Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - shares	Mar. 31, 2019	May 13, 2019
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	QWEST CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000068622
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
OPERATING REVENUE
Total operating revenue	$ 2,055	$ 2,130
OPERATING EXPENSES
Cost of services and products (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)	607	707
Selling, general and administrative	157	215
Operating expenses - affiliates	195	216
Depreciation and amortization	336	360
Total operating expenses	1,295	1,498
OPERATING INCOME	760	632
OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME
Interest expense	(95)	(118)
Interest expense - affiliates, net	(16)	(13)
Other income, net	9	9
Total other expense, net	(102)	(122)
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX EXPENSE	658	510
Income tax expense	171	130
NET INCOME	487	380
Non-affiliate services
OPERATING REVENUE
Total operating revenue	1,333	1,419
Affiliate Services
OPERATING REVENUE
Total operating revenue	$ 722	$ 711

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 9	$ 5
Accounts receivable, less allowance of $42 and $41	539	546
Advances to affiliates	1,258	1,148
Other	159	147
Total current assets	1,965	1,846
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $7,131 and $6,951	8,007	8,077
GOODWILL AND OTHER ASSETS
Goodwill	9,360	9,360
Operating lease assets	117
Customer relationships, net	783	893
Other intangible assets, net	355	311
Other, net	93	96
Total goodwill and other assets	10,708	10,660
TOTAL ASSETS	20,680	20,583
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Current maturities of long-term debt	9	11
Accounts payable	366	441
Note payable - affiliate	1,038	1,008
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
Salaries and benefits	162	251
Income and other taxes	170	140
Interest	58	55
Other	84	75
Current affiliate obligations, net	77	79
Current portion of deferred revenue	221	212
Total current liabilities	2,185	2,272
LONG-TERM DEBT	5,947	5,948
DEFERRED CREDITS AND OTHER LIABILITIES
Deferred revenue	97	91
Deferred income taxes, net	1,065	1,098
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	93
Affiliate obligations, net	738	759
Other	550	547
Total deferred credits and other liabilities	2,543	2,495
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 8)
STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY
Common stock - one share without par value, owned by Qwest Services Corporation	10,050	10,050
Accumulated deficit	(45)	(182)
Total stockholder's equity	10,005	9,868
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY	$ 20,680	$ 20,583

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowance	$ 42	$ 41
PP&E, accumulated depreciation	$ 7,131	$ 6,951
Common stock, share issued (in shares)	1	1
Common stock, share outstanding (in shares)	1	1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	$ 487	$ 380
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	336	360
Deferred income taxes	(33)	(41)
Provision for uncollectible accounts	14	23
Accrued interest on affiliate note	30	16
Changes in current assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(7)	95
Accounts payable	(2)	18
Accrued income and other taxes	30	16
Other current assets and liabilities, net	(95)	(130)
Other current assets and liabilities - affiliates, net	(15)	(9)
Changes in other noncurrent assets and liabilities, net	15	1
Changes in affiliate obligations, net	(23)	(19)
Other, net	(5)	(1)
Net cash provided by operating activities	732	709
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures	(288)	(292)
Changes in advances to affiliates	(110)	(109)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment	23	1
Net cash used in investing activities	(375)	(400)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Payments of long-term debt	(3)	(4)
Dividends paid to Qwest Services Corporation	(350)	(300)
Net cash used in financing activities	(353)	(304)
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	4	5
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period	7	3
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period	11	8
Supplemental cash flow information:
Restricted cash included in other noncurrent assets	2	2
Income taxes paid, net	(197)	(171)
Interest paid (net of capitalized interest of $6 and $7)	$ (92)	$ (110)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
Interest paid, capitalized interest	$ 6	$ 7

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Millions	Total	COMMON STOCK	ACCUMULATED DEFICIT
Balance at beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2017		$ 10,050	$ (713)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholder's Equity
Net income	$ 380		380
Dividends declared to Qwest Services Corporation	(300)		(300)
Balance at end of period at Mar. 31, 2018	9,545	10,050	(505)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholder's Equity
Cumulative net effect of adoption of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, net of ($43) taxes \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09			128
Balance at beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2018	9,868	10,050	(182)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholder's Equity
Net income	487		487
Dividends declared to Qwest Services Corporation	(350)		(350)
Balance at end of period at Mar. 31, 2019	$ 10,005	$ 10,050	(45)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholder's Equity
Cumulative net effect of adoption of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, net of ($43) taxes \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09			$ 0

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY (parenthetical) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
ACCUMULATED DEFICIT \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Cumulative effect of new accounting principle in period of adoption, tax	$ (43)

Background	3 Months Ended
Background	Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Background	Background General We are an integrated communications company engaged primarily in providing an array of communications services to our residential and business customers. Our specific products and services are detailed in Note 7—Products and Services Revenue of this report. We generate the majority of our total consolidated operating revenue from services provided in the 14-state region of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. We refer to this region as our local service area. Basis of Presentation Our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018, which was derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, and our unaudited interim consolidated financial statements provided herein have been prepared in accordance with the instructions for Form 10-Q. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"); however, in our opinion, the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. We believe that these consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the results for the interim periods. The consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the first three months of the year are not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations and cash flows that might be expected for the entire year. These consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries. Intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated. Transactions with our non-consolidated affiliates (referred to herein as affiliates) have not been eliminated. We reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation. See Note 7—Products and Services Revenue for additional information. These changes had no impact on total operating revenue, total operating expenses or net income for any period. Segments Our operations are integrated into and reported as part of CenturyLink. CenturyLink's chief operating decision maker ("CODM") is our CODM but reviews our financial information on an aggregate basis only in connection with our quarterly and annual reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Consequently, we do not provide our discrete financial information to the CODM on a regular basis. As such, we have one reportable segment. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements We adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-02, Leases (ASC 842), as of January 1, 2019, using the non-comparative transition option pursuant to ASU 2018-11. Therefore, we have not restated comparative period financial information for the effects of ASC 842, and we will not make the new required lease disclosures for comparative periods beginning before January 1, 2019. Instead, we will recognize ASC 842's cumulative effect transition adjustment (discussed below) as of January 1, 2019. In addition, we elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things (i) allowed us to carry forward the historical lease classification; (ii) did not require us to reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases under the new definition of a lease; and (iii) did not require us to reassess whether previously capitalized initial direct costs for any existing leases would qualify for capitalization under ASC 842. We also elected the practical expedient related to land easements, allowing us to carry forward our accounting treatment for land easements on existing agreements. We did not elect the hindsight practical expedient regarding the likelihood of exercising a lessee purchase option or assessing any impairment of right-of-use assets for existing leases. On March 5, 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-01 - Leases (ASC 842): Codification Improvements, effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The new ASU aligns the guidance for fair value of the underlying asset by lessors that are not manufacturers or dealers in ASC 842, with that of existing guidance. As a result, the fair value of the underlying asset at lease commencement is its cost, reflecting any volume or trade discounts that may apply. However, if there has been a significant lapse of time between when the underlying asset is acquired and when the lease commences, the definition of fair value (in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement) should be applied. More importantly, the ASU also exempts both lessees and lessors from having to provide certain interim disclosures in the fiscal year in which a company adopts the new leases standard. Early adoption permits public companies to adopt concurrent with the transition to ASC 842 on leases. We adopted ASU 2019-01 as of January 1, 2019. Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of additional operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities of approximately $126 million and $133 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. The standard did not materially impact our consolidated net earnings and had no impact on cash flows. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Financial Instruments In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”). The primary impact of ASU 2016-13 for us is a change in the model for the recognition of credit losses related to our financial instruments from an incurred loss model, which recognized credit losses only if it was probable that a loss had been incurred, to an expected loss model, which requires our management team to estimate the total credit losses expected on the portfolio of financial instruments. We are currently reviewing the requirements of the standard and evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements. We are required to adopt the provisions of ASU 2016-13 no later than January 1, 2020. We expect to adopt ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2020 and recognize the impacts through a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption.

Goodwill, Customer Relationships and Other Intangible Assets

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill, Customer Relationships and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill, customer relationships and other intangible assets consisted of the following:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Goodwill	$	9,360	9,360
Customer relationships, less accumulated amortization of $4,916 and $4,806	$	783	893
Other intangible assets, less accumulated amortization of $1,724 and $1,712	$	355	311

As of March 31, 2019, the gross carrying amount of goodwill, customer relationships and other intangible assets was $17.1 billion. The total amortization expense for intangible assets for the three months ended March 31, 2019 totaled $137 million and for the three months ended March 31, 2018 totaled $149 million.

We estimate that total amortization expense for intangible assets for the years ending December 31, 2019 through 2023 will be as follows:



	(Dollars in millions)
2019 (remaining nine months)	$	380
2020	457
2021	149
2022	46
2023	34

Revenue Recognition

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition

Refer to the Revenue Recognition section of Note 1—Background and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 3—Revenue Recognition in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 for further information regarding our application of ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”, including practical expedients and judgments applied in determining the amounts and timing of revenue from contracts with customers.

Reconciliation of Total Revenue to Revenue from Contracts with Customers

The following table provides the amount of revenue that is not subject to ASC 606, but is instead governed by other accounting standards:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2019			March 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Total revenue	$	2,055		2,130
Adjustments for non-ASC 606 revenue ⁽¹⁾	(127		)	(78	)
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$	1,928		2,052

______________________________________________________________________


⁽¹⁾	Includes regulatory revenue, lease revenue, sublease rental income and revenue from fiber capacity lease arrangements which are not within the scope of ASC 606.

Customer Receivables and Contract Balances

The following table provides balances of customer receivables, contract assets and contract liabilities as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Customer receivables ⁽¹⁾	$	518	518
Contract liabilities	282		207
Contract assets	55		64


(1)	Gross customer receivables of $560 million and $554 million, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $42 million and $36 million, at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.

Contract liabilities are consideration we have received from our customers or billed in advance of providing goods or services promised in the future. We defer recognizing this consideration as revenue until we have satisfied the related performance obligation to the customer. Contract liabilities include recurring services billed one month in advance and installation and maintenance charges that are deferred and recognized over the actual or expected contract term, which ranges from one to seven years depending on the service. Contract liabilities are included within deferred revenue in our consolidated balance sheets.

The following table provides information about revenue recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2019		March 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Revenue recognized in the period from:
Amounts included in contract liability at the beginning of the period (January 1, 2019 and 2018, respectively)	$	261	269
Performance obligations satisfied in previous periods	—		—

Performance Obligations

As of March 31, 2019, our estimated revenue expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations associated with customer contracts that are unsatisfied (or partially satisfied) is approximately $166 million. We expect to recognize approximately 100% of this revenue through 2021, with the balance recognized thereafter.

We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts for which we recognize revenue at the amount to which we have the right to invoice for services performed (for example, uncommitted usage or non-recurring charges associated with professional or technical services to be completed), or contracts that are classified as leasing arrangements that are not subject to ASC 606.

Contract Costs

The following table provides changes in our contract acquisition costs and fulfillment costs:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019					Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
	Acquisition Costs			Fulfillment Costs		Acquisition Costs		Fulfillment Costs
	(Dollars in millions)
Beginning of period balance	$	90		57		91		61
Costs incurred	16			4		14		4
Amortization	(16		)	(4	)	(15	)	(5	)
End of period balance	$	90		57		90		60

Acquisition costs include commission fees paid to employees as a result of obtaining contracts. Fulfillment costs include third party and internal costs associated with the provision, installation and activation of telecommunications services to customers, including labor and materials consumed for these activities.

Deferred acquisition and fulfillment costs are amortized based on the transfer of services on a straight-line basis over the average customer life of 30 months for consumer customers and up to 49 months for business customers. Amortized fulfillment costs are included in cost of services products and amortized acquisition costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. The amount of these deferred costs that are anticipated to be amortized in the next twelve months are included in other current assets on our consolidated balance sheets. The amount of deferred costs expected to be amortized beyond the next twelve months is included in other non-current assets on our consolidated balance sheets. Deferred acquisition and fulfillment costs are assessed for impairment on an annual basis.

Leases

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

Effective January 1, 2019, we adopted ASC 842 using the non-comparative transition option of applying the new standard at the adoption date. In addition, we elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard. This allowed us to carry forward the historical lease classification. Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of additional operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities of approximately $126 million and $133 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. Financial position for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019 are presented under the new guidance, while prior periods amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with previous guidance.

We primarily lease various office facilities, switching and colocation facilities, equipment and dark fiber. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; we recognize lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception and whether that lease meets the classification criteria of a finance or operating lease. Lease-related assets, or right-of-use assets, are recognized at the lease commencement date at amounts equal to the respective lease liabilities. Lease-related liabilities are recognized at the present value of the remaining contractual fixed lease payments, discounted using our incremental borrowing rates. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term, while variable lease payments are expensed as incurred.

Some of our lease arrangements contain lease components (including fixed payments including rent, real estate taxes and insurance costs) and non-lease components (including common-area maintenance costs). We generally account for each component separately based on the estimated standalone price of each component. For colocation leases, we account for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component.

Many of our lease agreements contain renewal options; however, we do not recognize right-of-use assets or lease liabilities for renewal periods unless it is determined that we are reasonably certain of renewing the lease at inception or when a triggering event occurs. Certain leases also include options to purchase the leased property. The depreciable life of assets and leasehold improvements are limited by the expected lease term, unless there is a transfer of title or purchase option reasonably certain to be exercised. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

Lease expense consisted of the following:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
	(Dollars in millions)
Operating and short-term lease cost	$	8
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets	3
Total finance lease cost	3
Total lease cost	$	11

Supplemental unaudited consolidated balance sheet information and other information related to leases:



Leases (millions)	Classification on the Balance Sheet	As of March 31, 2019
Assets
Operating lease assets	Operating lease assets	$	117
Finance lease assets	Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	19
Total leased assets		$	136

Liabilities
Current
Operating	Other current liabilities	$	32
Finance	Current portion of long-term debt	9
Non-current
Operating	Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	93
Finance	Long-term debt	8
Total lease liabilities		$	142

Weighted-average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases		5.8
Finance leases		4.4
Weighted-average discount rate
Operating leases		6.70		%
Finance leases		4.85		%

Supplemental unaudited consolidated cash flow statement information related to leases:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
	(Dollars in millions)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	9
Financing cash flows from finance leases	2

As of March 31, 2019, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows:



	Operating Leases			Finance Leases
	(Dollars in millions)
2019 (remaining nine months)	$	26		7
2020	29			5
2021	27			1
2022	23			1
2023	19			1
Thereafter	33			4
Total lease payments	157			19
Less: interest	(32		)	(2	)
Total	125			17
Less: current portion	(32		)	(9	)
Long-term portion	$	93		8

As of March 31, 2019, we had no material operating or finance leases that had not yet commenced.

Operating Lease Income

Qwest leases various IRUs, office facilities, switching facilities and other network sites to third parties under operating leases. Lease and sublease income is included in operating revenue in the consolidated statements of operations.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, our gross rental income was $81 million and $85 million, respectively.

We adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 as noted above, and as required, the following disclosure is provided for periods prior to adoption.

The future annual minimum payments under capital lease agreements as of December 31, 2018 were as follows:



	Future Minimum Payments
	(Dollars in millions)
Capital lease obligations:
2019	$	10
2020	6
2021	2
2022	1
2023	1
2024 and thereafter	4
Total minimum payments	24
Less: amount representing interest and executory costs	(5		)
Present value of minimum payments	19
Less: current portion	(12		)
Long-term portion	$	7

At December 31, 2018, our future rental commitments for operating leases were as follows:



	Operating Leases
	(Dollars in millions)
2019	$	35
2020	28
2021	27
2022	23
2023	19
2024 and thereafter	32
Total future minimum payments⁽¹⁾	$	164

_______________________________________________________________________________


(1)	Minimum payments have not been reduced by minimum sublease rentals of $22 million due in the future under non-cancelable subleases.

Leases

Effective January 1, 2019, we adopted ASC 842 using the non-comparative transition option of applying the new standard at the adoption date. In addition, we elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard. This allowed us to carry forward the historical lease classification. Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of additional operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities of approximately $126 million and $133 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. Financial position for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019 are presented under the new guidance, while prior periods amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with previous guidance.

We primarily lease various office facilities, switching and colocation facilities, equipment and dark fiber. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; we recognize lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception and whether that lease meets the classification criteria of a finance or operating lease. Lease-related assets, or right-of-use assets, are recognized at the lease commencement date at amounts equal to the respective lease liabilities. Lease-related liabilities are recognized at the present value of the remaining contractual fixed lease payments, discounted using our incremental borrowing rates. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term, while variable lease payments are expensed as incurred.

Some of our lease arrangements contain lease components (including fixed payments including rent, real estate taxes and insurance costs) and non-lease components (including common-area maintenance costs). We generally account for each component separately based on the estimated standalone price of each component. For colocation leases, we account for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component.

Many of our lease agreements contain renewal options; however, we do not recognize right-of-use assets or lease liabilities for renewal periods unless it is determined that we are reasonably certain of renewing the lease at inception or when a triggering event occurs. Certain leases also include options to purchase the leased property. The depreciable life of assets and leasehold improvements are limited by the expected lease term, unless there is a transfer of title or purchase option reasonably certain to be exercised. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

Lease expense consisted of the following:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
	(Dollars in millions)
Operating and short-term lease cost	$	8
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets	3
Total finance lease cost	3
Total lease cost	$	11

Supplemental unaudited consolidated balance sheet information and other information related to leases:



Leases (millions)	Classification on the Balance Sheet	As of March 31, 2019
Assets
Operating lease assets	Operating lease assets	$	117
Finance lease assets	Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	19
Total leased assets		$	136

Liabilities
Current
Operating	Other current liabilities	$	32
Finance	Current portion of long-term debt	9
Non-current
Operating	Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	93
Finance	Long-term debt	8
Total lease liabilities		$	142

Weighted-average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases		5.8
Finance leases		4.4
Weighted-average discount rate
Operating leases		6.70		%
Finance leases		4.85		%

Supplemental unaudited consolidated cash flow statement information related to leases:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
	(Dollars in millions)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	9
Financing cash flows from finance leases	2

As of March 31, 2019, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows:



	Operating Leases			Finance Leases
	(Dollars in millions)
2019 (remaining nine months)	$	26		7
2020	29			5
2021	27			1
2022	23			1
2023	19			1
Thereafter	33			4
Total lease payments	157			19
Less: interest	(32		)	(2	)
Total	125			17
Less: current portion	(32		)	(9	)
Long-term portion	$	93		8

As of March 31, 2019, we had no material operating or finance leases that had not yet commenced.

Operating Lease Income

Qwest leases various IRUs, office facilities, switching facilities and other network sites to third parties under operating leases. Lease and sublease income is included in operating revenue in the consolidated statements of operations.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, our gross rental income was $81 million and $85 million, respectively.

We adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 as noted above, and as required, the following disclosure is provided for periods prior to adoption.

The future annual minimum payments under capital lease agreements as of December 31, 2018 were as follows:



	Future Minimum Payments
	(Dollars in millions)
Capital lease obligations:
2019	$	10
2020	6
2021	2
2022	1
2023	1
2024 and thereafter	4
Total minimum payments	24
Less: amount representing interest and executory costs	(5		)
Present value of minimum payments	19
Less: current portion	(12		)
Long-term portion	$	7

At December 31, 2018, our future rental commitments for operating leases were as follows:



	Operating Leases
	(Dollars in millions)
2019	$	35
2020	28
2021	27
2022	23
2023	19
2024 and thereafter	32
Total future minimum payments⁽¹⁾	$	164

_______________________________________________________________________________


(1)	Minimum payments have not been reduced by minimum sublease rentals of $22 million due in the future under non-cancelable subleases.

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Promissory Note

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Promissory Note

The following chart reflects (i) the consolidated long-term debt of Qwest Corporation and its subsidiaries, including unamortized discounts and premiums, unamortized debt issuance costs and (ii) note payable - affiliate:



	Interest Rates	Maturities	March 31, 2019			December 31, 2018
			(Dollars in millions)
Senior notes	6.125% - 7.750%	2021 - 2057	$	5,956		5,956
Term loan	4.500%	2025	100			100
Finance lease and other obligations	Various	Various	17			21
Unamortized (discounts) premiums, net			(1		)	(1	)
Unamortized debt issuance costs			(116		)	(117	)
Total long-term debt			5,956			5,959
Less current maturities			(9		)	(11	)
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities			$	5,947		5,948
Note payable - affiliate	5.945%	2022	$	1,038		1,008

Note Payable - Affiliate

On September 30, 2017, Qwest Corporation entered into an amended and restated revolving promissory note in the amount of $965 million with an affiliate of our ultimate parent company, CenturyLink, Inc. This note replaced and amended the original $1.0 billion revolving promissory note Qwest Corporation entered into on April 18, 2012 with the same affiliate. The outstanding principal balance owed by Qwest Corporation under this revolving promissory note and the accrued interest thereon is due and payable on demand, but if no demand is made, then on June 30, 2022. Interest is accrued on the outstanding balance during an interest period using a weighted average per annum interest rate on the consolidated outstanding debt of CenturyLink and its subsidiaries. As of March 31, 2019, the amended and restated revolving promissory note had an outstanding balance of $1.038 billion and bore interest at a weighted-average interest rate of 5.945%. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the amended and restated revolving promissory note is reflected on our consolidated balance sheets as a current liability under "Note payable - affiliate". In accordance with the terms of the amended and restated revolving promissory note, interest shall be assessed on June 30th and December 31st (an "Interest Period"). Any assessed interest for an Interest Period that remains unpaid on the last day of the subsequent Interest Period is to be capitalized on such date and is to begin accruing interest. Through March 31, 2019, $73 million of such interest has been capitalized. As of March 31, 2019, $15 million of accrued interest is reflected in other current liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet.

Aggregate Maturities of Long-Term Debt

Set forth below is the aggregate principal amount of our long-term debt (excluding unamortized premiums and discounts and unamortized debt issuance costs and excluding note payable-affiliate) maturing during the following years:



	(Dollars in millions)
2019 (remaining nine months)	$	7
2020	5
2021	951
2022	—
2023	1
2024 and thereafter	5,109
Total long-term debt	$	6,073

Compliance

As of March 31, 2019, we believe we were in compliance with the financial covenants contained in our debt agreements in all material respects.

Other

For additional information on our long-term debt and credit facilities, see Note 4—Long-Term Debt and Revolving Promissory Note to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Fair Value Disclosure

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Disclosure

The Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure framework provides a three-tiered fair value hierarchy based on the reliability of the inputs used to determine fair value. Input Level 1 refers to fair values determined based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. Input Level 2 refers to fair values estimated using significant other observable inputs and Input Level 3 includes fair values estimated using significant unobservable inputs.

The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our long-term debt, excluding finance lease and other obligations, as well as the input level used to determine the fair values indicated below:



		March 31, 2019			December 31, 2018
	Input Level	Carrying Amount		Fair Value	Carrying Amount	Fair Value
		(Dollars in millions)
Liabilities—Long-term debt (excluding finance lease and other obligations)	2	$	5,939	5,885	5,938	5,118

- Definition

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.

+ References + Details

Products and Services Revenue

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Products and Services Revenue

We are an integrated communications company engaged primarily in providing an array of communications services, including local voice, broadband, private line (including business data services), Ethernet, network access, information technology and other ancillary services. We strive to maintain our customer relationships by, among other things, bundling our service offerings to provide our customers with a complete offering of integrated communications services.

We categorize our products, services and revenue among the following six categories:


•	IP and Data Services, which include primarily VPN data networks, Ethernet, IP and other ancillary services;


•	Transport and Infrastructure, which include broadband, private line (including business data services) and other ancillary services;


•	Voice and Collaboration, which includes primarily local voice, including wholesale voice, and other ancillary services;


•	IT and Managed Services, which include information technology services and managed services, which may be purchased in conjunction with our other network services;

•

Regulatory Revenue, which consist of Universal Service Fund ("USF") and Connect America Fund ("CAF") support payments and other operating revenue. We receive federal support payments from both federal and state USF programs and from the federal CAF program. These support payments are government subsidies designed to reimburse us for various costs related to certain telecommunications services including the costs of deploying, maintaining and operating voice and broadband infrastructure in high-cost rural areas where we are not able to fully recover our costs from our customers; and


•	Affiliate Services, we provide to our affiliates, telecommunication services that we also provide to external customers. In addition, we provide to our affiliates computer system development and support services, network support and technical services.

From time to time, we may change the categorization of our products and services.

Our operating revenue for our products and services consisted of the following categories:



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
	(Dollars in millions)
IP and Data Services	$	147	150
Transport and Infrastructure	715		744
Voice and Collaboration	422		467
IT and Managed Services	1		2
Regulatory Revenue	48		56
Affiliate Services	722		711
Total operating revenue	$	2,055	2,130

We recognize revenue in our consolidated statements of operations for certain USF surcharges and transaction taxes that we bill to our customers. Our consolidated statements of operations also reflect the offsetting expense for the amounts we remit to the government agencies. The total amount of such surcharges and transaction taxes that we included in revenue aggregated $30 million and $34 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. These USF surcharges are assigned to the products and services categories based on the underlying revenue. We also act as a collection agent for certain other USF and transaction taxes that we are required by government agencies to bill our customers, for which we do not record any revenue or expense because we only act as a pass-through agent.

Commitments, Contingencies and Other Items	3 Months Ended
Commitments, Contingencies and Other Items	Mar. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments, Contingencies and Other Items	Commitments, Contingencies and Other Items We are subject to various claims, legal proceedings and other contingent liabilities, including the matters described below, which individually or in the aggregate could materially affect our financial condition, future results of operations or cash flows. As a matter of course, we are prepared to both litigate these matters to judgment as needed, as well as to evaluate and consider reasonable settlement opportunities. Irrespective of its merits, litigation may be both lengthy and disruptive to our operations and could cause significant expenditure and diversion of management attention. We review our litigation accrual liabilities on a quarterly basis, but in accordance with applicable accounting guidelines only establish accrual liabilities when losses are deemed probable and reasonably estimable and only revise previously-established accrual liabilities when warranted by changes in circumstances, in each case based on then-available information. As such, as of any given date we could have exposure to losses under proceedings as to which no liability has been accrued or as to which the accrued liability is inadequate. Amounts accrued for our litigation and non-income tax contingencies at March 31, 2019 aggregated to approximately $22 million and are included in “Other” current liabilities and “Other Liabilities” in our consolidated balance sheet as of such date. The establishment of an accrual does not mean that actual funds have been set aside to satisfy a given contingency. Thus, the resolution of a particular contingency for the amount accrued could have no effect on our results of operations but nonetheless could have an adverse effect on our cash flows. In this Note, when we refer to a class action as "putative" it is because a class has been alleged, but not certified in that matter. Switched Access Disputes Subsidiaries of CenturyLink, Inc., including us, are among hundreds of companies involved in an industry-wide dispute, raised in nearly 100 federal lawsuits (filed between 2014 and 2016) that have been consolidated in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas for pretrial procedures. The disputes relate to switched access charges that local exchange carriers ("LECs") collect from interexchange carriers ("IXCs") for IXCs' use of LEC's access services. In the lawsuits, IXCs, including Sprint Communications Company L.P. ("Sprint") and various affiliates of Verizon Communications Inc. ("Verizon"), assert that federal and state laws bar LECs from collecting access charges when IXCs exchange certain types of calls between mobile and wireline devices that are routed through an IXC. Some of these IXCs have asserted claims seeking refunds of payments for access charges previously paid and relief from future access charges. In November 2015, the federal court agreed with the LECs and rejected the IXCs' contention that federal law prohibits these particular access charges, and also allowed the IXCs to refile state-law claims. Since then, many of the LECs and IXCs have filed revised pleadings and additional motions, which remain pending. Separately, some of the defendants, including us, have petitioned the FCC to address these issues on an industry-wide basis. The outcome of these disputes and lawsuits, as well as any related regulatory proceedings that could ensue, are currently not predictable. Billing Practices Suits In June 2017, a former employee of CenturyLink filed an employment lawsuit against CenturyLink claiming that she was wrongfully terminated for alleging that CenturyLink charged some of its retail customers for products and services they did not authorize. Starting shortly thereafter and continuing since then, and based in part on the allegations made by the former employee, several legal proceedings have been filed. In June 2017, McLeod v. CenturyLink, a putative consumer class action, was filed against CenturyLink in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging that it charged some of its retail customers for products and services they did not authorize. A number of other complaints asserting similar claims have been filed in other federal and state courts, as well. The lawsuits assert claims including fraud, unfair competition, and unjust enrichment. Also, in June 2017, Craig. v. CenturyLink, Inc., et al., a putative securities investor class action, was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that it failed to disclose material information regarding improper sales practices, and asserting federal securities law claims. A number of other cases asserting similar claims have also been filed. Beginning June 2017, CenturyLink received several shareholder derivative demands addressing related topics. In August 2017, CenturyLink's Board of Directors formed a special litigation committee of outside directors to address the allegations of impropriety contained in the shareholder derivative demands. In April 2018, the special litigation committee concluded its review of the derivative demands and declined to take further action. Since then, derivative cases were filed. Two of these cases, Castagna v. Post and Pinsly v. Post, were filed in Louisiana state court in the Fourth Judicial District Court for the Parish of Ouachita. The remaining derivative cases were filed in federal court in Louisiana and Minnesota. These cases have been brought on behalf of CenturyLink against certain current and former officers and directors of the Company and seek damages for alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. The consumer putative class actions, the securities investor putative class actions, and the federal derivative actions described above have been transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota for coordinated and consolidated pretrial proceedings as In Re: CenturyLink Sales Practices and Securities Litigation. In July 2017, the Minnesota state attorney general filed State of Minnesota v. CenturyTel Broadband Services LLC, et al. in the Anoka County Minnesota District Court, alleging claims of fraud and deceptive trade practices relating to improper consumer sales practices. The suit seeks an order of restitution on behalf of all CenturyLink customers, civil penalties, injunctive relief, and costs and fees. Additionally, CenturyLink has received and responded to information requests and inquiries from other states. Other Proceedings, Disputes and Contingencies From time to time, we are involved in other proceedings incidental to our business, including patent infringement allegations, administrative hearings of state public utility commissions relating primarily to our rates or services, actions relating to employee claims, various tax issues, environmental law issues, grievance hearings before labor regulatory agencies and miscellaneous third-party tort actions. We are currently defending several patent infringement lawsuits asserted against us by non-practicing entities, many of which are seeking substantial recoveries. These cases have progressed to various stages and one or more may go to trial in the coming 24 months if they are not otherwise resolved. Where applicable, we are seeking full or partial indemnification from our vendors and suppliers. As with all litigation, we are vigorously defending these actions and, as a matter of course, are prepared to litigate these matters to judgment, as well as to evaluate and consider all reasonable settlement opportunities. We are subject to various federal, state and local environmental protection and health and safety laws. From time to time, we are subject to judicial and administrative proceedings brought by various governmental authorities under these laws. Several such proceedings are currently pending, but none is reasonably expected to exceed $100,000 in fines and penalties. The outcome of these other proceedings described under this heading is not predictable. However, based on current circumstances, we do not believe that the ultimate resolution of these other proceedings, after considering available defenses and any insurance coverage or indemnification rights, will have a material adverse effect on us. The matters listed above in this Note do not reflect all of our contingencies. For additional information on our contingencies, see Note 15—Commitments, Contingencies and Other Items to the financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. The ultimate outcome of the above-described matters may differ materially from the outcomes anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us in certain of our statements appearing above in this Note, and proceedings currently viewed as immaterial by us may ultimately materially impact us.

Dividends	3 Months Ended
Dividends	Mar. 31, 2019
Dividends [Abstract]
Dividends	Dividends From time to time we may declare and pay dividends to our direct parent company, Qwest Services Corporation ("QSC"), sometimes in excess of our earnings to the extent permitted by applicable law. Our debt covenants do not currently limit the amount of dividends we can pay to QSC. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we declared and paid dividends of $350 million and $300 million, respectively, to QSC. Dividends paid are reflected on our consolidated statements of cash flows as financing activities.

Other Financial Information

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Other Financial Information

Other Current Assets

The following table presents details of other current assets reflected in our consolidated balance sheets:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Prepaid expenses	$	64	37
Contract acquisition costs	52		52
Contract fulfillment costs	27		27
Other	16		31
Total other current assets	$	159	147

Labor Union Contracts	3 Months Ended
Labor Union Contracts	Mar. 31, 2019
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]
Labor Union Contracts	Labor Union Contracts As of March 31, 2019, approximately 44% of our employees were members of various bargaining units represented by the Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. We believe that relations with our employees continue to be generally good.

Background (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Background (Policies)	Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Consolidation policy	The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries. Intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated. Transactions with our non-consolidated affiliates (referred to herein as affiliates) have not been eliminated.
Segments	Segments Our operations are integrated into and reported as part of CenturyLink. CenturyLink's chief operating decision maker ("CODM") is our CODM but reviews our financial information on an aggregate basis only in connection with our quarterly and annual reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Consequently, we do not provide our discrete financial information to the CODM on a regular basis. As such, we have one reportable segment.
Recent accounting pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements We adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-02, Leases (ASC 842), as of January 1, 2019, using the non-comparative transition option pursuant to ASU 2018-11. Therefore, we have not restated comparative period financial information for the effects of ASC 842, and we will not make the new required lease disclosures for comparative periods beginning before January 1, 2019. Instead, we will recognize ASC 842's cumulative effect transition adjustment (discussed below) as of January 1, 2019. In addition, we elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things (i) allowed us to carry forward the historical lease classification; (ii) did not require us to reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases under the new definition of a lease; and (iii) did not require us to reassess whether previously capitalized initial direct costs for any existing leases would qualify for capitalization under ASC 842. We also elected the practical expedient related to land easements, allowing us to carry forward our accounting treatment for land easements on existing agreements. We did not elect the hindsight practical expedient regarding the likelihood of exercising a lessee purchase option or assessing any impairment of right-of-use assets for existing leases. On March 5, 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-01 - Leases (ASC 842): Codification Improvements, effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The new ASU aligns the guidance for fair value of the underlying asset by lessors that are not manufacturers or dealers in ASC 842, with that of existing guidance. As a result, the fair value of the underlying asset at lease commencement is its cost, reflecting any volume or trade discounts that may apply. However, if there has been a significant lapse of time between when the underlying asset is acquired and when the lease commences, the definition of fair value (in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement) should be applied. More importantly, the ASU also exempts both lessees and lessors from having to provide certain interim disclosures in the fiscal year in which a company adopts the new leases standard. Early adoption permits public companies to adopt concurrent with the transition to ASC 842 on leases. We adopted ASU 2019-01 as of January 1, 2019. Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of additional operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities of approximately $126 million and $133 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. The standard did not materially impact our consolidated net earnings and had no impact on cash flows. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Financial Instruments In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”). The primary impact of ASU 2016-13 for us is a change in the model for the recognition of credit losses related to our financial instruments from an incurred loss model, which recognized credit losses only if it was probable that a loss had been incurred, to an expected loss model, which requires our management team to estimate the total credit losses expected on the portfolio of financial instruments. We are currently reviewing the requirements of the standard and evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements. We are required to adopt the provisions of ASU 2016-13 no later than January 1, 2020. We expect to adopt ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2020 and recognize the impacts through a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption.

Goodwill, Customer Relationships and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Intangible Assets and Goodwill

Goodwill, customer relationships and other intangible assets consisted of the following:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Goodwill	$	9,360	9,360
Customer relationships, less accumulated amortization of $4,916 and $4,806	$	783	893
Other intangible assets, less accumulated amortization of $1,724 and $1,712	$	355	311

Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense

We estimate that total amortization expense for intangible assets for the years ending December 31, 2019 through 2023 will be as follows:



	(Dollars in millions)
2019 (remaining nine months)	$	380
2020	457
2021	149
2022	46
2023	34

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Schedule of Revenue

The following table provides the amount of revenue that is not subject to ASC 606, but is instead governed by other accounting standards:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2019			March 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Total revenue	$	2,055		2,130
Adjustments for non-ASC 606 revenue ⁽¹⁾	(127		)	(78	)
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$	1,928		2,052

______________________________________________________________________


⁽¹⁾	Includes regulatory revenue, lease revenue, sublease rental income and revenue from fiber capacity lease arrangements which are not within the scope of ASC 606.

Contract with customer, asset and liability

The following table provides information about revenue recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2019		March 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Revenue recognized in the period from:
Amounts included in contract liability at the beginning of the period (January 1, 2019 and 2018, respectively)	$	261	269
Performance obligations satisfied in previous periods	—		—

The following table provides balances of customer receivables, contract assets and contract liabilities as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Customer receivables ⁽¹⁾	$	518	518
Contract liabilities	282		207
Contract assets	55		64


(1)	Gross customer receivables of $560 million and $554 million, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $42 million and $36 million, at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.

Capitalized contract cost

The following table provides changes in our contract acquisition costs and fulfillment costs:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019					Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
	Acquisition Costs			Fulfillment Costs		Acquisition Costs		Fulfillment Costs
	(Dollars in millions)
Beginning of period balance	$	90		57		91		61
Costs incurred	16			4		14		4
Amortization	(16		)	(4	)	(15	)	(5	)
End of period balance	$	90		57		90		60

Leases (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Lease, Cost

Supplemental unaudited consolidated cash flow statement information related to leases:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
	(Dollars in millions)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	9
Financing cash flows from finance leases	2

Lease expense consisted of the following:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
	(Dollars in millions)
Operating and short-term lease cost	$	8
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets	3
Total finance lease cost	3
Total lease cost	$	11

Assets And Liabilities, Lessee

Supplemental unaudited consolidated balance sheet information and other information related to leases:



Leases (millions)	Classification on the Balance Sheet	As of March 31, 2019
Assets
Operating lease assets	Operating lease assets	$	117
Finance lease assets	Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	19
Total leased assets		$	136

Liabilities
Current
Operating	Other current liabilities	$	32
Finance	Current portion of long-term debt	9
Non-current
Operating	Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	93
Finance	Long-term debt	8
Total lease liabilities		$	142

Weighted-average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases		5.8
Finance leases		4.4
Weighted-average discount rate
Operating leases		6.70		%
Finance leases		4.85		%

Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Maturity

As of March 31, 2019, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows:



	Operating Leases			Finance Leases
	(Dollars in millions)
2019 (remaining nine months)	$	26		7
2020	29			5
2021	27			1
2022	23			1
2023	19			1
Thereafter	33			4
Total lease payments	157			19
Less: interest	(32		)	(2	)
Total	125			17
Less: current portion	(32		)	(9	)
Long-term portion	$	93		8

Schedule of Future Minimum Lease Payments for Capital Leases

The future annual minimum payments under capital lease agreements as of December 31, 2018 were as follows:



	Future Minimum Payments
	(Dollars in millions)
Capital lease obligations:
2019	$	10
2020	6
2021	2
2022	1
2023	1
2024 and thereafter	4
Total minimum payments	24
Less: amount representing interest and executory costs	(5		)
Present value of minimum payments	19
Less: current portion	(12		)
Long-term portion	$	7

Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases

At December 31, 2018, our future rental commitments for operating leases were as follows:



	Operating Leases
	(Dollars in millions)
2019	$	35
2020	28
2021	27
2022	23
2023	19
2024 and thereafter	32
Total future minimum payments⁽¹⁾	$	164

_______________________________________________________________________________


(1)	Minimum payments have not been reduced by minimum sublease rentals of $22 million due in the future under non-cancelable subleases.

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Promissory Note (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of long-term debt

The following chart reflects (i) the consolidated long-term debt of Qwest Corporation and its subsidiaries, including unamortized discounts and premiums, unamortized debt issuance costs and (ii) note payable - affiliate:



	Interest Rates	Maturities	March 31, 2019			December 31, 2018
			(Dollars in millions)
Senior notes	6.125% - 7.750%	2021 - 2057	$	5,956		5,956
Term loan	4.500%	2025	100			100
Finance lease and other obligations	Various	Various	17			21
Unamortized (discounts) premiums, net			(1		)	(1	)
Unamortized debt issuance costs			(116		)	(117	)
Total long-term debt			5,956			5,959
Less current maturities			(9		)	(11	)
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities			$	5,947		5,948
Note payable - affiliate	5.945%	2022	$	1,038		1,008

Schedule of maturities of long-term debt

Set forth below is the aggregate principal amount of our long-term debt (excluding unamortized premiums and discounts and unamortized debt issuance costs and excluding note payable-affiliate) maturing during the following years:



	(Dollars in millions)
2019 (remaining nine months)	$	7
2020	5
2021	951
2022	—
2023	1
2024 and thereafter	5,109
Total long-term debt	$	6,073

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of long-debt instruments or arrangements, including identification, terms, features, collateral requirements and other information necessary to a fair presentation. These are debt arrangements that originally required repayment more than twelve months after issuance or greater than the normal operating cycle of the entity, if longer.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114775744&loc=d3e28541-108399

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109259400&loc=d3e21506-112644

Reference 4: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(e),(f))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 5: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114775744&loc=d3e28551-108399

Reference 6: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109259400&loc=d3e21521-112644

Reference 7: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109259400&loc=d3e21538-112644

Reference 8: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 470
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=75038535&loc=d3e64711-112823

Reference 9: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 55
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114775985&loc=d3e28878-108400

Reference 10: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109259400&loc=d3e21475-112644

+ Details

Fair Value Disclosure (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Schedule of carrying amounts and estimated fair values of long-term debt, excluding capital lease obligations, and input level to determine fair values

The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our long-term debt, excluding finance lease and other obligations, as well as the input level used to determine the fair values indicated below:



		March 31, 2019			December 31, 2018
	Input Level	Carrying Amount		Fair Value	Carrying Amount	Fair Value
		(Dollars in millions)
Liabilities—Long-term debt (excluding finance lease and other obligations)	2	$	5,939	5,885	5,938	5,118

Products and Services Revenue (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Disaggregation of revenue

Our operating revenue for our products and services consisted of the following categories:



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
	(Dollars in millions)
IP and Data Services	$	147	150
Transport and Infrastructure	715		744
Voice and Collaboration	422		467
IT and Managed Services	1		2
Regulatory Revenue	48		56
Affiliate Services	722		711
Total operating revenue	$	2,055	2,130

Other Financial Information (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of components other current assets

The following table presents details of other current assets reflected in our consolidated balance sheets:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
	(Dollars in millions)
Prepaid expenses	$	64	37
Contract acquisition costs	52		52
Contract fulfillment costs	27		27
Other	16		31
Total other current assets	$	159	147

Background (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Background (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 state segment	Jan. 01, 2019 USD ($)
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Number of states in which entity operates \| state	14
Number of reportable segments \| segment	1
ACCUMULATED DEFICIT \| Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative net effect of adoption of ASU		$ 126
Cumulative effect of new accounting principle in period of adoption, tax		$ 133

Goodwill, Customer Relationships and Other Intangible Assets - Schedule of Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 9,360	$ 9,360
Customer relationships
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets, net	783	893
Accumulated amortization	4,916	4,806
Other Intangible Assets
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets, net	355	311
Accumulated amortization	$ 1,724	$ 1,712

Goodwill, Customer Relationships and Other Intangible Assets - Schedule of Future Amortization Expense (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
2019 (remaining nine months)	$ 380
2020	457
2021	149
2022	46
2023	$ 34

Goodwill, Customer Relationships and Other Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible assets, gross (including goodwill)	$ 17,100
Amortization of intangible assets	$ 137	$ 149

Revenue Recognition - Revenue not Under ASC 606 (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Total revenue	$ 2,055	$ 2,130
Adjustments for non-ASC 606 revenue	(127)	(78)
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$ 1,928	$ 2,052

Revenue Recognition - Contract with Customer, Asset and Liability (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Customer receivables	$ 518	$ 518
Contract liabilities	282	207
Contract assets	55	64
Accounts receivable, gross	560	554
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 42	$ 36

Revenue Recognition - Additional Information (Details)	3 Months Ended
Revenue Recognition - Additional Information (Details)	Mar. 31, 2019
Consumer Customers
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Length of customer life	30 months
Business Customer
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Length of customer life	49 months
Minimum
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Contract term	1 year
Maximum
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Contract term	7 years

Revenue Recognition - Revenue Recognized (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Amounts included in contract liability at the beginning of the period	$ 261	$ 269
Performance obligations satisfied in previous periods	$ 0	$ 0

Revenue Recognition - Additional Information, Performance Obligation (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Remaining performance obligation	$ 166
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2019-04-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Remaining performance obligation, percentage	100.00%
Expected timing of satisfaction, period	2 years 9 months

Revenue Recognition - Capitalized Contract Costs (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Contract Acquisition Costs
Capitalized Contract Cost [Roll Forward]
Beginning of period balance	$ 90	$ 91
Costs incurred	16	14
Amortization	(16)	(15)
End of period balance	90	90
Contract Fulfillment Costs
Capitalized Contract Cost [Roll Forward]
Beginning of period balance	57	61
Costs incurred	4	4
Amortization	(4)	(5)
End of period balance	$ 57	$ 60

Leases - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2019
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease assets	$ 117
Operating lease liability	125
Lease income	$ 81	$ 85
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease assets			$ 126
Operating lease liability			$ 133

Leases - Lease Expense (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Leases - Lease Expense (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Operating and short-term lease cost	$ 8
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets	3
Total finance lease cost	3
Total lease cost	$ 11

Leases - Supplemental Balance Sheet (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Assets
Operating leases assets	$ 117
Finance lease assets	19
Total leased assets	136
Current
Operating	32
Finance	9
Non-current
Operating	93
Finance	8
Total lease liabilities	$ 142
Weighted-average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases	5 years 10 months
Finance leases	4 years 5 months
Weighted-average discount rate
Operating leases	6.70%
Finance leases	4.85%

Leases - Supplemental Cash Flows (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Leases - Supplemental Cash Flows (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$ 9
Finance cash flows from finance leases	$ 2

Leases - Maturities of Lease Liabilities (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Operating Leases
2019 (remaining nine months)	$ 26
2020	29
2021	27
2022	23
2023	19
Thereafter	33
Total lease payments	157
Less: interest	(32)
Total	125
Less: current portion	(32)
Long-term portion	93
Financing Leases
2019 (remaining nine months)	7
2020	5
2021	1
2022	1
2023	1
Thereafter	4
Total lease payments	19
Less: interest	(2)
Total	17
Less: current portion	(9)
Long-term portion	$ 8

Leases - Capital Lease Maturities Under Topic 840 (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
2019	$ 10
2020	6
2021	2
2022	1
2023	1
2024 and thereafter	4
Total minimum payments	24
Less: amount representing interest and executory costs	(5)
Present value of minimum payments	19
Less: current portion	(12)
Long-term portion	$ 7

Leases - Right-of-Way and Operating Lease Maturities Under Topic 840 (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
2019	$ 35
2020	28
2021	27
2022	23
2023	19
2024 and thereafter	32
Total future minimum payments	164
Future minimum sublease rentals	$ 22

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Promissory Note - Schedule of Long Term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Long-term debt
Less current maturities	$ (9)	$ (11)
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities	5,947	5,948
Note payable - affiliate	1,038	1,008
Qwest Corporation
Long-term debt
Finance lease and other obligations	17	21
Unamortized (discounts) premiums, net	(1)	(1)
Unamortized debt issuance costs	(116)	(117)
Total long-term debt	5,956	5,959
Less current maturities	(9)	(11)
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities	5,947	5,948
Qwest Corporation \| Senior notes
Long-term debt
Long-term debt, gross	$ 5,956	5,956
Qwest Corporation \| Senior notes \| Minimum
Long-term debt
Stated interest rate	6.125%
Qwest Corporation \| Senior notes \| Maximum
Long-term debt
Stated interest rate	7.75%
Qwest Corporation \| Term loan
Long-term debt
Stated interest rate	4.50%
Long-term debt, gross	$ 100	100
Qwest Corporation \| Loans payable \| Affiliated entity
Long-term debt
Weighted average interest rate	5.945%
Note payable - affiliate	$ 1,038	$ 1,008

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Promissory Note - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Apr. 18, 2012
Long-term debt
Note payable - affiliate	$ 1,038,000,000	$ 1,008,000,000
Interest	58,000,000	55,000,000
Loans payable \| Qwest Corporation \| Affiliated entity
Long-term debt
Debt instrument, face amount			$ 965,000,000	$ 1,000,000,000
Note payable - affiliate	$ 1,038,000,000	$ 1,008,000,000
Weighted average interest rate	5.945%
Interest costs capitalized	$ 73,000,000
Interest	$ 15,000,000

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Promissory Note - Schedule of Debt Maturity (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
2019 (remaining nine months)	$ 7
2020	5
2021	951
2022	0
2023	1
2024 and thereafter	5,109
Total long-term debt	$ 6,073

Fair Value Disclosure (Details) - Fair value measurements, nonrecurring - Fair value inputs, Level 2 - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Carrying Amount
Liabilities
Liabilities—Long-term debt (excluding finance lease and other obligations)	$ 5,939	$ 5,938
Fair Value
Liabilities
Liabilities—Long-term debt (excluding finance lease and other obligations)	$ 5,885	$ 5,118

Products and Services Revenue - Additional Information (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) category	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Number of categories of products and services \| category	6
Universal service funds taxes and surcharges \| $	$ 30	$ 34

Products and Services Revenue - Operating Revenues for Products and Services (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 2,055	$ 2,130
IP & Data Services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenues	147	150
Transport & Infrastructure
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenues	715	744
Voice & Collaboration
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenues	422	467
IT & Managed Services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1	2
Regulatory Revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenues	48	56
Affiliate Services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 722	$ 711

Commitments, Contingencies and Other Items (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) patent lawsuit	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) lawsuit
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible loss \| $	$ 22,000	$ 22,000
Number of patents allegedly infringed (minimum) \| patent	1
Louisiana State Court
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims \| lawsuit		2
Interexchange carriers \| Subsidiaries of CenturyLink, Inc.
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of lawsuits (approximately) \| lawsuit	100	100
Unfavorable Regulatory Action
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible loss \| $	$ 100	$ 100

Dividends (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Dividends (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Dividends [Abstract]
Dividends declared and paid to Qwest Services Corporation	$ 350	$ 300

Other Financial Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Prepaid Expense and Other Assets, Current [Abstract]
Prepaid expenses	$ 64	$ 37
Contract acquisition costs	52	52
Contract fulfillment costs	27	27
Other	16	31
Total other current assets	$ 159	$ 147

Labor Union Contracts (Details)	3 Months Ended
Labor Union Contracts (Details)	Mar. 31, 2019
Unionized employees concentration risk \| Total number of employees
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage	44.00%