

Property and Equipment

Asset Retirement Obligations

Accrued Estimated Property Taxes

Intangible Assets

Deferred Credits

Deferred Financing Costs

Revenue Recognition

Network services revenues are recognized after completion of the applicable service. Nearly all of the antenna installation services are billed on a cost-plus profit basis.

Sales taxes and value-added taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis.

Cost of Operations

Costs of Operations

Acquisition and Integration Costs

Stock-Based Compensation

Risk-Free Rate. The Company bases the risk-free rate on the implied yield currently available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent remaining term equal to the expected life of the award.

Interest Expense and Amortization of Deferred Financing Costs

The components of interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs are as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011		2010
Interest expense on debt obligations	$	491,694		$	404,644	$	404,815
Amortization of deferred financing costs	23,324			15,086		15,397
Amortization of discounts on long-term debt	21,297			16,090		14,481
Amortization of interest rate swaps	65,239			71,707		54,169
Other, net of capitalized interest	(510		)	60		1,407
Total	$	601,044		$	507,587	$	490,269

Income Taxes

Per Share Information

A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted per share computations is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	$	188,584		$	171,077		$	(310,940	)
Dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock	(2,629		)	(22,940		)	(20,806		)
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock	$	185,955		$	148,137		$	(331,746	)
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding (in thousands):
Basic weighted-average number of common stock outstanding	289,285			283,821			286,764
Effect of assumed dilution from potential common shares relating to stock options and restricted stock awards	1,985			2,126			—
Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding	291,270			285,947			286,764
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share:
Basic	$	0.64		$	0.52		$	(1.16	)
Diluted	$	0.64		$	0.52		$	(1.16	)

Foreign Currency Translation

Fair Values

See note 8 for a further discussion of fair values.

Derivative Instruments

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Schedule of Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents [Table Text Block]



	For the years ending December 31,
	2012				2011			2010
Net cash provided by (used from) operating activities	$	11,475			$	(17,902	)	$	(18,939	)
Net cash provided by (used from) investing activities	$	(46,282	)	^(a)	$	(15,430	)	$	(515	)
Net cash provided by (used from) financing activities	$	(288,763	)	^(b)	$	1,979		$	11,953

(a) Inclusive of $46.3 million of acquired restricted cash.

(b) Inclusive of $316.6 million of cash held by the trustee to retire the 7.75% Secured Notes as discussed in notes 6 and 20.

Components of Interest Expense and Amortization of Deferred Financing Costs

The components of interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs are as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011		2010
Interest expense on debt obligations	$	491,694		$	404,644	$	404,815
Amortization of deferred financing costs	23,324			15,086		15,397
Amortization of discounts on long-term debt	21,297			16,090		14,481
Amortization of interest rate swaps	65,239			71,707		54,169
Other, net of capitalized interest	(510		)	60		1,407
Total	$	601,044		$	507,587	$	490,269

Reconciliation of the Numerators and Denominators of the Basic and Diluted Per Share Computations

A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted per share computations is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	$	188,584		$	171,077		$	(310,940	)
Dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock	(2,629		)	(22,940		)	(20,806		)
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock	$	185,955		$	148,137		$	(331,746	)
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding (in thousands):
Basic weighted-average number of common stock outstanding	289,285			283,821			286,764
Effect of assumed dilution from potential common shares relating to stock options and restricted stock awards	1,985			2,126			—
Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding	291,270			285,947			286,764
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share:
Basic	$	0.64		$	0.52		$	(1.16	)
Diluted	$	0.64		$	0.52		$	(1.16	)

Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information [Table Text Block]

Tabular disclosure of the cash and cash items which are restricted as to withdrawal or usage. The provisions of any restrictions are described in a note to the financial statements. Restrictions may include legally restricted deposits held as compensating balances against short-term borrowing arrangements, contracts entered into with others, or entity statements of intention with regard to particular deposits; however, time deposits and short-term certificates of deposit are not generally included in legally restricted deposits.

+ References+ Details

Acquisitions Acquisitions (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Business Acquisition [Line Items]



	Twelve Months Ended December 31,
	2012			2011
Net revenues	$	2,716,833	^(a)	$	2,457,078		^(a)
Income (loss) before income taxes	$	71,083		$	92,052
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	$	112,280	^(d)	$	(8,347	)	^(d)
Net income (loss)	$	183,363	^(b)(c)	$	83,705		^(b)(c)(e)
Basic net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share	$	0.58		$	0.21
Diluted net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share	$	0.58		$	0.21


(a)	For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, amounts are inclusive of pro forma adjustments to increase net revenues of $255.6 million and $261.1 million, respectively, that we expect to recognize from T-Mobile under T-Mobile's contracted lease of space on the towers acquired in the T-Mobile Acquisition.


(b)	For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, amounts are inclusive of pro forma adjustments to depreciation and amortization of $109.8 million and $125.7 million, respectively, related to property and equipment and intangibles recorded as a result of the WCP Acquisition, NextG Acquisition, and T-Mobile Acquisition.


(c)	Amounts are exclusive of interest expense associated with the financing to fund each of these acquisitions but includes the impact of the debt assumed in the WCP Acquisition.


(d)	For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company did not make pro forma adjustments to the benefits (provision) for income tax as a result of the Company's tax position. For the year ended December 31, 2012, the pro forma adjustments reflects the federal statutory rate and no adjustment was made with respect to the Company's reversal of valuation allowance.


(e)	Amounts are inclusive of $46.3 million in NextG stock-based compensation charges and $15.7 million in acquisition and integration costs incurred by NextG prior to the acquisition date.

Schedule of Purchase Price Allocation [Table Text Block]



Current assets	$	74,995
Property and equipment	515,590
Goodwill	573,617
Other intangible assets, net	408,000
Other assets	237
Current liabilities	(104,987		)
Below-market tenant leases and other non-current liabilities	(322,175		)
Deferred income tax liabilities	(144,817		)
Net assets acquired	$	1,000,460		^(a)

(a)



Current assets	$	17,854
Property and equipment	1,459,413
Goodwill	428,019
Other intangible assets, net	403,260
Deferred income tax assets	203,619
Other assets	5,000
Below-market tenant leases and other non-current liabilities	(31,379		)	^(a)
Net assets acquired	$	2,485,786

(a)Inclusive of above-market leases for land interests under the Company's towers.

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Tabular disclosure of pro forma results of operations for a material business acquisition or series of individually immaterial business acquisitions that are material in the aggregate.

+ References+ Details

Property and Equipment (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Major Classes of Property and Equipment

The major classes of property and equipment are as follows:



	Estimated Useful Lives	December 31,
	Estimated Useful Lives	2012			2011
Land owned in fee and perpetual easements	—	$	1,119,592		$	960,191
Buildings	40 years	56,883			37,454
Wireless infrastructure	1-20 years	9,589,282			7,359,480
Information technology assets and other	2-7 years	160,670			151,992
Construction in process	—	240,287			176,246
Total gross property and equipment		11,166,714			8,685,363
Less: accumulated depreciation		(4,249,183		)	(3,824,136		)
Total property and equipment, net		$	6,917,531		$	4,861,227

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]

Tabular disclosure of the useful life and salvage value of long-lived, physical assets that are used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software.

+ References+ Details

Intangible Assets and Deferred Credits (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Amortization of below-market tenant leases [Table Text Block]

The estimated annual amounts related to below-market tenant leases expected to be amortized into site rental revenues for the years ended December 31, 2013 to 2017 are as follows:



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
Estimated annual amortization	$	30,443	$	30,263	$	28,937	$	28,512	$	25,628

Schedule of Goodwill [Table Text Block]

Goodwill

The changes in the carrying value of goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2012 were as follows:



Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	2,035,390
Additions due to NextG Acquisition^(a)(b)	573,617
Additions due to WCP Acquisition^(a)(c)	54,824
Additions due to T-Mobile Acquisition^(a)(d)	428,019
Additions due to other acquisitions	28,113
Effect of exchange rate fluctuations	(6		)
Balance as of December 31, 2012	$	3,119,957


(a)	$573.6 million, $40.8 million and $363.6 million of the recorded amounts are not expected to be deductible for tax purposes in relation to the NextG Acquisition, WCP Acquisition and T-Mobile Acquisition, respectively.


(b)	The preliminary purchase price allocation for the NextG Acquisition resulted in the recognition of a substantial amount of goodwill at CCUSA relative to the purchase price based on the following:


•	the acquired and in-process DAS have low average tenancy, which the Company believes provides an opportunity to co-locate additional tenants on those systems;


•	the Company believes that the economics associated with DAS are similar to the economics associated with the Company's towers, whereby expected increases in revenues from additional tenants on existing DAS are expected to result in high incremental margins due to relatively fixed operating costs;


•	the Company believes the demand for tenants to co-locate on DAS will be driven by the continued growth trends in the wireless communication industry as wireless carriers continue to focus on improving network quality and expanding capacity;


•	the Company believes the acquired DAS are well-positioned to benefit from the anticipated growth in the wireless industry with their previously mentioned locations in the ten largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S.; and


•	other intangibles not qualified for separate recognition, including the assembled work force.

To a lesser extent, a portion of the goodwill recognized is the result of recording the tax impact of the NextG Acquisition. See also note 9.


(c)	The Company paid a purchase price for the WCP Acquisition that resulted in goodwill at CCUSA primarily because of the strategic opportunities related to the acquired portfolio.


(d)	The preliminary purchase price allocation for the T-Mobile Acquisition resulted in the recognition of goodwill at CCUSA primarily because of the anticipated growth opportunities in the tower portfolio.

Intangible Assets

The following is a summary of the Company's intangible assets.



	As of December 31, 2012							As of December 31, 2011
	Gross Carrying Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net Book Value		Gross Carrying Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net Book Value
Site rental contracts and customer relationships	$	3,566,207	$	(913,647	)	$	2,652,560	$	2,823,832	$	(748,850	)	$	2,074,982
Other intangible assets	354,208		(65,072		)	289,136		152,375		(49,175		)	103,200
Total	$	3,920,415	$	(978,719	)	$	2,941,696	$	2,976,207	$	(798,025	)	$	2,178,182

Schedule of Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Table Text Block]

The components of the additions to intangible assets during the years ended December 31, 2012 are as follows:



	For Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011
	Amount^(a)		Weighted-Average Amortization Period	Amount		Weighted-Average Amortization Period
			(In years)			(In years)
Site rental contracts and customer relationships	$	741,526	21.3	$	23,362	20.0
Other intangible assets	208,700		19.4	—		N/A
Total	$	950,226	20.9	$	23,362	20.0


(a)	Inclusive of $178.3 million related to below-market leases for land interests under acquired wireless infrastructure.

The components of the additions to intangible assets during the years ended December 31, 2012 are as follows:



	For Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011
	Amount^(a)		Weighted-Average Amortization Period	Amount		Weighted-Average Amortization Period
			(In years)			(In years)
Site rental contracts and customer relationships	$	741,526	21.3	$	23,362	20.0
Other intangible assets	208,700		19.4	—		N/A
Total	$	950,226	20.9	$	23,362	20.0


(a)	Inclusive of $178.3 million related to below-market leases for land interests under acquired wireless infrastructure.

Schedule of Amortization Expense

Amortization expense related to intangible assets is classified as follows on the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss):



	For Years Ended December 31,
Classification	2012		2011		2010
Depreciation, amortization and accretion	$	177,163	$	159,478	$	156,150
Site rental costs of operations	3,352		3,709		3,764
Total amortization expense	$	180,515	$	163,187	$	159,914

Schedule of Above Market Leases

The estimated annual amortization expense related to above-market leases for land interests under the Company's towers for the years ended December 31, 2013 to 2017 is as follows:



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
Estimated annual amortization	$	4,361	$	4,337	$	4,322	$	4,280	$	4,250

Site Rental Contracts and Customer Relationships [Member]

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]

Schedule of Estimated Annual Amortization Expense

The estimated annual amortization expense related to intangible assets (inclusive of those recorded to "site rental costs of operations") for the years ended December 31, 2013 to 2017 is as follows:



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
Estimated annual amortization	$	196,851	$	193,520	$	187,905	$	187,878	$	186,880

Above Market Leases [Member]

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]

Schedule of Estimated Annual Amortization Expense

The estimated annual amortization expense related to above-market leases for land interests under the Company's towers for the years ended December 31, 2013 to 2017 is as follows:



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
Estimated annual amortization	$	4,361	$	4,337	$	4,322	$	4,280	$	4,250

Debt and Other Obligations [Abstract]

Tabular disclosure of goodwill by reportable segment and in total which includes a rollforward schedule.

+ References+ Details

Debt and Other Obligations (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Schedule of Long-Term Debt Instruments

The following is a summary of the Company's indebtedness.



	Original Issue Date	Contractual Maturity Date		Outstanding Balance as of December 31, 2012			Outstanding Balance as of December 31, 2011		Stated Interest Rate as of December 31, 2012^(a)
Bank debt – variable rate:
2007 Revolver	Jan. 2007	Sept. 2013		$	—		$	251,000	N/A
2012 Revolver	Jan. 2012	Jan. 2017	^(b)	1,253,000		^(b)	—		2.7	%	^(c)
2007 Term Loans	Jan. 2007	March 2014		—			619,125		N/A
2012 Term Loans	Jan. 2012	2017/2019		2,065,250			—		3.7	%	^(c)
Total bank debt				3,318,250			870,125
Securitized debt – fixed rate:
January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes	Jan. 2010	2035-2040	^(d)	1,900,000			1,900,000		5.7	%	^(d)
August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes	Aug. 2010	2035-2040	^(d)	1,550,000			1,550,000		4.5	%	^(d)
2009 Securitized Notes	July 2009	2019/2029	^(e)	198,463			216,431		7.0	%
WCP Securitized Notes	Jan. 2010	Nov. 2040	^(f)	307,739			—		5.4	%	^(g)
Total securitized debt				3,956,202			3,666,431
Bonds – fixed rate:
9% Senior Notes	Jan. 2009	Jan. 2015		304,718			817,799		9.0	%	^(h)
7.75% Secured Notes	Apr. 2009	May 2017		291,394			978,983		7.8	%	⁽ⁱ⁾
7.125% Senior Notes	Oct. 2009	Nov. 2019		498,110			497,904		7.1	%	^(j)
7.5% Senior Notes	Dec. 2003	Dec. 2013		—			51		N/A
5.25% Senior Notes	Oct. 2012	Jan. 2023		1,650,000			—		5.3	%
2012 Secured Notes	Dec. 2012	2017/2023	^(m)	1,500,000			—		3.4	%
Total bonds				4,244,222			2,294,737
Other:
Capital leases and other obligations	Various	Various	^(k)	92,568			54,406		Various		^(k)
Total debt and other obligations				11,611,242			6,885,699
Less: current maturities and short-term debt and other current obligations				688,056		^(l)	32,517
Non-current portion of long-term debt and other long-term obligations				$	10,923,186		$	6,853,182


(a)	Represents the weighted-average stated interest rate.


(b)	As of December 31, 2012, the undrawn availability under the $1.5 billion senior secured revolving credit facility ("2012 Revolver") is $247.0 million.

(c)

(d)


(e)	The 2009 Securitized Notes consist of $128.5 million of principal as of December 31, 2012 that amortizes through 2019, and $70.0 million of principal as of December 31, 2012 that amortizes during the period beginning in 2019 and ending in 2029.

(f)


(g)	The effective yield is approximately 4.0%, inclusive of the fair value adjustment.


(h)	The effective yield is approximately 11.3%, inclusive of the discount.


(i)	The effective yield is approximately 8.2%, inclusive of the discount.


(j)	The effective yield is approximately 7.2%, inclusive of the discount.


(k)	The Company's capital leases and other obligations bear interest rates ranging up to 10% and mature in periods ranging from less than one year to approximately 20 years.


(l)	Inclusive of the 9% senior notes ("9% Senior Notes") and the 7.75% secured notes ("7.75% Secured Notes") whose repurchase and redemption was completed in January 2013. See note 20.


(m)	The Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 2.381% secured notes due 2017 and $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 3.849% secured notes due 2023 (collectively, "2012 Secured Notes").

Schedule of Maturities of Long-term Debt



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013			2014		2015		2016		2017		Thereafter		Total Cash Obligations		Net Unamortized Discounts			Total Debt and Other Obligations Outstanding
Scheduled contractual maturities	$	696,715	^(a)	$	99,101	$	111,437	$	112,782	$	2,139,893	$	8,453,916	$	11,613,844	$	(2,602	)	$	11,611,242


(a)	Inclusive of the repurchase or redemption in January 2013 of the 9% Senior Notes and the 7.75% Secured Notes that remained outstanding as of December 31, 2012. See note 20.

Schedule of Extinguishment of Debt



	Year Ending December 31, 2012
	Principal Amount		Cash Paid^(a)		Gains (losses)
Revolver	$	251,000	$	251,000	$	(1,445	)
2007 Term Loans	619,125		619,125		(1,893		)
9% Senior Notes	552,715		589,105		(62,966		)
7.75% Secured Notes	706,045		752,332		(64,989		)
7.5% Senior Notes	51		51		—
WCP Securitized Notes	16,911		18,096		(681		)
Total	$	2,145,847	$	2,229,709	$	(131,974	)	^(b)


(a)	Exclusive of accrued interest.


(b)	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.



	Year Ending December 31, 2010
	Principal Amount		Cash Paid^(a)		Gains (losses)
2005 Tower Revenue Notes	$	1,638,616	$	1,651,255	$	(15,718	)
2006 Tower Revenue Notes	1,550,000		1,629,920		(87,755		)
2009 Securitized Notes^(b)	5,000		5,250		(393		)
9% Senior Notes	33,115		36,116		(6,425		)
7.75% Secured Notes	199,593		218,771		(28,076		)
Total	$	3,426,324	$	3,541,312	$	(138,367	)	^(c)


(a)	Exclusive of accrued interest.


(b)	These debt purchases were made by CCIC, rather than by the subsidiaries issuing the debt, because of restrictions upon the subsidiaries issuing the debt. As a result, the debt remains outstanding at the Company's subsidiaries.


(c)	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.

Interest Rate Derivatives [Abstract]

Tabular disclosure of debt extinguished which may include, amount of gain (loss), the income tax effect and the per share amount of the aggregate gain (loss), net of the related income tax.

+ References+ Details

Interest Rate Swaps (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Schedule of Interest Rate Swaps Gain (Loss) in Statement of Financial Performance



Interest Rate Swaps Designated as Hedging Instruments^(a)	Years Ended December 31,										Classification
Interest Rate Swaps Designated as Hedging Instruments^(a)	2012			2011			2010				Classification
Gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income ("OCI") (effective portion)	$	—		$	(973	)	$	(125,850	)		OCI
Gain (loss) reclassified from accumulated OCI into income (effective portion)	(65,239		)	(71,707		)	(54,169		)		Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs
Interest Rate Swaps Not Designated as Hedging Instruments^(a)	Years Ended December 31,										Classification
	2012			2011			2010				Classification
Gain (loss) recognized in income	$	—		$	—		$	(286,435	)	^(b)	Net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps

____________________


(a)	Exclusive of benefit (provision) for income taxes.


(b)	Inclusive of $3.4 million related to the discontinuation of amortization into interest expense of an interest rate swap that previously qualified for hedge accounting as a result of early repayment of debt in 2010 and the remainder is related to losses due to the decrease in fair value of interest rate swaps not designated as hedging instruments.

Estimated Fair Values and Carrying Amounts of Assets and Liabilities

Tabular disclosure of the location and amount of gains and losses reported in the statement of financial performance, or when applicable, the statement of financial position. For example, (a) gains and losses recognized in the income statement on derivative instruments designated and qualifying as hedging instruments in fair value hedges and related hedged items designated and qualifying in fair value hedges and (b) gains and losses initially recognized in other comprehensive income on derivative instruments designated and qualifying as cash flow hedges.

+ References+ Details

Fair Value Disclosures (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Fair Value Disclosures

The following table shows the estimated fair values of the Company's financial instruments, along with the carrying amounts of the related assets (liabilities). See also note 2.



	Level in Fair Value Hierarchy	December 31, 2012				December 31, 2011
	Level in Fair Value Hierarchy	Carrying Amount		Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Fair Value
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	1	$	441,364	$	441,364	$	80,120	$	80,120
Restricted cash	1	580,938		580,938		257,368		257,368
Liabilities:
Debt and other obligations	2	$	11,611,242	$	12,438,032	$	6,885,699	$	7,355,652

Activity for Interest Rate Swap Liabilities Classified as Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

he following table shows a summary of the activity for fair value classified as Level 3 during the year ended December 31, 2010:



	Fair Value Measurements Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
	Interest Rate Swap, Net
	December 31, 2010
Beginning balance	$	300,040
Settlements	(703,754		)
Less: total (gains) loss:
Included in earnings^(a)	283,062
Included in other comprehensive income (loss)	125,850
Transfers out of Level 3^(b)	(5,198		)
Ending balance	$	—


(a)	As of December 31, 2010, there were no unrealized gains or losses relating to liabilities still held at the reporting date.


(b)	As of December 31, 2010, the interest rate swaps were transferred from Level 3 to Level 2 because of a decrease in the magnitude of unobservable inputs in relation to the observable inputs, including settlement value.

Tabular disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments, assets, and liabilities. Such certain disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate) and (2) the methodology and assumptions used in developing such estimates of fair value.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 159

-Paragraph 18

-Subparagraph c(2), d, e, f

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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-Subparagraph a, c(1), c(2), c(3), d

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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 820

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Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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-Number 107

-Paragraph 15

-Subparagraph b-d

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+ Details

Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes

Tabular disclosure of the fair value measurement of liabilities using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances, separately presenting changes attributable to the following: (1) total gains or losses for the period (realized and unrealized), segregating those gains or losses included in earnings (or changes in net assets), and gains or losses recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) and a description of where those gains or losses included in earnings (or changes in net assets) are reported in the statement of income (or activities); (2) purchases, sales, issues, and settlements (each type disclosed separately); and (3) transfers in and transfers out of Level 3 (for example, transfers due to changes in the observability of significant inputs) by class of liability.

+ References+ Details

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Income (loss) before income taxes by geographic area is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
Domestic	$	77,254	$	168,804	$	(342,333	)
Foreign^(a)	23,573		11,003		4,228
	$	100,827	$	179,807	$	(338,105	)


(a)	Inclusive of income (loss) before income taxes from Australia and Puerto Rico.

Benefit (Provision) for Income Taxes

The benefit (provision) for income taxes consists of the following:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Current:
Federal	$	229		$	3,213		$	4,038
Foreign	(6,837		)	(3,377		)	(2,187		)
State	(3,705		)	(3,557		)	(1,201		)
Total current	(10,313		)	(3,721		)	650
Deferred:
Federal	65,643			1,054			30,770
Foreign	42,714			(694		)	(298		)
State	2,017			(4,986		)	(4,276		)
Total deferred	110,374			(4,626		)	26,196
Total tax benefit (provision)	$	100,061		$	(8,347	)	$	26,846

Effective Tax Rate

A reconciliation between the benefit (provision) for income taxes and the amount computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate to the loss before income taxes is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Benefit (provision) for income taxes at statutory rate	$	(35,289	)	$	(62,932	)	$	118,337
Tax effect of foreign income (losses)	8,251			3,851			1,480
Expenses for which no federal tax benefit was recognized	(3,874		)	(5,433		)	(3,657		)
Valuation allowances	95,072			61,921			(85,605		)
State tax (provision) benefit, net of federal	(1,097		)	(4,565		)	(3,560		)
Foreign tax	35,877			(4,071		)	(2,485		)
Change in unrecognized tax benefits	—			1,693			—
Other	1,121			1,189			2,336
	$	100,061		$	(8,347	)	$	26,846

Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

The components of the net deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows:



	December 31,
	2012			2011
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Property and equipment	$	1,246,899		$	511,205
Deferred site rental receivable	340,113			238,203
Intangible assets	894,800			655,512
Total deferred income tax liabilities	2,481,812			1,404,920
Deferred income tax assets:
Net operating loss carryforwards	950,195			908,747
Deferred ground lease payable	121,752			109,948
Alternate minimum tax credit carryforward	3,566			3,591
Accrued liabilities	190,121			81,719
Receivables allowance	4,140			2,253
Prepaid lease	1,358,430			405,993
Derivative instruments	51,380			74,214
Available-for-sale securities	—			29,402
Capital loss carryforwards	29,402			—
Other	5,270			5,293
Valuation allowances	(70,940		)	(228,417		)
Total deferred income tax assets, net	2,643,316			1,392,743
Net deferred income tax asset (liabilities)	$	161,504		$	(12,177	)

Jurisdictional Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

The components of the net deferred income tax assets (liabilities) are as follows:



	December 31, 2012								December 31, 2011
Classification	Gross		Valuation Allowance			Net			Gross		Valuation Allowance			Net
Federal	$	104,213	$	(29,402	)	$	74,811		$	33,103	$	(55,980	)	$	(22,877	)
State	35,474		(41,538		)	(6,064		)	45,813		(34,156		)	11,657
Foreign	41,377		—			41,377			63,110		(64,067		)	(957		)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	51,380		—			51,380			74,214		(74,214		)	—
Total	$	232,444	$	(70,940	)	$	161,504		$	216,240	$	(228,417	)	$	(12,177	)

Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits Roll Forward

The aggregate changes in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits are as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011
Balance at beginning of year	$	8,376	$	9,255
Additions based on current year tax positions	10,808		2,334
Reductions as a result of the lapse of statute limitations	—		(3,213		)
Balance at end of year	$	19,184	$	8,376

Stock-based Compensation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Share-based Compensation [Abstract]

Summary of Restricted Stock Awards Activity

The following is a summary of the restricted stock award activity during the year ended December 31, 2012.



	Number of Shares		Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
	(In thousands of shares)		(In dollars per share)
Shares outstanding at the beginning of year	3,403		$	21.1
Shares granted	972		38.8
Shares vested	(1,974	)	13.7
Shares forfeited	(58	)	40.4
Shares outstanding at end of year	2,343		$	34.2

Summary of the Assumptions Used in the Monte Carlo Simulation to Determine the Grant-Date Fair Value



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
Risk-free rate	0.4	%	1.4	%	1.5	%
Expected volatility	31	%	48	%	49	%
Expected dividend rate	—	%	—	%	—	%

Summary of Restricted Stock Awards Vested

The following table is a summary of the restricted stock awards vested during the three years ended December 31, 2012.



Years Ended December 31,	Total Shares Vested	Fair Value on Vesting Date
	(In thousands of shares)
2012	1,974	$	101,692
2011	1,717	74,754
2010	891	34,813

Stock Based Compensation Expense



	Year Ended December 31, 2012
	CCUSA		CCAL		Consolidated Total
Stock-based compensation expense:
Site rental costs of operations	$	3,401	$	—	$	3,401
Network services and other costs of operations	2,721		—		2,721
General and administrative expenses	35,822		5,597		41,419
Total stock-based compensation	$	41,944	$	5,597	$	47,541
	Year Ended December 31, 2011
	CCUSA		CCAL		Consolidated Total
Stock-based compensation expense:
Site rental costs of operations	$	942	$	—	$	942
Network services and other costs of operations	1,555		—		1,555
General and administrative expenses	30,113		3,381		33,494
Total stock-based compensation	$	32,610	$	3,381	$	35,991
	Year Ended December 31, 2010
	CCUSA		CCAL		Consolidated Total
Stock-based compensation expense:
Site rental costs of operations	$	1,131	$	—	$	1,131
Network services and other costs of operations	1,568		—		1,568
General and administrative expenses	33,841		3,425		37,266
Total stock-based compensation	$	36,540	$	3,425	$	39,965

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk [Abstract]

Tabular disclosure of the allocation of equity-based compensation costs to a given line item on the balance sheet and income statement for the period. This may include the reporting line for the costs and the amount capitalized and expensed.

+ References+ Details

Leases (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Leases [Abstract]

Tenant Leases

The tenants' rental payments included in the table below are through the current terms with a maximum current term of 20 years and do not assume exercise of tenant renewal options.



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		Thereafter		Total
Tenant leases	$	2,105,703	$	1,982,547	$	1,966,147	$	1,895,196	$	1,823,029	$	10,480,786	$	20,253,408

Operating Leases



	Years Ending December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		Thereafter		Total
Operating leases	$	428,839	$	430,348	$	434,247	$	437,690	$	440,573	$	5,761,353	$	7,933,050

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Financial Results of Operating Segments

The financial results for the Company's operating segments are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31, 2012												Year Ended December 31, 2011												Year Ended December 31, 2010
	CCUSA			CCAL			Elim^(a)			Consolidated Total			CCUSA			CCAL			Elim^(a)			Consolidated Total			CCUSA			CCAL			Elim(a)			Consolidated Total
Net revenues:
Site rental	$	2,001,049		$	123,141		$	—		$	2,124,190		$	1,744,993		$	108,557		$	—		$	1,853,550		$	1,608,141		$	92,620		$	—		$	1,700,761
Network services and other	285,287			23,203			—			308,490			161,522			17,657			—			179,179			168,101			9,796			—			177,897
Net revenues	2,286,336			146,344			—			2,432,680			1,906,515			126,214			—			2,032,729			1,776,242			102,416			—			1,878,658
Operating expenses:
Costs of operations^(b):
Site rental	503,661			35,578			—			539,239			446,868			34,530			—			481,398			437,812			29,324			—			467,136
Network services and other	173,762			15,988			—			189,750			96,057			10,930			—			106,987			107,668			6,573			—			114,241
General and administrative	184,911			27,661			—			212,572			151,737			21,756			—			173,493			148,374			16,982			—			165,356
Asset write-down charges	15,226			322			—			15,548			21,986			299			—			22,285			13,243			444			—			13,687
Acquisition and integration costs	18,216			82			—			18,298			3,310			—			—			3,310			2,102			—			—			2,102
Depreciation, amortization and accretion	591,428			31,164			—			622,592			522,681			30,270			—			552,951			513,433			27,338			—			540,771
Total operating expenses	1,487,204			110,795			—			1,597,999			1,242,639			97,785			—			1,340,424			1,222,632			80,661			—			1,303,293
Operating income (loss)	799,132			35,549			—			834,681			663,876			28,429			—			692,305			553,610			21,755			—			575,365
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs	(601,031		)	(19,330		)	19,317			(601,044		)	(507,264		)	(22,974		)	22,651			(507,587		)	(488,863		)	(21,381		)	19,975			(490,269		)
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	(131,974		)	—			—			(131,974		)	—			—			—			—			(138,367		)	—			—			(138,367		)
Net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(286,435		)	—			—			(286,435		)
Interest income	4,089			467			—			4,556			187			479			—			666			1,888			316			—			2,204
Other income (expense)	13,954			(29		)	(19,317		)	(5,392		)	17,048			26			(22,651		)	(5,577		)	19,151			221			(19,975		)	(603		)
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	60,144			39,917			—			100,061			(6,126		)	(2,221		)	—			(8,347		)	28,808			(1,962		)	—			26,846
Net income (loss)	144,314			56,574			—			200,888			167,721			3,739			—			171,460			(310,208		)	(1,051		)	—			(311,259		)
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest	(268		)	12,572			—			12,304			(348		)	731			—			383			—			(319		)	—			(319		)
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	$	144,582		$	44,002		$	—		$	188,584		$	168,069		$	3,008		$	—		$	171,077		$	(310,208	)	$	(732	)	$	—		$	(310,940	)
Capital expenditures	$	419,980		$	21,403		$	—		$	441,383		$	333,862		$	14,080		$	—		$	347,942		$	216,556		$	11,502		$	—		$	228,058
Total assets (at year end)	$	15,969,084		$	440,395		$	(320,770	)	$	16,088,709		$	10,497,387		$	341,852		$	(294,143	)	$	10,545,096
Goodwill	$	3,116,824		$	3,133		$	—		$	3,119,957		$	2,034,683		$	707		$	—		$	2,035,390


(a)	Elimination of inter-company borrowings and related interest expense.


(b)	Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately.

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA

The following are reconciliations of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010:



	Year Ended December 31, 2012												Year Ended December 31, 2011												Year Ended December 31, 2010
	CCUSA			CCAL			Elim^(a)			Consolidated Total			CCUSA			CCAL			Elim^(a)			Consolidated Total			CCUSA			CCAL			Elim(a)			Consolidated Total
Net income (loss)	$	144,314		$	56,574		$	—		$	200,888		$	167,721		$	3,739		$	—		$	171,460		$	(310,208	)	$	(1,051	)	$	—		$	(311,259	)
Adjustments to increase (decrease) net income (loss):
Asset write-down charges	15,226			322			—			15,548			21,986			299			—			22,285			13,243			444			—			13,687
Acquisition and integration costs	18,216			82			—			18,298			3,310			—			—			3,310			2,102			—			—			2,102
Depreciation, amortization and accretion	591,428			31,164			—			622,592			522,681			30,270			—			552,951			513,433			27,338			—			540,771
Amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments	14,166			—			—			14,166			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs	601,031			19,330			(19,317		)	601,044			507,264			22,974			(22,651		)	507,587			488,863			21,381			(19,975		)	490,269
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	131,974			—			—			131,974			—			—			—			—			138,367			—			—			138,367
Net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps	—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			286,435			—			—			286,435
Interest income	(4,089		)	(467		)	—			(4,556		)	(187		)	(479		)	—			(666		)	(1,888		)	(316		)	—			(2,204		)
Other income (expense)	(13,954		)	29			19,317			5,392			(17,048		)	(26		)	22,651			5,577			(19,151		)	(221		)	19,975			603
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	(60,144		)	(39,917		)	—			(100,061		)	6,126			2,221			—			8,347			(28,808		)	1,962			—			(26,846		)
Stock-based compensation expense	41,785			5,597			—			47,382			32,610			3,381			—			35,991			36,540			3,425			—			39,965
Adjusted EBITDA	$	1,479,953		$	72,714		$	—		$	1,552,667		$	1,244,463		$	62,379		$	—		$	1,306,842		$	1,118,928		$	52,962		$	—		$	1,171,890

____________________


(a)	Elimination of inter-company borrowings and related interest expense.

Summary of Net Revenue by Country

A summary of net revenues by country, based on the location of the Company's subsidiaries, is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
United States	$	2,283,088	$	1,902,536	$	1,772,793
Australia	146,344		126,214		102,416
Other countries	3,248		3,979		3,449
Total net revenues	$	2,432,680	$	2,032,729	$	1,878,658

Summary of Long-Lived Assets by Country of Location

A summary of long-lived assets (property and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets) by country of location is as follows:



	December 31,
	2012		2011
United States	$	12,730,337	$	8,847,161
Australia	232,099		212,067
Other countries	16,748		15,571
Total long-lived assets	$	12,979,184	$	9,074,799

A Summary of the Percentage of the Consolidated Revenues for Those Customers Accounting for More than 10% of the Consolidated Revenues

The following table summarizes the percentage of the consolidated revenues for those customers accounting for more than 10% of the consolidated revenues, all of which relates to CCUSA.



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
Sprint	24	%	21	%	20	%
AT&T	20	%	23	%	21	%
Verizon Wireless	17	%	19	%	21	%
T-Mobile	11	%	11	%	11	%
Total	72	%	74	%	73	%

Tabular disclosure of the names of foreign countries from which revenue is material and the amount of revenue from external customers attributed to those countries. An entity may also provide subtotals of geographic information about groups of countries.

+ References+ Details

Selected Quarterly Financial Information [Abstract]

Tabular disclosure of the profit or loss and total assets for each reportable segment. An entity discloses certain information on each reportable segment if the amounts (a) are included in the measure of segment profit or loss reviewed by the chief operating decision maker or (b) are otherwise regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker, even if not included in that measure of segment profit or loss.

+ References+ Details

Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Schedule of Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)

Summary quarterly financial information for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 is as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31
2012:
Net revenues	$	551,745		$	585,511		$	621,337		$	674,087
Operating income (loss)	202,228			202,977			220,768			208,708
Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations	(7,068		)	(7,518		)	—			(117,388		)
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	(6,695		)	68,432			(32,300		)	70,624
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	50,031			116,013			42,045			(19,505		)
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, per common share:
Basic	$	0.17		$	0.40		$	0.14		$	(0.07	)
Diluted	$	0.17		$	0.40		$	0.14		$	(0.07	)
	Three Months Ended
	March 31			June 30			September 30			December 31
2011:
Net revenues	$	499,039		$	500,336		$	513,883		$	519,471
Operating income (loss)	166,428			167,142			181,889			176,846
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	40,017			30,871			51,278			48,911
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, per common share:
Basic	$	0.12		$	0.09		$	0.16		$	0.16
Diluted	$	0.12		$	0.09		$	0.15		$	0.16

Basis of Presentation (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 towers
Ground Lease Agreement Initial Term	5 years
Tower Count	31,500
Leased or Operated Under Sprint Agreement [Member]
Ground Lease Agreement Initial Term	32
Purchase Option Price	$ 2,300
Tower Count	6,500
Leased or Operated Under T-Mobile Agreement [Member]
Ground Lease Agreement Initial Term	28
Tower Count	6,200
T-Mobile [Member]
Purchase Option Price	2,000
Subject to Lease and Sublease With AT&T [Member]
Tower Count	470
AT&T [Member]
Purchase Option Price	405
AT&T Prior to 2025 [Member]
Purchase Option Price	$ 0
CCUSA [Member]
Tower Count	29,800
CCAL [Member]
Tower Count	1,700

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011 years	Dec. 31, 2010
Increase (decrease) in restricted cash for operating activities	$ 11,475	$ (17,902)	$ (18,939)
Increase (decrease) in restricted cash for investing activities	(46,282)	(15,430)	(515)
Net cash provided by (used from) financing activities	(288,763)	1,979	11,953
Useful life of site rental contracts and customer relationships (years)	20 years
Revenue recognition, non-cancelable lease term, minimum (years)		5
Revenue recognition, non-cancelable lease term, maximum (years)		15
Portion of company site rental costs that are ground lease expenses	0.667
Ground Lease Agreement Initial Term	5 years
Percentage of tax position that is likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement	50.00%
Maximum [Member]
Original Maturities of Highly Liquid Investments	3 months
Wireless Infrastructure [Member]
Property, plant and equipment estimated useful life, maximum (years)	20 years
Wireless Infrastructure [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Property, plant and equipment estimated useful life, maximum (years)	20 years
Acquired [Member]
Increase (decrease) in restricted cash for investing activities	46,300
Restricted Cash Held By Trustee [Member] [Member]
Net cash provided by (used from) financing activities	$ 316,600

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Interest Expense and Amortization of Deferred Financing Costs) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Interest expense on debt obligations	$ 491,694	$ 404,644	$ 404,815
Amortization of deferred financing costs	23,324	15,086	15,397
Amortization of discounts on long-term debt	21,297	16,090	14,481
Amortization of interest rate swaps	65,239	71,707	54,169
Other, net of capitalized interest	(510)	60	1,407
Total	$ 601,044	$ 507,587	$ 490,269

Amount of noncash expense included in interest expense to amortize debt discount and premium associated with the related debt instruments. Excludes amortization of financing costs. Alternate captions include noncash interest expense.

+ References+ Details

Interest expense on all other items not previously classified. For example, includes dividends associated with redeemable preferred stock of a subsidiary that is treated as a liability in the parent's consolidated balance sheet.

+ References+ Details

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Per Share Information) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders	$ (19,505)	$ 42,045	$ 116,013	$ 50,031	$ 48,911	$ 51,278	$ 30,871	$ 40,017	$ 188,584	$ 171,077	$ (310,940)
Dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock									(2,629)	(22,940)	(20,806)
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock									$ 185,955	$ 148,137	$ (331,746)
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic weighted-average number of common stock outstanding									289,285,000	283,821,000	286,764,000
Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding									291,270,000	285,947,000	286,764,000
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ (0.07)	$ 0.14	$ 0.40	$ 0.17	$ 0.16	$ 0.16	$ 0.09	$ 0.12	$ 0.64	$ 0.52	$ (1.16)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.07)	$ 0.14	$ 0.40	$ 0.17	$ 0.16	$ 0.15	$ 0.09	$ 0.12	$ 0.64	$ 0.52	$ (1.16)
Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share:
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)										8,300,000	8,600,000
Preferred stock, dividend rate, percentage									6.25%
Restricted Stock Awards [Member]
Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share:
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)									200,000	900,000
Stock Options and Restricted Stock Awards [Member]
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Effect of assumed dilution from potential common shares relating to stock options and restricted stock awards									1,985,000	2,126,000	0

Acquisitions (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Acquisitions (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2012 towers	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net revenues	$ 2,716,833,000	$ 2,457,078,000
Income (loss) before income taxes	71,083,000	92,052,000
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	112,280,000	(8,347,000)
Net impact of acquisitions on revenue	143,300,000
Tower Count	31,500
Acquisition and integration costs	18,298,000	3,310,000	2,102,000
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	20 years 11 months	20 years 0 months
Net impact of acquisitions on net income	12,600,000
Net income (loss)	183,363,000	83,705,000
Basic net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share	$ 0.58	$ 0.21
Diluted net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share	$ 0.58	$ 0.21
NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price	1,000,000,000
Acquisition and integration costs	6,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Current Assets	74,995,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Property, Plant and Equipment	515,590,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill Amount	573,617,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Amortizable Intangible Assets	408,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Other Noncurrent Assets	237,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Current Liabilities	(104,987,000)
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Other Noncurrent Liabilities	(322,175,000)
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Deferred Taxes Asset (Liability), Net, Noncurrent	(144,817,000)
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Assets Acquired (Liabilities Assumed), Net	1,000,460,000
Severance Costs	4,300,000
Percentage of Total Nodes	75.00%
T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price	2,500,000,000
Acquisition and integration costs	3,600,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Current Assets	17,854,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Property, Plant and Equipment	1,459,413,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill Amount	428,019,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Amortizable Intangible Assets	403,260,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Other Noncurrent Assets	5,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Other Noncurrent Liabilities	(31,379,000)
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Deferred Taxes Asset (Liability), Net, Noncurrent	203,619,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Assets Acquired (Liabilities Assumed), Net	2,485,786,000
Other Intangible Assets [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to purchase price allocation	213,000,000
NewPath Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, cost of acquired entity, cash paid	128,000,000
Wireless Capital Partners, LLC [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price	214,700,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Assets Acquired	39,200,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Noncurrent Liabilities, Long-term Debt	336,300,000
Ground lease related assets	2,300
Goodwill [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to purchase price allocation	108,500,000
Deferred Tax Liabilities [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to purchase price allocation	87,400,000
Combined Impact of T-Mobile, WCP, and NextG [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration costs	16,200,000
Total T-Mobile Towers [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Tower Count	7,100
Pro forma revenue adjustments [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, pro forma adjustment	255,600,000	261,100,000
Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, pro forma adjustment	109,800,000	125,700,000
stock based compensation expense [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, pro forma adjustment		46,300,000
acquisition and integration expenses [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, pro forma adjustment		15,700,000
Long-term prepaid rent [Member] \| Wireless Capital Partners, LLC [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Other Noncurrent Assets	$ 322,400,000
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	37 years

Property and Equipment (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment	$ 11,166,714,000	$ 8,685,363,000
Less: accumulated depreciation	(4,249,183,000)	(3,824,136,000)
Total property and equipment, net	6,917,531,000	4,861,227,000
Depreciation expense	438,900,000	387,800,000	379,300,000
Capital Leased Assets, Gross	2,600,000,000
Accumulated Depreciation on Capital Lease Assets	423,200,000
Land owned in fee and perpetual easements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment	1,119,592,000	960,191,000
Buildings [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment	56,883,000	37,454,000
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	40 years
Wireless Infrastructure [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment	9,589,282,000	7,359,480,000
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	20 years
Information technology assets and other [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment	160,670,000	151,992,000
Construction in Process [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross property and equipment	$ 240,287,000	$ 176,246,000
Minimum [Member] \| Wireless Infrastructure [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	1 year
Minimum [Member] \| Information technology assets and other [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	2 years
Maximum [Member] \| Wireless Infrastructure [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	20 years
Maximum [Member] \| Information technology assets and other [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	10 years

The cumulative amount of depreciation, depletion and amortization (related to property, plant and equipment, but not including land) that has been recognized in the income statement.

+ References+ Details

Property, plant, or equipment held under lease agreements classified as an asset.

+ References+ Details

The amount of expense recognized in the current period that reflects the allocation of the cost of tangible assets over the assets' useful lives. Includes production and non-production related depreciation.

+ References+ Details

Gross amount of long-lived physical assets used in the normal conduct of business and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment.

+ References+ Details

Amount, net of accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization, of long-lived physical assets used in the normal conduct of business and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment.

+ References+ Details

Intangible Assets and Deferred Credits (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended								12 Months Ended						12 Months Ended									3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012 Amortization expense, 2013 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Above Market Leases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Site Rental Contracts and Customer Relationships [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Site Rental Contracts and Customer Relationships [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Below Market Leases For Land Interests [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Amortization expense, 2014 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Amortization expense, 2015 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Amortization expense, 2016 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Amortization expense, 2017 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Intangible Assets [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Other Intangible Assets [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Site Rental Costs of Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Site Rental Costs of Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Site Rental Costs of Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Site Rental Costs of Operations [Member] Above Market Leases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Site Rental Costs of Operations [Member] Above Market Leases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Site Rental Costs of Operations [Member] Above Market Leases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 NextG Networks Inc. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 WCP Securitized Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 T-Mobile [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Acquired Goodwill [Domain]	Dec. 31, 2012 Effect of exchange rates on goodwill [Domain]	Dec. 31, 2012 Gross Value [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Net Book Value [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net book value of above market leases	$ 58,200,000	$ 46,800,000
Expected amortization of below-market tenant leases by year				30,443,000					30,263,000	28,937,000	28,512,000	25,628,000
Deferred Credits and Other Liabilities																													291,900,000	271,100,000
Amount of Deferred Credits Recognized Into Site Rental Cost of Operations	20,800,000
Goodwill not expected to be deductible for tax purposes																								573,600,000	40,800,000	363,600,000
Goodwill	3,119,957,000	2,035,390,000
Goodwill, Acquired During Period																								573,617,000	54,824,000	428,019,000	28,113,000	(6,000)
Finite-lived intangible assets, gross	3,920,415,000	2,976,207,000				3,566,207,000	2,823,832,000						354,208,000	152,375,000
Accumulated amortization of intangible assets	(978,719,000)	(798,025,000)				(913,647,000)	(748,850,000)						(65,072,000)	(49,175,000)
Other intangible assets, net	289,136,000	103,200,000											289,136,000	103,200,000
Finite-lived intangible assets, net	2,941,696,000	2,178,182,000				2,652,560,000	2,074,982,000
Acquired finite-lived intangible asset, amount	950,226,000	23,362,000				741,526,000	23,362,000	178,300,000					208,700,000	0
Amortization expense	180,515,000	163,187,000	159,914,000												177,163,000	159,478,000	156,150,000	3,352,000	3,709,000	3,764,000
2012	196,851,000
2013	193,520,000
2014	187,905,000
2015	187,878,000
2016	186,880,000
Deferred Credits [Abstract]
Deferred credit amortization expense																					3,400,000	3,800,000	4,400,000
2012					4,361,000
2013					4,337,000
2014					4,322,000
2015					4,280,000
2016					$ 4,250,000
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	20 years 11 months	20 years 0 months				21 years 4 months	20 years 0 months						19 years 5 months
Weighted average amortization period of deferred credits acquired.	10 years

Debt and Other Obligations (Indebtedness) (Details) (USD $)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

Dec. 31, 2009

Dec. 31, 2012

WCP Securitized Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Variable Rate Revolver [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.125% Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.125% Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Capital Lease Obligations and Other [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Capital Lease Obligations and Other [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

2012 Credit Facility [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Bank Debt [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Bank Debt [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Bank Debt [Member]

Variable Rate Revolver [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Bank Debt [Member]

Variable Rate Revolver [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Bank Debt [Member]

2012 Revolver [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Bank Debt [Member]

2012 Revolver [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Bank Debt [Member]

Variable Rate 2007 Term Loans [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Bank Debt [Member]

Variable Rate 2007 Term Loans [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Bank Debt [Member]

Variable Rate 2012 Term Loans [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Bank Debt [Member]

Variable Rate 2012 Term Loans [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Securitized Debt [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Securitized Debt [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Securitized Debt [Member]

WCP Securitized Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Securitized Debt [Member]

WCP Securitized Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Securitized Debt [Member]

Fixed Rate Securitized Debt January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Securitized Debt [Member]

Fixed Rate Securitized Debt January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Securitized Debt [Member]

Fixed Rate Securitized Debt August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Securitized Debt [Member]

Fixed Rate Securitized Debt August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Securitized Debt [Member]

Fixed Rate Debt 2009 Securitized Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

Securitized Debt [Member]

Fixed Rate Debt 2009 Securitized Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.125% Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.125% Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 7.5% Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 7.5% Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Five and One Fourth Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

High Yield Bonds [Member]

Five and One Fourth Senior Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

2012 Secured Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2011

High Yield Bonds [Member]

2012 Secured Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

2012 Secured Notes [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

High Yield Bonds [Member]

2012 secured notes tranche A [Member]

Dec. 31, 2012

Principal [Member]

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]

Debt Instrument, Unamortized Premium

$ 11,700,000

Tender Offer Amount

1,000

Cash and cash equivalents

441,364,000

80,120,000

112,531,000

766,146,000

Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity

1,500,000,000

Effective yield rate, inclusive of purchase price adjustments

4.00%

11.30%

8.20%

7.20%

Original issue date

Jan. 01, 2007

Jan. 01, 2012

Jan. 01, 2007

Jan. 01, 2012

Nov. 01, 2010

Jan. 01, 2010

Aug. 01, 2010

Jul. 01, 2009

Jan. 01, 2009

Apr. 01, 2009

Oct. 01, 2009

Dec. 01, 2003

Oct. 01, 2012

Dec. 01, 2012

Contractual maturity date

Various

^[1]

Sept. 2013

Jan. 2017

March 2014

2017/2019

Nov. 2040

2035-2040

2019/2029

Jan. 2015

May 2017

Nov. 2019

Dec. 2013

Jan. 2023

2017/2023

^[2]

Total debt and other obligations

11,611,242,000

6,885,699,000

92,568,000

54,406,000

3,318,250,000

870,125,000

^[3]

251,000,000

1,253,000,000

^[3]

619,125,000

2,065,250,000

3,956,202,000

3,666,431,000

307,739,000

1,900,000,000

1,550,000,000

198,463,000

216,431,000

4,244,222,000

2,294,737,000

304,718,000

817,799,000

291,394,000

978,983,000

498,110,000

497,904,000

51,000

1,650,000,000

1,500,000,000

1,000,000,000

500,000,000

Less: current maturities and short-term debt and other current obligations

688,056,000

^[4]

32,517,000

Non-current portion of long-term debt and other long-term obligations

$ 10,923,186,000

$ 6,853,182,000

Stated interest rate

9.00%

7.75%

7.125%

2.70%

^[5],[6]

3.70%

^[5],[6]

5.40%

^[7],[8]

5.70%

^[5],[9]

4.50%

^[5],[9]

7.00%

^[5]

9.00%

^[10],[5]

7.80%

^[11],[5]

7.10%

^[12],[5]

5.30%

3.40%

Percentage of debt instrument interest rate stated

Various

Line of Credit Facility, Commitment Fee Percentage

0.40%

[1]	The Company's capital leases and other obligations bear interest rates ranging up to 10% and mature in periods ranging from less than one year to approximately 20 years.
[2]	The Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 2.381% secured notes due 2017 and $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 3.849% secured notes due 2023 (collectively, "2012 Secured Notes").
[3]	As of December 31, 2012, the undrawn availability under the $1.5 billion senior secured revolving credit facility ("2012 Revolver") is $247.0 million.
[4]	Inclusive of the 9% senior notes ("9% Senior Notes") and the 7.75% secured notes ("7.75% Secured Notes") whose repurchase and redemption was completed in January 2013. See note 20.
[5]	Represents the weighted-average stated interest rate.
[6]	The 2012 Revolver and Term Loan A bear interest at a rate per annum equal to LIBOR plus a credit spread ranging from 2.0% to 2.75%, based on the CCOC total net leverage ratio. Term Loan B bears interest at a rate per annum equal to LIBOR plus 3.0% (with LIBOR subject to a floor of 1% per annum). The Company pays a commitment fee of approximately 0.4% per annum on the undrawn available amount under the 2012 Revolver.
[7]	The WCP securitized notes ("WCP Securitized Notes") were assumed in connection with the WCP Acquisition. The WCP Securitized Notes include a fair value adjustment that increased the debt carrying value by $11.7 million as of December 31, 2012. The anticipated repayment date is 2015 for each class. If the WCP Securitized Notes are not repaid in full by their anticipated repayment dates, the applicable interest rate increases by an additional approximately 5% per annum. If the WCP Securitized Notes are not repaid in full by their rapid amortization date of 2017, monthly principal payments commence using the excess cash flows of the issuers of the WCP Securitized Notes.
[8]	The effective yield is approximately 4.0%, inclusive of the fair value adjustment.
[9]	If the respective series of the January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes and August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes (collectively, "2010 Tower Revenue Notes") are not paid in full on or prior to 2015, 2017 and 2020, as applicable, then Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture) of the issuers (of such notes) will be used to repay principal of the applicable series and class of the 2010 Tower Revenue Notes, and additional interest (of an additional approximately 5% per annum) will accrue on the respective 2010 Tower Revenue Notes. The January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes consist of three series of notes with principal amounts of $300.0 million, $350.0 million and $1.3 billion, having anticipated repayment dates in 2015, 2017 and 2020, respectively. The August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes consist of three series of notes with principal amounts of $250.0 million, $300.0 million and $1.0 billion, having anticipated repayment dates in 2015, 2017 and 2020, respectively.
[10]	The effective yield is approximately 11.3%, inclusive of the discount.
[11]	The effective yield is approximately 8.2%, inclusive of the discount.
[12]	The effective yield is approximately 7.2%, inclusive of the discount.

Debt and Other Obligations (Textuals) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended												12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended									12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
Debt and Other Obligations (Textuals) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2012 WCP Securitized Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Variable Rate Revolver [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Variable Rate Revolver 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Securitized Debt 2010 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Securitized Debt January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes First Tranche [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Securitized Debt January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes Second Tranche [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Securitized Debt January 2010 Tower Revenue Notes Third Tranche [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Securitized Debt August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes First Tranche [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Securitized Debt August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes Second Tranche [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Securitized Debt August 2010 Tower Revenue Notes Third Tranche [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Debt 2009 Securitized Notes First Tranche [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate Debt 2009 Securitized Notes Second Tranche [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.125% Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.125% Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Capital Lease Obligations and Other [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Capital Lease Obligations and Other [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 High Yield Bonds - Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Collateralized [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Collateralized [Member] Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 secured notes tranche A [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Credit Facility [Member] CCOC [Member] Senior Secured Term Loan A [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Credit Facility [Member] CCOC [Member] Senior Secured Term Loan B [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Credit Facility [Member] CCOC [Member] Senior Secured 2012 Revolver [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 secured notes tranche B [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Variable Rate Revolver [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Tendered After the Early Tender Date [Member] Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Premium [Member] Early Tender Date [Member] Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Prior to early settlement date [Member] Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Subsequent to early settlement date [Member] Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Amount redeemed after tender [Member] Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Amount redeemed after tender [Member] Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Amount offered prior to settlement date [Member] Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Amount validly tendered [Member] Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Early tender premium																																$ 30.00
Total revolving commitment						1,500,000,000																									1,500,000,000
Total debt and other obligations	6,885,699,000	11,611,242,000																					92,568,000	54,406,000				500,000,000					1,000,000,000
Availablity on revolver							247,000,000
Debt instrument credit spread LIBOR rate minimum							2.00%
Debt Instrument Credit Spread Libor Rate Maximum							2.75%
Additional interest accruing following anticipated repayment dates					5.00%			5.00%
Face amount of debt instrument									300,000,000	350,000,000	1,300,000,000	250,000,000	300,000,000	1,000,000,000															500,000,000	1,600,000,000
Principal balance outstanding on debt instruments		11,613,844,000													128,500,000	70,000,000
Effective yield rate, inclusive of purchase price adjustments					4.00%												11.30%		8.20%		7.20%
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage rate range maximum																							10.00%
Contractual maturity date, start																								1 year
Contractual maturity date, end																								20 years
Security interest	80,120,000	441,364,000	112,531,000	766,146,000																						52,000,000
Property and equipment, net	4,861,227,000	6,917,531,000																								1,600,000,000	1,100,000,000
Stated interest rate																		9.00%		7.75%		7.125%
Debt Instrument, Covenant Description	7.0 to 1.0
Debt to Adjusted Cash Flow Ratio																									7.0
Redemption pricing percentage of principal amount																			100.00%						100.00%
Tender Offer Amount																																				1,032.30	1,062.30	515,500,000	839,000	294,400,000	313,300,000	1,063.45	670,600,000
Preferred Stock, Dividend Rate, Percentage																																			6.25%
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding																																		$ 450,000,000

Debt and Other Obligations (Scheduled Contractual Maturities) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012
Debt and Other Obligations [Abstract]
2012	$ 696,715
2013	99,101
2014	111,437
2015	112,782
2016	2,139,893
Thereafter	8,453,916
Total Cash Obligations	11,613,844
Unamortized Discounts	(2,602)
Total Debt and Other Obligations Outstanding	$ 11,611,242

Debt and Other Obligations (Debt Purchases and Repayments) (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

$ 2,145,847,000

^[1]

$ 3,426,324,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

2,229,709,000

^[1],[2]

3,541,312,000

(117,388,000)

(7,518,000)

(7,068,000)

131,974,000

^[1]

138,367,000

^[3]

Write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts

48,100,000

23,400,000

2004 Mortgage Loan [Member]

1,638,616,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

1,651,255,000

15,718,000

2006 Mortgage Loan [Member]

1,550,000,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

1,629,920,000

87,755,000

Fixed Rate Securitized Debt 2005 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]

5,000,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

5,250,000

393,000

Fixed Rate Securitized Debt 2006 Tower Revenue Notes [Member]

251,000,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

251,000,000

1,445,000

Fixed Rate Debt 2009 Securitized Notes [Member]

619,125,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

619,125,000

1,893,000

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 9% Senior Notes [Member]

552,715,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

589,105,000

^[2]

62,966,000

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]

706,045,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

752,332,000

^[2]

64,989,000

Variable Rate Revolver [Member]

33,115,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

36,116,000

6,425,000

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.75% Secured Notes [Member]

199,593,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

218,771,000

28,076,000

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 7.5% Senior Notes [Member]

51,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

51,000

^[2]

WCP Securitized Notes [Member]

16,911,000

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

18,096,000

^[2]

$ 681,000

[1]	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.
[2]	Exclusive of accrued interest.
[3]	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.

Difference between the fair value of payments made and the carrying amount of debt which is extinguished prior to maturity.

+ References+ Details

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

The cash outflow attributable to repayments of borrowings not otherwise defined in the taxonomy (with maturities initially due after one year or beyond the operating cycle if longer).

+ References+ Details

Interest Rate Swaps (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

Interest rate swaps, combined notional amount

$ 5,300,000,000

Settlement amount of forward-starting interest rate swaps

697,800,000

697,821,000

Gain (loss) recognized in OCI (effective portion)

^[1]

(973,000)

^[1]

(125,850,000)

^[1]

Gain (loss) reclassified from accumulated OCI into income (effective portion)

(65,239,000)

^[1]

(71,707,000)

^[1]

(54,169,000)

^[1]

Gain (loss) recognized in income

^[1]

^[1],[2]

(286,435,000)

^[1]

Interest Rate Swap [Member]

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Forward-starting Derivative Interest Rate Swap Maturity Period

5 years

Interest Rate Swap [Member] | Refinancings of Debt [Member]

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Loss recognized in income discontinuation of hedge accounts

3,400,000

Interest Rate Contract [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member]

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Estimated amount expected to be reclassified into earnings from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) during next twelve months

$ 65,000,000

Weighted-Average Actual Five Year LIBOR Upon Issuance of the Anticpated Refinancings [Member]

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Derivative, average variable interest rate

2.40%

Weighted-Average Hedged Five Year LIBOR on the Anticipated Refinancings [Member]

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Derivative, average variable interest rate

5.20%

[1]	Exclusive of benefit (provision) for income taxes.
[2]	Inclusive of $3.4 million related to the discontinuation of amortization into interest expense of an interest rate swap that previously qualified for hedge accounting as a result of early repayment of debt in 2010 and the remainder is related to losses due to the decrease in fair value of interest rate swaps not designated as hedging instruments.

Fair Value Disclosures (Estimated Fair Values and Carrying Amounts of Assets and Liabilities) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, carrying value	$ 441,364	$ 80,120	$ 112,531	$ 766,146
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	441,364	80,120
Restricted cash, carrying value	580,938	257,368
Restricted cash, fair value	580,938	257,368
Long-term debt and other obligations, carrying amount	11,611,242	6,885,699
Long-term debt and other obligations, fair value	12,438,032	7,355,652
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, carrying value	1
Restricted cash, carrying value	1
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Long-term debt and other obligations, carrying amount	$ 2

Amount of currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions. Includes other kinds of accounts that have the general characteristics of demand deposits. Also includes short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates. Excludes cash and cash equivalents within disposal group and discontinued operation.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Cash

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6506951

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Cash Equivalents

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6507016

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 95

-Paragraph 8, 9

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.1)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 95

-Paragraph 7

-Footnote 1

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 02

-Paragraph 1

-Article 5

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6361293&loc=d3e6676-107765

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 230

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 4

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6943989&loc=d3e3044-108585

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 95

-Paragraph 7, 26

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

+ Details

This element represents the portion of the balance sheet assertion valued at fair value by the entity whether such amount is presented as a separate caption or as a parenthetical disclosure. Additionally, this element may be used in connection with the fair value disclosures required in the footnote disclosures to the financial statements. The element may be used in both the balance sheet and disclosure in the same submission. This item includes currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions. It also includes other kinds of accounts that have the general characteristics of demand deposits in that the Company may deposit additional funds at any time and also effectively may withdraw funds at any time without prior notice or penalty. Cash equivalents, excluding items classified as marketable securities, include short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash, and so near their maturity that they present minimal risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates. Generally, only investments with original maturities of three months or less qualify under that definition. Original maturity means original maturity to the entity holding the investment. For example, both a three-month US Treasury bill and a three-year Treasury note purchased three months from maturity qualify as cash equivalents. However, a Treasury note purchased three years ago does not become a cash equivalent when its remaining maturity is three months.

+ References+ Details

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalent items which are restricted as to withdrawal or usage. Restrictions may include legally restricted deposits held as compensating balances against borrowing arrangements, contracts entered into with others, or entity statements of intention with regard to particular deposits; however, time deposits and short-term certificates of deposit are not generally included in legally restricted deposits. Excludes compensating balance arrangements that are not agreements which legally restrict the use of cash amounts shown on the balance sheet. This element is for unclassified presentations; for classified presentations there is a separate and distinct element.

+ References+ Details

Fair Value Disclosures (Activity for Interest Rate Swap Liabilities Classified as Level 3 Fair Value Measurements) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010 Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss) Included in Other Income	$ 0
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		300,040
Settlements		703,754
Less: total gains (losses) included in earnings		283,062
Less: total gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)		125,850
Transfers out of Level 3		5,198
Ending Balance		$ 0

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Alternative minimum tax carryback refund			$ 9,600,000
Income refund receivable			5,600,000
Federal tax benefits	(229,000)	(3,213,000)	(4,038,000)
Unrecognized Tax Benefits that Would Impact Effective Tax Rate	19,200,000
Change in unrecognized tax benefits	0	1,693,000	0
Unrecognized tax benefits	19,184,000	8,376,000	9,255,000
Stock Compensation Plan [Member]
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Resulting in Net Operating Loss Carryforward	87,100,000	55,300,000
Operating loss carryforwards	200,000,000
Discrete Events, Including Acquisitions [Member]
Federal tax benefits			19,800,000
Alternative Minimum Tax Credit Carryforward [Member]
Income refund receivable			4,000,000
U.S. Federal [Member]
Operating loss carryforwards	2,700,000,000
Change in unrecognized tax benefits	(3,200,000)
U.S. Federal [Member] \| Starting [Member]
Operating loss carryforwards, expiration dates	2021
U.S. Federal [Member] \| Ending [Member]
Operating loss carryforwards, expiration dates	2032
State [Member]
Operating loss carryforwards	1,400,000,000
State [Member] \| Starting [Member]
Operating loss carryforwards, expiration dates	2013
State [Member] \| Ending [Member]
Operating loss carryforwards, expiration dates	2032
Foreign [Member]
Operating loss carryforwards	$ 100,000,000

The component of income tax expense for the period representing amounts paid or payable (or refundable) as determined by applying the provisions of enacted federal tax law to the domestic taxable Income or Loss from continuing operations.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 740

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 6.I.7)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6889476&loc=d3e330036-122817

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Current Tax Expense (or Benefit)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6509736

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 740

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 9

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 235

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h))

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6881521&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 109

-Paragraph 45

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 08

-Paragraph h

-Article 4

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 109

-Paragraph 289

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB)

-Number Topic 6

-Section I

-Paragraph Question 1-7

+ Details

Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of income taxes previously overpaid to tax authorities (such as U.S. Federal, state and local tax authorities) representing refunds of overpayments or recoveries based on agreed-upon resolutions of disputes. Also called income tax refund receivable.

+ References+ Details

Income (loss) before income taxes

Amount of an unrecognized tax benefit that is directly related to a position taken in a tax year that results in a net operating loss carryforward. This amount is presented as a reduction of the related deferred tax asset in the balance sheet if that deferred tax asset is not used. This amount is presented separately from the deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward if this unrelated tax benefit is associated with a different tax position.

+ References+ Details

Income Taxes (Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes) (Details) (USD $)
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Domestic

$ 77,254

$ 168,804

$ (342,333)

Foreign

23,573

^[1]

11,003

^[1]

4,228

^[1]

$ 100,827

$ 179,807

$ (338,105)

[1]	Inclusive of income (loss) before income taxes from Australia and Puerto Rico.

Income Taxes (Benefit (Provision) for Income Taxes) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Current Federal					$ 229	$ 3,213	$ 4,038
Current Foreign					(6,837)	(3,377)	(2,187)
Current State					(3,705)	(3,557)	(1,201)
Total current					(10,313)	(3,721)	650
Deferred Federal					65,643	1,054	30,770
Deferred Foreign					42,714	(694)	(298)
Deferred State					2,017	(4,986)	(4,276)
Total deferred					110,374	(4,626)	26,196
Total benefit (provision) for income taxes	$ (70,624)	$ 32,300	$ (68,432)	$ 6,695	$ 100,061	$ (8,347)	$ 26,846

Income Taxes (Effective Tax Rate) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Benefit (provision) for income taxes at statutory rate					$ (35,289)	$ (62,932)	$ 118,337
Tax effect of foreign income (losses)					8,251	3,851	1,480
Expenses for which no federal tax benefit was recognized					(3,874)	(5,433)	(3,657)
Valuation allowances					95,072	61,921	(85,605)
State tax (provision) benefit, net of federal					(1,097)	(4,565)	(3,560)
Foreign tax					35,877	(4,071)	(2,485)
Change in unrecognized tax benefits					0	1,693	0
Other					1,121	1,189	2,336
Total benefit (provision) for income taxes	$ (70,624)	$ 32,300	$ (68,432)	$ 6,695	$ 100,061	$ (8,347)	$ 26,846

Income Taxes (Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities) (Details) (USD $)			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 U.S. Federal [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 State [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 CCAL [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Combined Impact of T-Mobile, WCP, and NextG [Member]
Total Amount of Valuation Reversals			$ 95,100,000	$ 20,100,000	$ 51,100,000
Property and equipment	1,246,899,000	511,205,000
Deferred site rental receivable	340,113,000	238,203,000
Intangible assets	894,800,000	655,512,000
Total deferred income tax liabilities	2,481,812,000	1,404,920,000				19,700,000
Net operating loss carryforwards	950,195,000	908,747,000
Deferred ground lease payable	121,752,000	109,948,000
Alternative minimum tax credit carryforward	3,566,000	3,591,000
Accrued liabilities	190,121,000	81,719,000
Receivable allowance	4,140,000	2,253,000
Prepaid lease	1,358,430,000	405,993,000
Derivative instruments	51,380,000	74,214,000
Available-for-sale securities	0	29,402,000
Deferred Tax Assets, Capital Loss Carryforwards	29,402,000	0
Other	5,270,000	5,293,000
Valuation allowance, asset	(70,940,000)	(228,417,000)
Total deferred income tax assets, net	2,643,316,000	1,392,743,000
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	$ 161,504,000	$ (12,177,000)				$ 100,500,000

Income Taxes (Jurisdictional Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Gross, asset	$ 232,444	$ 216,240
Valuation allowance, asset	(70,940)	(228,417)
Net, asset	2,643,316	1,392,743
Net, liability	(2,481,812)	(1,404,920)
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	161,504	(12,177)
U.S. Federal [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Gross, asset	104,213	33,103
Valuation allowance, asset	(29,402)	(55,980)
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	74,811	(22,877)
State [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Gross, asset	35,474	45,813
Valuation allowance, asset	(41,538)	(34,156)
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	(6,064)	11,657
Foreign [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Gross, asset	41,377	63,110
Valuation allowance, asset	0	(64,067)
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	41,377	(957)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Gross, asset	51,380	74,214
Valuation allowance, asset	0	(74,214)
Net deferred income tax assets (liabilities)	$ 51,380	$ 0

Amount of deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized.

+ References+ Details

Income Taxes Income Taxes (Unrecognized Tax Benefits) (Details) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Increase to stockholders equity if stock based compensation tax benefits are realized	$ 87,100,000
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of year	8,376,000	9,255,000
Additions based on current year tax positions	10,808,000	2,334,000
Reductions as a result of the lapse of statute limitations	0	(3,213,000)
Balance at end of year	$ 19,184,000	$ 8,376,000

Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012 Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2011 Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2010 Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2009 Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock
Temporary Equity [Line Items]
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued				8.1
Preferred Stock, Dividend Rate, Percentage				6.25%
Convertible Preferred Stock, liquidation preference per share				$ 50.00
Dividends on preferred stock	$ 2,481	$ 19,487	$ 19,879
Conversion of redeemable convertible preferred stock	8.3
Redeemable convertible preferred stock, value	$ 0	$ 305,032		$ 0	$ 305,032	$ 316,581	$ 315,654

The number of new shares issued in the conversion of stock in a noncash (or part noncash) transaction. Noncash is defined as transactions during a period that do not result in cash receipts or cash payments in the period. "Part noncash" refers to that portion of the transaction not resulting in cash receipts or cash payments in the period.

+ References+ Details

Cash outflow in the form of ordinary dividends to preferred shareholders, generally out of earnings.

+ References+ Details

The per share liquidation preference (or restrictions) of stock classified as temporary equity that has a preference in involuntary liquidation considerably in excess of the par or stated value of the shares. The liquidation preference is the difference between the preference in liquidation and the par or stated values of the share. Temporary equity is a security with redemption features that are outside the control of the issuer, is not classified as an asset or liability in conformity with GAAP, and is not mandatorily redeemable. Includes any type of security that is redeemable at a fixed or determinable price or on a fixed or determinable date or dates, is redeemable at the option of the holder, or has conditions for redemption which are not solely within the control of the issuer. If convertible, the issuer does not control the actions or events necessary to issue the maximum number of shares that could be required to be delivered under the conversion option if the holder exercises the option to convert the stock to another class of equity. If the security is a warrant or a rights issue, the warrant or rights issue is considered to be temporary equity if the issuer cannot demonstrate that it would be able to deliver upon the exercise of the option by the holder in all cases. Includes stock with put option held by ESOP and stock redeemable by holder only in the event of a change in control of the issuer.

+ References+ Details

Stockholders' Equity (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Purchases of common stock, value	$ 36.0	$ 303.4	$ 159.6
Common Stock
Purchases of common stock, shares	700,070	7,377,803	4,133,858

Number of shares that have been repurchased during the period and have not been retired and are not held in treasury. Some state laws may govern the circumstances under which an entity may acquire its own stock and prescribe the accounting treatment therefore. This element is used when state law does not recognize treasury stock.

+ References+ Details

Equity impact of the value of stock that has been repurchased during the period and has not been retired and is not held in treasury. Some state laws may mandate the circumstances under which an entity may acquire its own stock and prescribe the accounting treatment therefore. This element is used when state law does not recognize treasury stock.

+ References+ Details

Stock-based Compensation (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares available for future issuance (in shares)	7,100,000
CCAL [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation, liability for options and restricted units	$ 11.7	$ 8.9
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted, number of shares	1,000,000	900,000	1,100,000
Shares granted, weighted-average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 38.82	$ 37.05	$ 31.13
Weighted-average requisite service period (years)	2 years 6 months
Restricted Stock [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period	5 years
Performance Awards [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted, number of shares	500,000
Restricted Stock Award Vesting Period Price Appreciation Hurdle	20 days
Vesting Performance Period	180 days
Time Vesting Awards [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted, number of shares	500,000
Time Vesting Awards [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period	3 years
Time Vesting Awards [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period	5 years

The weighted average fair value at grant date for nonvested equity-based awards issued during the period on other than stock (or unit) option plans (for example, phantom stock or unit plan, stock or unit appreciation rights plan, performance target plan).

+ References+ Details

Stock-based Compensation (Summary of Restricted Stock Awards Activity) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted, number of shares	1,000	900	1,100
Shares granted, weighted-average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 38.82	$ 37.05	$ 31.13
Restricted Stock Awards [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares outstanding at the beginning of the year, number of shares	3,403
Shares outstanding at the beginning of the year, weighted-average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 21.1
Shares granted, number of shares	972
Shares granted, weighted-average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 38.8
Shares vested, number of shares	(1,974)
Shares vested, weighted-average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 13.7
Shares forfeited, number of shares	(58)
Shares forfeited, weighted-average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 40.4
Shares outstanding at the end of year, number of shares	2,343
Shares outstanding at the end of the year, weighted-average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 34.2

+ References+ Details

The number of non-vested equity-based payment instruments, excluding stock (or unit) options, that validly exist and are outstanding as of the balance sheet date.

+ References+ Details

The weighted average fair value of nonvested awards on equity-based plans excluding option plans (for example, phantom stock or unit plan, stock or unit appreciation rights plan, revenue or profit achievement stock award plan) for which the employer is contingently obligated to issue equity instruments or transfer assets to an employee who has not yet satisfied service or performance criteria necessary to gain title to proceeds from the sale of the award or underlying shares or units.

+ References+ Details

The weighted average fair value as of grant date pertaining to an equity-based award plan other than a stock (or unit) option plan for which the grantee gained the right during the reporting period, by satisfying service and performance requirements, to receive or retain shares or units, other instruments, or cash in accordance with the terms of the arrangement.

+ References+ Details

Stock-based Compensation (Summary of the Assumptions Used in the Monte Carlo Simulation to Determine the Grant-Date Fair Value) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Share-based Compensation [Abstract]
Risk-free rate	0.40%	1.40%	1.50%
Expected volatility	31.00%	48.00%	49.00%
Expected dividend rate	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

The estimated measure of the percentage by which a share price is expected to fluctuate during a period. Volatility also may be defined as a probability-weighted measure of the dispersion of returns about the mean. The volatility of a share price is the standard deviation of the continuously compounded rates of return on the share over a specified period. That is the same as the standard deviation of the differences in the natural logarithms of the stock prices plus dividends, if any, over the period.

+ References+ Details

Stock-based Compensation (Summary of Restricted Stock Awards Vested) (Details) (USD $) Share data in Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total shares vested	1,974	1,717	891
Fair value on vesting date	$ 101,692,000	$ 74,754,000	$ 34,813,000
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	32,700,000	31,300,000	35,200,000
Restricted Stock Awards [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation expense on restricted stock awards	$ 28,800,000
Unrecognized compensation expense on restricted stock awards, weighted average period, years	1 year

Total number of shares issued during the period, including shares forfeited, as a result of Restricted Stock Awards.

+ References+ Details

Aggregate value of stock related to Restricted Stock Awards issued during the period.

+ References+ Details

Stock-based Compensation (Summary of CCIC Stock Option Activity) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Share-based Compensation [Abstract]
Options outstanding (in shares)		0.1
Intrinsic value of stock options exercised	$ 3.1	$ 4.8	$ 28.2
Cash received from exercise of stock options	$ 0.3	$ 1.6	$ 18.7

The cash inflow associated with the amount received from holders exercising their stock options. This item inherently excludes any excess tax benefit, which the entity may have realized and reported separately.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Financing Activities

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6513228

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 95

-Paragraph 18

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 718

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (j)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 123R

-Paragraph A240

-Subparagraph i

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 230

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 14

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6943989&loc=d3e3255-108585

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 95

-Paragraph 19

-Subparagraph a

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

+ Details

The number of shares reserved for issuance under stock option agreements awarded under the plan that validly exist and are outstanding as of the balance sheet date, including vested options.

+ References+ Details

Stock-based Compensation (Stock-Based Compensation Expense) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense, tax benefits	$ 14,700,000	$ 11,400,000	$ 12,800,000
Stock-based compensation expense	47,541,000	35,991,000	39,965,000
CCUSA [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	41,944,000	32,610,000	36,540,000
CCAL [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	5,597,000	3,381,000	3,425,000
Site Rental Cost of Operations [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	3,401,000	942,000	1,131,000
Site Rental Cost of Operations [Member] \| CCUSA [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	3,401,000	942,000	1,131,000
Site Rental Cost of Operations [Member] \| CCAL [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	0	0	0
Network Services and Other Costs of Operations [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	2,721,000	1,555,000	1,568,000
Network Services and Other Costs of Operations [Member] \| CCUSA [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	2,721,000	1,555,000	1,568,000
Network Services and Other Costs of Operations [Member] \| CCAL [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	0	0	0
General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	41,419,000	33,494,000	37,266,000
General and Administrative Expense [Member] \| CCUSA [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	35,822,000	30,113,000	33,841,000
General and Administrative Expense [Member] \| CCAL [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 5,597,000	$ 3,381,000	$ 3,425,000

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Accretion expense related to liabilities for contingent retirement obligations	$ 6,500,000	$ 5,600,000	$ 5,300,000
Increase (Decrease) in Asset Retirement Obligations	21,100,000
Asset retirement obligation	95,000,000	68,500,000
Asset retirement obligation future outlay	1,000,000,000
Letters of credit	12,600,000
Sprint [Member]
Estimated future property tax commitment	27,000,000
Property Taxes [Member] \| Sprint [Member]
Payments for other taxes	$ 16,700,000

The carrying amount of a liability for an asset retirement obligation. An asset retirement obligation is a legal obligation associated with the disposal or retirement of a tangible long-lived asset that results from the acquisition, construction or development, or the normal operations of a long-lived asset, except for certain obligations of lessees.

+ References+ Details

Amount of accretion expense recognized during the period that is associated with an asset retirement obligation. Accretion expense measures and incorporates changes due to the passage of time into the carrying amount of the liability.

+ References+ Details

Leases (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Leases (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Property Subject to or Available for Operating Lease [Line Items]
Weighted average remaining term of tenant leases	8 years
Maximum Current Term	20 years
Tenant Leases 2012	$ 2,105,703,000
Tenant Leases 2013	1,982,547,000
Tenant Leases 2014	1,966,147,000
Tenant Leases 2015	1,895,196,000
Tenant Leases 2016	1,823,029,000
Tenant Leases thereafter	10,480,786,000
Total tenant leases	20,253,408,000
Percentage of wireless infrastructure, office space and equipment that is on land that has non-cancelable operating leases	77.00%
Operating Leases, Owned Land Under Tower, Expiration Term	20 years
Operating Leases, Leased Land Under Tower, Expiration Term	10 years
Operating leases 2012	428,839,000
Operating leases 2013	430,348,000
Operating leases 2014	434,247,000
Operating leases 2015	437,690,000
Operating leases 2016	440,573,000
Operating leases thereafter	5,761,353,000
Total operating leases	7,933,050,000
Rental expense from operating leases	372,300,000	338,300,000	330,100,000
Contingent rental payments	$ 57,600,000	$ 56,400,000	$ 55,100,000
Greater than 10 Years, Inclusive of Renewals at the Company's Option [Member]
Property Subject to or Available for Operating Lease [Line Items]
Percentage of site rental gross margin that is derived from wireless infrastructure where the lease for the land has a final expiration date	91.00%
Greater than 20 Years, Inclusive of Renewals at the Company's Option [Member]
Property Subject to or Available for Operating Lease [Line Items]
Percentage of site rental gross margin that is derived from wireless infrastructure where the lease for the land has a final expiration date	77.00%
Wireless Infrastructure [Member]
Property Subject to or Available for Operating Lease [Line Items]
Estimated useful life, maximum, in years	20 years

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk (Financial Results for the Company's Operating Segments) (Details) (USD $)
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Sep. 30, 2011

Jun. 30, 2011

Mar. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

$ 2,124,190

$ 1,853,550

$ 1,700,761

308,490

179,179

177,897

674,087

621,337

585,511

551,745

519,471

513,883

500,336

499,039

2,432,680

2,032,729

1,878,658

539,239

^[1]

481,398

^[1]

467,136

^[1]

189,750

^[1]

106,987

^[1]

114,241

^[1]

212,572

173,493

165,356

15,548

22,285

13,687

18,298

3,310

2,102

622,592

552,951

540,771

1,597,999

1,340,424

1,303,293

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

208,708

220,768

202,977

202,228

176,846

181,889

167,142

166,428

834,681

692,305

575,365

(601,044)

(507,587)

(490,269)

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

117,388

7,518

7,068

(131,974)

^[2]

(138,367)

^[3]

(286,435)

4,556

666

2,204

(5,392)

(5,577)

(603)

(70,624)

32,300

(68,432)

6,695

100,061

(8,347)

26,846

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest

200,888

171,460

(311,259)

12,304

383

(319)

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders

(19,505)

42,045

116,013

50,031

48,911

51,278

30,871

40,017

188,584

171,077

(310,940)

441,383

347,942

228,058

16,088,709

10,545,096

16,088,709

10,545,096

3,119,957

2,035,390

3,119,957

2,035,390

CCUSA [Member]

2,001,049

1,744,993

1,608,141

285,287

161,522

168,101

2,286,336

1,906,515

1,776,242

503,661

^[1]

446,868

^[1]

437,812

^[1]

173,762

^[1]

96,057

^[1]

107,668

^[1]

184,911

151,737

148,374

15,226

21,986

13,243

18,216

3,310

2,102

591,428

522,681

513,433

1,487,204

1,242,639

1,222,632

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

799,132

663,876

553,610

(601,031)

(507,264)

(488,863)

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

(131,974)

(138,367)

(286,435)

4,089

187

1,888

13,954

17,048

19,151

60,144

(6,126)

28,808

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest

144,314

167,721

(310,208)

(268)

(348)

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders

144,582

168,069

(310,208)

419,980

333,862

216,556

15,969,084

10,497,387

15,969,084

10,497,387

3,116,824

2,034,683

3,116,824

2,034,683

CCAL [Member]

123,141

108,557

92,620

23,203

17,657

9,796

146,344

126,214

102,416

35,578

^[1]

34,530

^[1]

29,324

^[1]

15,988

^[1]

10,930

^[1]

6,573

^[1]

27,661

21,756

16,982

322

299

444

31,164

30,270

27,338

110,795

97,785

80,661

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

35,549

28,429

21,755

(19,330)

(22,974)

(21,381)

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

467

479

316

(29)

221

39,917

(2,221)

(1,962)

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest

56,574

3,739

(1,051)

12,572

731

(319)

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders

44,002

3,008

(732)

21,403

14,080

11,502

440,395

341,852

440,395

341,852

3,133

707

3,133

707

Elimination [Member]

^[4]

^[4]

^[4]

^[1],[4]

^[1],[4]

^[4]

^[4]

^[4]

^[4]

^[4]

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

^[4]

19,317

^[4]

22,651

^[4]

19,975

^[4]

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

^[4]

^[4]

^[4]

(19,317)

(22,651)

(19,975)

^[4]

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interest

^[4]

^[4]

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders

^[4]

^[4]

(320,770)

^[4]

(294,143)

(320,770)

^[4]

(294,143)

Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]

$ 0

[1]	Exclusive of depreciation, amortization and accretion shown separately.
[2]	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.
[3]	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.
[4]	Elimination of inter-company borrowings and related interest expense.

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk (Adjusted for EBITDA) (Details) (USD $)
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

$ 200,888

$ 171,460

$ (311,259)

15,548

22,285

13,687

18,298

3,310

2,102

Amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments

622,592

552,951

540,771

14,166

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

601,044

507,587

490,269

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

(117,388)

(7,518)

(7,068)

131,974

^[1]

138,367

^[2]

286,435

(4,556)

(666)

(2,204)

5,392

5,577

603

70,624

(32,300)

68,432

(6,695)

(100,061)

8,347

(26,846)

47,382

35,991

39,965

Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]

1,552,667

1,306,842

1,171,890

CCUSA [Member]

144,314

167,721

(310,208)

15,226

21,986

13,243

18,216

3,310

2,102

Amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments

591,428

522,681

513,433

14,166

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

601,031

507,264

488,863

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

131,974

138,367

286,435

(4,089)

(187)

(1,888)

(13,954)

(17,048)

(19,151)

(60,144)

6,126

(28,808)

41,785

32,610

36,540

Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]

1,479,953

1,244,463

1,118,928

CCAL [Member]

Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Noncontrolling Owners

22.40%

Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Parent

77.60%

56,574

3,739

(1,051)

322

299

444

Amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments

31,164

30,270

27,338

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

19,330

22,974

21,381

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

(467)

(479)

(316)

(26)

(221)

(39,917)

2,221

1,962

5,597

3,381

3,425

Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]

72,714

62,379

52,962

Elimination [Member]

^[3]

^[3]

^[3]

Amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments

^[3]

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

(19,317)

^[3]

(22,651)

^[3]

(19,975)

^[3]

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

^[3]

^[3]

^[3]

19,317

22,651

19,975

^[3]

^[3]

$ 0

^[3]

$ 0

^[3]

$ 0

^[3]

[1]	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.
[2]	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.
[3]	Elimination of inter-company borrowings and related interest expense.

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk (Geographic Information) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Net revenues	$ 674,087	$ 621,337	$ 585,511	$ 551,745	$ 519,471	$ 513,883	$ 500,336	$ 499,039	$ 2,432,680	$ 2,032,729	$ 1,878,658
Total long-lived assets	12,979,184				9,074,799				12,979,184	9,074,799
United States [Member]
Net revenues									2,283,088	1,902,536	1,772,793
United States long-lived assets	12,730,337				8,847,161				12,730,337	8,847,161
Australia [Member]
Net revenues									146,344	126,214	102,416
Foreign countries long-lived assets	232,099				212,067				232,099	212,067
Other Countries [Member]
Net revenues									3,248	3,979	3,449
Foreign countries long-lived assets	$ 16,748				$ 15,571				$ 16,748	$ 15,571

Operating Segments and Concentrations of Credit Risk (Major Customers) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Percentage of the consolidated revenues	72.00%	74.00%	73.00%
AT&T [Member]
Percentage of the consolidated revenues	20.00%	23.00%	21.00%
Sprint [Member]
Percentage of the consolidated revenues	24.00%	21.00%	20.00%
Verizon Wireless [Member]
Percentage of the consolidated revenues	17.00%	19.00%	21.00%
T-Mobile [Member]
Percentage of the consolidated revenues	11.00%	11.00%	11.00%

Asset Write-Down Charges (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Asset write-down charges	$ 15,548	$ 22,285	$ 13,687
CCUSA [Member]
Asset write-down charges	15,226	21,986	13,243
Tower Write-Down Charges [Member] \| CCUSA [Member]
Asset write-down charges	$ 11,700	$ 15,800	$ 8,600

The charge against earnings resulting from the aggregate write down of all assets from their carrying value to their fair value.

+ References+ Details

Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]
Interest paid	$ 504,494	$ 404,443	$ 409,293
Income taxes paid (refund)	3,375	4,340	(5,935)
Increase (decrease) in the fair value of forward-starting interest rate swaps (note 7)	0	0	(114,157)
Assets acquired through capital leases and installment sales	58,638	27,094	18,682
Conversion of redeemable convertible preferred stock (note 10)	305,180	0	0
Assumption of WCP Securitized Notes	$ 336,273	$ 0	$ 0

The value of the stock converted in a noncash (or part noncash) transaction. Noncash is defined as transactions during a period that do not result in cash receipts or cash payments in the period. "Part noncash" refers to that portion of the transaction not resulting in cash receipts or cash payments in the period.

+ References+ Details

The amount of cash paid during the current period to foreign, federal, state, and local authorities as taxes on income, net of any cash received during the current period as refunds for the overpayment of taxes.

+ References+ Details

Selected Quarterly Financial Information [Abstract]

The amount of debt that an Entity assumes in acquiring a business or in consideration for an asset received in a noncash (or part noncash) acquisition. Noncash is defined as transactions during a period that affect recognized assets or liabilities but that do not result in cash receipts or cash payments in the period. "Part noncash" refers to that portion of the transaction not resulting in cash receipts or cash payments in the period.

+ References+ Details

Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited) (Details) (USD $)
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Sep. 30, 2011

Jun. 30, 2011

Mar. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

$ 674,087

$ 621,337

$ 585,511

$ 551,745

$ 519,471

$ 513,883

$ 500,336

$ 499,039

$ 2,432,680

$ 2,032,729

$ 1,878,658

Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

208,708

220,768

202,977

202,228

176,846

181,889

167,142

166,428

834,681

692,305

575,365

70,624

(32,300)

68,432

(6,695)

(100,061)

8,347

(26,846)

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

(117,388)

(7,518)

(7,068)

131,974

^[1]

138,367

^[2]

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC stockholders

286,435

$ (19,505)

$ 42,045

$ 116,013

$ 50,031

$ 48,911

$ 51,278

$ 30,871

$ 40,017

$ 188,584

$ 171,077

$ (310,940)

Net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock and losses on purchases of preferred stock, per common share:

Basic (in dollars per share)

$ (0.07)

$ 0.14

$ 0.40

$ 0.17

$ 0.16

$ 0.09

$ 0.12

$ 0.64

$ 0.52

$ (1.16)

Diluted (in dollars per share)

$ (0.07)

$ 0.14

$ 0.40

$ 0.17

$ 0.16

$ 0.15

$ 0.09

$ 0.12

$ 0.64

$ 0.52

$ (1.16)

[1]	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.
[2]	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.

Subsequent Events (Details) (USD $)
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010

Mar. 31, 2013

Fixed Rate High Yield Bonds 9 Percent Senior Notes [Member]

Mar. 31, 2013

Fixed Rate - High Yield Bonds, 7.125% Senior Notes [Member]

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations

$ (117,388)

$ 0

$ (7,518)

$ (7,068)

$ 131,974

^[1]

$ 0

$ 138,367

^[2]

$ 17,800

$ 18,000

[1]	Inclusive of $48.1 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts. In addition, the remainder relates to cash losses including with respect to make whole payments.
[2]	Inclusive of $23.4 million related to the write-off of deferred financing costs and discounts.