Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Note 18 – Commitments and Contingencies Purchase Commitments We have commitments for non-dedicated transportation lines with varying expiration terms that generally extend through 2029. In addition, we have commitments to purchase wireless devices, network services, equipment, software, marketing sponsorship agreements and other items in the ordinary course of business, with various terms through 2043. Our purchase commitments, including purchase commitments assumed through the Merger, are approximately $5.0 billion for the year ending December 31, 2021, $4.5 billion in total for the years ending December 31, 2022 and 2023, $2.4 billion in total for the years ending December 31, 2024 and 2025 and $1.7 billion in total for the years thereafter. These amounts are not reflective of our entire anticipated purchases under the related agreements but are determined based on the non-cancelable quantities or termination amounts to which we are contractually obligated. Spectrum Leases In connection with the Merger, we assumed certain spectrum lease contracts from Sprint that include service obligations to the lessors. Certain of the spectrum leases provide for minimum lease payments, additional charges, renewal options and escalation clauses. Leased spectrum agreements have varying expiration terms that generally extend through 2050. We expect that all renewal periods in our spectrum leases will be exercised by us. Our spectrum lease and service credit commitments, including renewal periods, are approximately $338 million for the year ending December 31, 2021, $675 million in total for the years ending December 31, 2022 and 2023, $594 million in total for the years ending December 31, 2024 and 2025 and $5.1 billion in total for the years thereafter. We accrue a monthly obligation for the services and equipment based on the total estimated available service credits divided by the term of the lease. The obligation is reduced by services provided and as actual invoices are presented and paid to the lessors. The maximum remaining service commitment on December 31, 2020 was $92 million and is expected to be incurred over the term of the related lease agreements, which generally range from 15 to 30 years. Merger Commitments In connection with the regulatory proceedings and approvals of the Transactions, we have commitments and other obligations to various state and federal agencies and certain nongovernmental organizations, including pursuant to the Consent Decree agreed to by us, DT, Sprint, SoftBank and DISH and entered by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and the FCC’s memorandum opinion and order approving our applications for approval of the Merger. These commitments and obligations include, among other things, extensive 5G network build-out commitments, obligations to deliver high-speed wireless services to the vast majority of Americans, including Americans residing in rural areas, and the marketing of an in-home broadband product where spectrum capacity is available. Other commitments relate to national security, pricing, service, employment and support of diversity initiatives. Many of the commitments specify time frames for compliance. Failure to fulfill our obligations and commitments in a timely manner could result in substantial fines, penalties, or other legal and administrative actions. We expect that our monetary commitments associated with these matters are approximately $23 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, $37 million in total for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023 and $13 million in total for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2025. These amounts do not represent our entire anticipated costs to achieve specified network coverage and performance requirements, employment targets or commitments to provide access to affordable rate plans, but represent only those amounts for which we are required to make a specified payment in connection with our commitments or settlements. Contingencies and Litigation Litigation Matters We are involved in various lawsuits and disputes, claims, government agency investigations and enforcement actions, and other proceedings (“Litigation Matters”) that arise in the ordinary course of business, which include claims of patent infringement (most of which are asserted by non-practicing entities primarily seeking monetary damages), class actions, and proceedings to enforce FCC rules and regulations. Those Litigation Matters are at various stages, and some of them may proceed to trial, arbitration, hearing, or other adjudication that could result in fines, penalties, or awards of monetary or injunctive relief in the coming 12 months if they are not otherwise resolved. We have established an accrual with respect to certain of these matters, where appropriate, which is reflected in the consolidated financial statements but that is not considered to be, individually or in the aggregate, material. An accrual is established when we believe it is both probable that a loss has been incurred and an amount can be reasonably estimated. For other matters, where we have not determined that a loss is probable or because the amount of loss cannot be reasonably estimated, we have not recorded an accrual due to various factors typical in contested proceedings, including, but not limited to, uncertainty concerning legal theories and their resolution by courts or regulators, uncertain damage theories and demands, and a less than fully developed factual record. We do not expect that the ultimate resolution of these Litigation Matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, but we note that an unfavorable outcome of some or all of the specific matters identified below could have a material adverse impact on results of operations or cash flows for a particular period. This assessment is based on our current understanding of relevant facts and circumstances. As such, our view of these matters is subject to inherent uncertainties and may change in the future. On February 28, 2020, we received a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Admonishment from the FCC, which proposed a penalty against us for allegedly violating section 222 of the Communications Act and the FCC’s regulations governing the privacy of customer information. We recorded an accrual for an estimated payment amount as of December 31, 2020, which was included in Accounts payable and accrued liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. On April 1, 2020, in connection with the closing of the Merger, we assumed the contingencies and litigation matters of Sprint. Those matters include a wide variety of disputes, claims, government agency investigations and enforcement actions, and other proceedings. These matters include, among other things, certain ongoing FCC and state government agency investigations into Sprint’s Lifeline program. In September 2019, Sprint notified the FCC that it had claimed monthly subsidies for serving subscribers even though these subscribers may not have met usage requirements under Sprint's usage policy for the Lifeline program, due to an inadvertent coding issue in the system used to identify qualifying subscriber usage that occurred in July 2017 while the system was being updated. Sprint has made a number of payments to reimburse the federal government and certain states for excess subsidy payments. Resolution of these matters could require making additional reimbursements and paying additional fines and penalties. In November 2020, we entered into a consent decree with the FCC to resolve certain of these Lifeline matters, which resulted in a payment of $200 million by SoftBank. We note that pursuant to Amendment No. 2 to the Business Combination Agreement, SoftBank agreed to indemnify us against certain specified matters and losses, including those relating to these Lifeline matters. As of December 31, 2020, we have recorded a contingent liability and an offsetting indemnification asset for the expected reimbursement by SoftBank for certain Lifeline matters which have not been resolved. We expect that any additional liabilities related to these indemnified matters would be indemnified and reimbursed by SoftBank. See Note 2 - Business Combination for further information.

Our purchase commitments, including purchase commitments assumed through the Merger, are approximately $5.0 billion for the year ending December 31, 2021, $4.5 billion in total for the years ending December 31, 2022 and 2023, $2.4 billion in total for the years ending December 31, 2024 and 2025 and $1.7 billion in total for the years thereafter. These amounts are not reflective of our entire anticipated purchases under the related agreements but are determined based on the non-cancelable quantities or termination amounts to which we are contractually obligated.

In connection with the Merger, we assumed certain spectrum lease contracts from Sprint that include service obligations to the lessors. Certain of the spectrum leases provide for minimum lease payments, additional charges, renewal options and escalation clauses. Leased spectrum agreements have varying expiration terms that generally extend through 2050. We expect that all renewal periods in our spectrum leases will be exercised by us.

We accrue a monthly obligation for the services and equipment based on the total estimated available service credits divided by the term of the lease. The obligation is reduced by services provided and as actual invoices are presented and paid to the lessors. The maximum remaining service commitment on December 31, 2020 was $92 million and is expected to be incurred over the term of the related lease agreements, which generally range from 15 to 30 years.

FCC’s memorandum opinion and order approving our applications for approval of the Merger. These commitments and obligations include, among other things, extensive 5G network build-out commitments, obligations to deliver high-speed wireless services to the vast majority of Americans, including Americans residing in rural areas, and the marketing of an in-home broadband product where spectrum capacity is available. Other commitments relate to national security, pricing, service, employment and support of diversity initiatives. Many of the commitments specify time frames for compliance. Failure to fulfill our obligations and commitments in a timely manner could result in substantial fines, penalties, or other legal and administrative actions.

We expect that our monetary commitments associated with these matters are approximately $23 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, $37 million in total for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023 and $13 million in total for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2025. These amounts do not represent our entire anticipated costs to achieve specified network coverage and performance requirements, employment targets or commitments to provide access to affordable rate plans, but represent only those amounts for which we are required to make a specified payment in connection with our commitments or settlements.

We are involved in various lawsuits and disputes, claims, government agency investigations and enforcement actions, and other proceedings (“Litigation Matters”) that arise in the ordinary course of business, which include claims of patent infringement (most of which are asserted by non-practicing entities primarily seeking monetary damages), class actions, and proceedings to enforce FCC rules and regulations. Those Litigation Matters are at various stages, and some of them may proceed to trial, arbitration, hearing, or other adjudication that could result in fines, penalties, or awards of monetary or injunctive relief in the coming 12 months if they are not otherwise resolved. We have established an accrual with respect to certain of these matters, where appropriate, which is reflected in the consolidated financial statements but that is not considered to be, individually or in the aggregate, material. An accrual is established when we believe it is both probable that a loss has been incurred and an amount can be reasonably estimated. For other matters, where we have not determined that a loss is probable or because the amount of loss cannot be reasonably estimated, we have not recorded an accrual due to various factors typical in contested proceedings, including, but not limited to, uncertainty concerning legal theories and their resolution by courts or regulators, uncertain damage theories and demands, and a less than fully developed factual record. We do not expect that the ultimate resolution of these Litigation Matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, but we note that an unfavorable outcome of some or all of the specific matters identified below could have a material adverse impact on results of operations or cash flows for a particular period. This assessment is based on our current understanding of relevant facts and circumstances. As such, our view of these matters is subject to inherent uncertainties and may change in the future.

On February 28, 2020, we received a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Admonishment from the FCC, which proposed a penalty against us for allegedly violating section 222 of the Communications Act and the FCC’s regulations governing the privacy of customer information. We recorded an accrual for an estimated payment amount as of December 31, 2020, which was included in Accounts payable and accrued liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Those matters include a wide variety of disputes, claims, government agency investigations and enforcement actions, and other proceedings. These matters include, among other things, certain ongoing FCC and state government agency investigations into Sprint’s Lifeline program. In September 2019, Sprint notified the FCC that it had claimed monthly subsidies for serving subscribers even though these subscribers may not have met usage requirements under Sprint's usage policy for the Lifeline program, due to an inadvertent coding issue in the system used to identify qualifying subscriber usage that occurred in July 2017 while the system was being updated. Sprint has made a number of payments to reimburse the federal government and certain states for excess subsidy payments. Resolution of these matters could require making additional reimbursements and paying additional fines and penalties.

In November 2020, we entered into a consent decree with the FCC to resolve certain of these Lifeline matters, which resulted in a payment of $200 million by SoftBank. We note that pursuant to Amendment No. 2 to the Business Combination Agreement, SoftBank agreed to indemnify us against certain specified matters and losses, including those relating to these Lifeline matters. As of December 31, 2020, we have recorded a contingent liability and an offsetting indemnification asset for the expected reimbursement by SoftBank for certain Lifeline matters which have not been resolved. We expect that any additional liabilities related to these indemnified matters would be indemnified and reimbursed by SoftBank. See Note 2 - Business Combination for further information.