(1)   Basis of Presentation

        We are an integrated communications company engaged primarily in providing an array of communications services to our residential, business, governmental and wholesale customers. Our communications services include local voice, network access, private line (including special access), broadband, Ethernet, data, wireless and video services. In certain local and regional markets, we also provide local access and fiber transport services to competitive local exchange carriers. We are an indirect subsidiary of Qwest Communications International Inc. ("QCII").

        We generate the majority of our revenues 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.

        Our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2012, 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 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 for the first three months of the year are not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations that might be expected for the entire year. These consolidated financial statements 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, 2012.

        The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries over which we exercise control. All intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated.

Out-of-Period Adjustment

        In conjunction with finalizing our 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we discovered that certain transactions with affiliates had been presented incorrectly in our consolidated statement of cash flows for the period ended March 31, 2012. We considered both quantitative and qualitative factors in reaching the conclusion that the correction of the error was immaterial to our previously issued consolidated financial statements. Correcting this error only affected our consolidated statement of cash flows, with the impact for the three months ended March 31, 2012 presented herein, being as follows (in millions):

(2)   Long-Term Debt and Revolving Promissory Note

        Long-term debt, including unamortized discounts and premiums, is as follows:

Revolving Promissory Note

        We have a revolving promissory note with an affiliate of our ultimate parent, CenturyLink, Inc. ("CenturyLink"), that provides us with a funding commitment with an aggregate principle amount available of $1.0 billion through June 30, 2022, of which $707 million was outstanding as of March 31, 2013. As of March 31, 2013, the weighted average interest rate under this note was 6.553%. This revolving promissory note and accrued interest thereon is reflected on our consolidated balance sheets as a current liability under Note payable—affiliates.

Covenants

        As of March 31, 2013, we believe we were in compliance with the provisions and covenants of our debt agreements.

(3)   Fair Value Disclosure

        Our financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, advances to affiliates, accounts payable, accounts payable—affiliates, note payable—affiliates and long-term debt, excluding capital lease obligations. Due to their short-term nature, the carrying amounts of our cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, advances to affiliates, accounts payable, accounts payable—affiliates and note payable—affiliates approximate their fair values.

        Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between independent and knowledgeable parties who are willing and able to transact for an asset or liability at the measurement date. We use valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value and then we rank the estimated values based on the reliability of the inputs used. We determined the fair values of our long-term debt, including the current portion, based on quoted market prices where available or, if not available, based on discounted future cash flows using current market interest rates.

        The three input levels in the hierarchy of fair value measurements are defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board generally as follows:

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

(4)   Products and Services Revenues

        We are an integrated communications company engaged primarily in providing an array of communications services, including local voice, network access, private line (including special access), broadband, Ethernet, data, wireless and video 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 and services revenues into the following three categories:

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  Strategic services, which include primarily private line (including special access), broadband, video (including resold satellite video services) and Verizon Wireless services;
  
  

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  Legacy services, which include primarily local voice, Integrated Services Digital Network ("ISDN") (which uses regular telephone lines to support voice, video and data applications), switched access and traditional Wide Area Network ("WAN") services (which allows a local communications network to link to networks in remote locations); and
  
  

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  Affiliates and other services, which consist primarily of Universal Service Funds ("USF") revenues and surcharges and services we provide to our non-consolidated affiliates. We provide to our affiliates telecommunications services that we also provide to external customers. In addition, we provide to our affiliates, computer system development and support services, and network support and technical services.

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

        We do not have any single external customer that provides more than 10% of our total revenue. Substantially all of our revenue comes from customers located in the United States.

        Affiliates and other services revenues include revenues from Universal Service Funds which allow us to recover a portion of our costs under federal and state cost recovery mechanisms and certain surcharges to our customers, including billings for our required contributions to several USF programs.

        The table below presents the aggregate USF surcharges recognized on a gross basis:

        Our operations are integrated into and reported as part of the segments 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.

(5)   Commitments and Contingencies

        CenturyLink and Qwest Communications International Inc. ("QCII") are involved in several legal proceedings to which we are not a party that, if resolved against them, could have a material adverse effect on their business and financial condition. As an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CenturyLink, our business and financial condition could be similarly affected. You can find descriptions of these legal proceedings in CenturyLink's and QCII's quarterly and annual reports filed with the SEC. Because we are not a party to any of these matters, we have not accrued any liabilities for these matters.

        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 rate making, actions relating to employee claims, various tax issues, environmental law issues, grievance hearings before labor regulatory agencies and miscellaneous third party tort actions. The outcome of these other proceedings 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 insurance coverage, will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

(6)   Labor Union Contracts

        Approximately 57% or 12,000 of our employees are members of bargaining units represented by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. These employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements that expired October 6, 2012. Since then, our parent company, CenturyLink, has been negotiating the terms of new agreements. In the meantime, the predecessor agreements have been extended, and the unions have agreed to provide us with at least twenty-four hour advance notice before terminating those predecessor agreements. Any strikes or other changes in our labor relations could have a significant impact on our business. If we fail to extend or renegotiate our collective bargaining agreements with our labor unions as they expire, or if our unionized employees were to engage in a strike or other work stoppage, our business and operating results could be materially harmed. To help mitigate this potential risk, we have established contingency plans in which we would assign trained, non-represented employees to cover jobs for represented employees in the event of a work stoppage to provide continuity for our customers.

(7)   Dividends

        During the three months ended March 31, 2013, we paid dividends to Qwest Services Corporation ("QSC") of $300 million, all of which was declared during the three months ended March 31, 2013. Dividends paid are reflected on our consolidated statement of cash flows as financing activities.

Correcting this error only affected our consolidated statement of cash flows, with the impact for the three months ended March 31, 2012 presented herein, being as follows (in millions):