FORM 10-KANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR
15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
| [X] | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 [FEE REQUIRED] |
For the fiscal year ended DECEMBER 31, 2003
| [ ] | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 [FEE REQUIRED] |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 0-18307
NORTHLAND CABLE PROPERTIES EIGHT LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
| STATE OF WASHINGTON | 91-1423516 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
| 101 STEWART STREET, SUITE 700 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON |
98101 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (206) 621-1351
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each reviewed class | Name of each exchange on which registered | |
| (NONE) | (NONE) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
UNITS OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP INTEREST
Indicate by check mark whether registrant has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months, and has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes [X] No [ ]
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.
Yes [ ] No [X]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).
Yes [ ] No [X]
The aggregate market value of the Limited Partner Units representing limited partner interests was approximately $7,634,800 on as of June 30, 2003, based on the most currently available secondary market trading information, as of that same date.
At December 31, 2003, there were 19,087 Limited Partnership Units outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
(Partially Incorporated into Part IV)
| (1) | Form S-1 Registration Statement declared effective on March 16, 1989 (No. 33-25892). | |||
| (2) | Form 10-K Annual Reports for fiscal years ended December 31, 1989, December 31, 1990, December 31, 1992 and December 31, 1994, respectively. | |||
| (3) | Form 10-Q Quarterly Report for period ended June 30, 1989 and March 3, 1995. | |||
| (4) | Form 8-K dated November 11, 1994. | |||
| (5) | Form 8-K dated June 30, 1995. | |||
| (6) | Form 8-K date January 5, 1996. | |||
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Cautionary statement for purposes of the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements contained or incorporated by reference in this document that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by use of forward-looking terminology such as believe, intends, may, will, expect, estimate, anticipate, continue, or similar terms, variations of those terms or the negative of those terms.
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Northland Cable Properties Eight Limited Partnership (the Partnership) is a Washington limited partnership consisting of one general partner and approximately 940 limited partners holding 19,087 partnership units as of December 31, 2003. Northland Communications Corporation, a Washington corporation, is the General Partner of the Partnership (referred to herein as Northland or the General Partner).
Northland was formed in March 1981 and is principally involved in the ownership and management of cable television systems. Northland currently manages the operations and is the general partner for cable television systems owned by two limited partnerships, and is the managing member of Northland Cable Networks, LLC, which also owns and operates cable television systems. Northland is also the parent company of Northland Cable Properties, Inc., which was formed in February 1995 and is principally involved in direct ownership of cable television systems, and is the majority member and manager of Northland Cable Ventures, LLC. Northland is a subsidiary of Northland Telecommunications Corporation (NTC). Other subsidiaries, direct and indirect, of NTC include:
NORTHLAND CABLE TELEVISION, INC. formed in October 1985 and principally involved in the direct ownership of cable television systems.
NORTHLAND CABLE SERVICES CORPORATION formed in August 1993 and principally involved in the development and production of computer software used in billing and financial record keeping for Northland-affiliated cable systems. Also provides technical support associated with the build out and upgrade of Northland affiliated cable systems. Sole shareholder of Cable Ad-Concepts, Inc.
| CABLE AD-CONCEPTS, INC. formed in November 1993 and principally involved in the sale, development and production of video commercial advertisements that are cablecast on Northland-affiliated cable systems. |
NORTHLAND MEDIA, INC. formed in April 1995 as a holding company. Sole shareholder of the following two entities:
| STATESBORO MEDIA, INC. formed in April 1995 and principally involved in operating an AM radio station serving the community of Statesboro, Georgia and surrounding areas. This radio station was sold during 2003 to an unaffiliated third party. | ||||
| CORSICANA MEDIA, INC. purchased in September 1998 and principally involved in operating an AM radio station serving the community of Corsicana, Texas and surrounding areas. | ||||
The Partnership was formed on September 21, 1988 and began operations in 1989. The Partnership serves the communities and surrounding areas of Aliceville, Alabama and Swainsboro, Georgia (the Systems). As of December 31, 2003, the total number of basic subscribers served by the Systems was 7,956, and the Partnerships penetration rate (basic subscribers as a percentage of homes passed) was approximately 65%. The Partnerships properties are located in rural areas, which, to some extent, do not offer consistently acceptable off-air network signals. Management believes that this factor, combined with the existence of fewer entertainment alternatives than in large markets contributes to a larger proportion of the population subscribing to cable television (higher penetration).
On March 11, 2003, the Partnership sold the operating assets and franchise rights of its cable system in and around La Conner, Washington, which served approximately 1,600 subscribers. This filing and the accompanying financial statements present the results of operations and the sale of the La Conner system as discontinued operations.
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The Partnership has 15 non-exclusive franchises to operate the Systems. These franchises, which will expire at various dates through the year 2019, have been granted by local and county authorities in the areas in which the Systems operate. While the franchises have defined lives based on the franchising authority, renewals are routinely granted, and management expects them to continue to be granted. These franchise agreements are expected to be used by the Partnership for the foreseeable future and effects of obsolescence, competition and other factors are minimal. In addition, the level of maintenance expenditures required to obtain the future cash flows expected from the franchises are not material in relation to the carrying value of the franchises. This expectation is supported by managements experience with the Partnerships franchising authorities and the franchising authorities of the Partnerships affiliates. Annual franchise fees are paid to the granting authorities. These fees vary between 2% and 5% and are generally based on the respective gross revenues of the Systems in a particular community. The franchises may be terminated for failure to comply with their respective conditions.
The following is a description of the areas served by the Systems as of December 31, 2003.
Aliceville, AL: The Aliceville system serves the communities in west central Alabama. The communities, located south and west of Tuscaloosa, include Aliceville, Carrollton, Pickensville, Reform, Gordo, Millport, Kennedy, Eutaw and Marion. Certain information regarding the Aliceville, AL system as of December 31, 2003 is as follows:
Basic Subscribers |
5,046 | |||
Premium Subscribers |
1,183 | |||
Estimated Homes Passed |
8,420 |
Swainsboro, GA: The Swainsboro system serves the incorporated community of Swainsboro and nearby unincorporated areas of Emanuel County, Georgia. Swainsboro is predominantly an agricultural community located in central Georgia, and is the county seat for Emanuel County. Certain information regarding the Swainsboro, GA system as of December 31, 2003 is as follows:
Basic Subscribers |
2,910 | |||
Expanded Basic Subscribers |
1,624 | |||
Premium Subscribers |
1,703 | |||
Digital Subscribers |
305 | |||
Estimated Homes Passed |
3,900 |
The Partnership had 9 employees as of December 31, 2003. Management of these systems is handled through offices located in the towns of Aliceville, Alabama and Swainsboro, Georgia. Pursuant to the Agreement of Limited Partnership, the Partnership reimburses the General Partner for time spent by the General Partners accounting staff on Partnership accounting and bookkeeping matters. (See Item 13 (a) below.)
The Partnerships cable television business is not considered seasonal. The business of the Partnership is not dependent upon a single customer or a few customers, the loss of any one or more of which would have a material adverse effect on its business. No customer accounts for 10% or more of revenues. No material portion of the Partnerships business is subject to renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts or subcontracts at the election of any governmental unit, except that franchise agreements may be terminated or modified by the franchising authorities as noted above. During the last year, the Partnership did not engage in any research and development activities.
Partnership revenues are derived primarily from monthly payments received from cable television subscribers. Subscribers are divided into four categories: basic subscribers, expanded basic subscribers, premium subscribers, and digital subscribers. Basic subscribers are households that subscribe to the basic level of service, which generally provides access to the three major television networks (ABC, NBC and CBS), a few independent local stations, PBS (the Public Broadcasting System) and certain satellite programming services, such as ESPN, CNN or The Discovery Channel. Expanded basic subscribers are households that subscribe to an additional level of certain satellite programming services, the content of which varies from system to system. Premium subscribers are households that subscribe to one or more pay channels in addition to the basic service. These pay channels include such services as Showtime, Home Box Office, Cinemax, or The Movie Channel. Digital subscribers are those who subscribe to digitally delivered video and audio services where offered.
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COMPETITION
Cable television systems currently experience competition from several sources, including broadcast television, cable overbuilds, direct broadcast satellite services, private cable and multichannel multipoint distribution service systems, and most recently, a new category of wireless service recently authorized by the FCC known as Multichannel Video Distribution and Data Service, or MVDDS. Cable television systems are also in competition in various degrees with other communications and entertainment media, including motion pictures, home video cassette recorders, DVDs, Internet data delivery, Internet video delivery and telecommunications companies. The following provides a summary description of these sources of competition.
Broadcast Television
Cable television systems have traditionally competed with broadcast television, which consists of television signals that the viewer is able to receive directly on his television without charge using an off-air antenna. The extent of this competition is dependent in part upon the quality and quantity of signals available by antenna reception as compared to the services provided by the local cable system. Accordingly, cable operators find it less difficult to obtain higher penetration rates in rural areas (where signals available off-air are limited) than in metropolitan areas where numerous, high quality off-air signals are often available without the aid of cable television systems. The recent licensing of digital spectrum by the FCC will provide incumbent broadcast licenses with the ability to deliver high definition television pictures and multiple digital-quality program streams, as well as advanced digital services such as subscription video.
Overbuilds
Cable television franchises are not exclusive. More than one cable television system may be built in the same area. This is known as an overbuild. Overbuilds have the potential to result in loss of revenues to the operator of the original cable television system. Generally, an overbuilder is required to obtain franchises from the local governmental authorities, although in some instances, the overbuilder could be the local government itself and no franchise is required. An overbuilder would obtain programming contracts from entertainment programmers and, in most cases, would build a complete cable system such as headends, trunk lines and drops to individual subscribers homes throughout the franchise areas.
Companies with considerable resources have entered the business. These companies include public utilities to whose poles the Partnerships cables are attached. Federal law allows telephone companies to provide a wide variety of services that are competitive with the Partnerships services, including video and Internet services within and outside their telephone service areas. Several telephone companies have begun seeking cable television franchises from local governmental authorities and are constructing cable television systems. The Partnership cannot predict at this time the extent of the competition that will emerge in areas served by the Partnerships cable television systems. The entry of telephone companies, public and private utilities and local governments as direct competitors, however, is likely to continue over the next several years and could adversely affect the profitability and market value of the Partnerships systems.
Direct Broadcast Satellite Service
High powered direct-to-home satellites have made possible the wide-scale delivery of programming to individuals throughout the United States using small roof-top or wall-mounted antennas. The two leading DBS providers have experienced dramatic growth over the last several years. Companies offering direct broadcast satellite service use video compression technology to increase channel capacity of their systems to more than 100 channels and to provide packages of movies, satellite networks and other program services which are competitive to those of cable television systems. DBS companies historically faced significant legal and technological impediments to providing popular local broadcast programming to their customers. Federal legislation has reduced this competitive disadvantage, and has reduced the compulsory copyright fees paid by DBS companies and allowed them to continue offering distant network signals to rural customers. The availability of low or no cost DBS equipment, delivery of local signals in some markets and exclusivity with respect to certain sports programming has increased DBSs market share over recent years. The impact of DBS services on the Partnerships market share within its service areas cannot be precisely determined but is estimated to have taken away a significant number of subscribers. Satellite carriers are attempting to expand their service offerings to include, among other things, high-speed Internet services and are entering joint marketing arrangements with local telecommunications providers.
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Satellite Master Antenna Television
Additional competition is provided by private cable television systems, known as satellite master antenna television (SMATV), serving multi-unit dwellings such as condominiums, apartment complexes, and private residential communities. These private cable systems may enter into exclusive agreements with apartment owners and homeowners associations, although some states have enacted laws to provide cable system access to these facilities. Operators of private cable, which do not cross public rights of way, are largely free from the federal, state and local regulatory requirements imposed on franchised cable television operators. In addition, some SMATV operators are developing and/or offering packages of telephony, data and video services to private residential and commercial developments.
Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service Systems
Cable television systems also compete with wireless program distribution services such as multichannel, multipoint distribution service systems (MMDSS) commonly called wireless cable, which are licensed to serve specific areas. MMDSS uses low-power microwave frequencies to transmit television programming over-the-air to paying subscribers. This industry is less capital intensive than the cable television industry, and it is therefore more practical to construct systems using this technology in areas of lower subscriber penetration.
High-Speed Internet Services
Some of our cable systems are currently offering high-speed Internet services to subscribers. These systems compete with a number of other companies, many of whom have substantial resources, such as existing Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecommunications companies. The deployment of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology allows Internet access over telephone lines and transmission rates far in excess of conventional modems. Many local telephone companies are seeking to provide Internet services without regard to their present service boundaries. Further, the FCC has recently reduced the regulatory burden on local telephone companies by, for example, reducing their obligation to provide Internet on a wholesale basis to competitors.
A number of cable operators have reached agreements with unaffiliated ISPs to grant them access to their cable facilities for the purpose of providing competitive Internet services. The Partnership has not entered into any such access arrangement. However, we cannot provide an assurance, that regulatory authorities will not impose open access or similar requirements on us as part of an industry-wide requirement. These requirements could adversely affect our results of operations.
REGULATION AND LEGISLATION
Summary
The following summary addresses key regulatory issues and legislation affecting the cable television industry. Other existing federal legislation and regulations, copyright licensing and, in many jurisdictions, state and local franchise requirements are currently the subject of a variety of judicial proceedings, legislative hearings and administrative and legislative proposals, which could change, in varying degrees, the manner in which cable television systems operate. Neither the outcome of these proceedings nor their impact upon the cable television industry or the Partnership can be predicted at this time. Further, our high-speed Internet service, while not currently regulated, may be subject to regulation in the future.
The Partnership expects to adapt its business to adjust to the changes that may be required under any scenario of regulation. At this time, the Partnership cannot assess the effects, if any, that present regulation may have on the Partnerships operations and potential appreciation of its systems. There can be no assurance that the final form of regulation will not have a material adverse impact on the Partnerships operations.
The operation of a cable system is extensively regulated at the federal, local, and, in some instances, state levels. The Communications Act of 1934, Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 (the 1992 Cable Act), and the 1996 Telecommunications Act (the 1996 Telecom Act, and, collectively, the Cable Act) are the primary legislation providing for cable regulation and collectively establish a national policy to guide the development and regulation of cable television systems. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has principal responsibility for implementing the policies of the Cable Act. Many aspects of such regulation are currently the subject of judicial proceedings and administrative or legislative proposals. Legislation and regulations continue to change, and the Partnership cannot predict the impact
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of future developments on the cable television industry. Future regulatory and legislative changes could adversely affect the Partnerships operations. Among the more substantial areas regarding our business are the following:
Cable Rate Regulation
The 1992 Cable Act imposed an extensive rate regulation regime on the cable television industry, which limited the ability of cable companies to increase subscriber fees. Under that prior regime, all cable systems were subject to rate regulation, unless they face effective competition in their local franchise area. Federal law now defines effective competition on a community-specific basis as requiring satisfaction of conditions rarely satisfied in the current marketplace.
The FCC itself historically administered rate regulation of cable programming service tiers, which represent the expanded level of non-basic and non-premium, programming services. The 1996 Telecom Act, however, provided special rate relief for small cable operators offering cable programming service tiers. The elimination of cable programming service tier regulation afforded the Partnership substantially greater pricing flexibility.
Although the FCC established the underlying regulatory scheme, local government units, commonly referred to as local franchising authorities or LFAs, are primarily responsible for administering the regulation of the lowest level of cable service called the basic service tier. The basic service tier typically contains local broadcast stations and public, educational, and government access channels. LFAs also have primary responsibility for regulating cable equipment rates. Under federal law, charges for various types of cable equipment must be unbundled from each other and from monthly charges for programming services. Before a local franchising authority begins basic service rate regulation, it must certify to the FCC that it will follow applicable federal rules. Many local franchising authorities have voluntarily declined to exercise their authority to regulate basic service rates, although they may do so in the future. Under the FCCs rate rules, premium cable services offered on a per-channel or per-program basis remain unregulated, as do affirmatively marketed packages consisting entirely of new programming products.
In a particular effort to ease the regulatory burden on small cable systems, the FCC created special rate regulations applicable for systems with fewer than 15,000 subscribers owned by an operator with fewer than 400,000 subscribers. The special rate regulations allow for a simplified cost-of-service showing. Almost all of the Partnerships systems are eligible for these simplified cost-of-service rules.
As of December 31, 2003, no LFA has properly certified to regulate basic tier rates. However, in accordance with certain notice requirements under the 1992 Cable Act, communities may certify and regulate rates. It is, therefore, possible that localities served by the systems may choose to certify and regulate rates in the future. Certain legislators, however, have called for new rate regulations. Should this occur, all rate deregulation, including that applicable to small operators like the Partnership, could be jeopardized.
Cable Entry Into Telecommunications
The 1996 Telecom Act creates a more favorable environment for the Partnership to provide telecommunications services beyond traditional video delivery. It provides that no state or local laws or regulations may prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting any entity from providing any interstate or intrastate telecommunications service. A cable operator is authorized under the 1996 Telecom Act to provide telecommunications services without obtaining a separate local franchise. States are authorized, however, to impose competitively neutral requirements regarding universal service, public safety and welfare, service quality, and consumer protection. State and local governments also retain their authority to manage the public rights-of-way and may require reasonable, competitively neutral compensation for management of the public rights-of-way when cable operators provide telecommunications service.
The favorable pole attachment rates afforded cable operators under federal law can be gradually increased by utility companies owning the poles, beginning in 2001, if the operator provides telecommunications service, as well as cable service, over its plant. The FCC has adopted rules, upheld by the courts, that regulate the rates and terms under which utilities must grant access to their poles. (These regulations do not control the rates and terms under which electrical cooperatives may decide to grant cable operators access to their poles.) The utilities have a history of aggressively litigating the various aspects of the FCCs pole attachment rulemakings, and despite recent favorable court decisions, we expect the utilities to continue to raise additional issues regarding pole attachments. An adverse decision regarding pole rates or terms of our agreements could potentially increase our pole attachment costs.
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High-Speed Internet Service
Since its introduction, some local governments and various Partnership competitors have sought to impose regulatory requirements on certain aspects of ISP services. Thus, a few local governments have sought to impose regulation on cable provision of Internet services, and in each case, the court has invalidated each such regulation. Similarly, the FCC has refused to classify high-speed cable data services as a telecommunications service, but rather has classified it as an interstate information service. As such, high-speed cable services are currently free from local regulation. Despite the FCC rulings, several localities have sought judicial review of the FCCs decision. In addition, the FCC may always consider whether to impose any regulatory requirements, whether LFAs should be able to impose any fees or other regulations, such as customer service standards. Further, several LFAs have sued other cable operators seeking payment of franchise fees on cable Internet services. Currently, the FCC has ruled that such fees are not allowable. The matter has been addressed by at least one appellate court which has similarly ruled that Internet services are not subject to LFAs franchise fees.
Some local franchising authorities have unsuccessfully tried to impose mandatory Internet access or open access requirements as part of cable franchise renewals or transfers. In AT&T Corp v. City of Portland, No. 99-35609 (9th Cir., June 22, 2000), the federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that an LFA may not impose open access requirements as a condition of transfer of the franchise. The court held that Internet services were not cable services subject to local regulations, but that Internet services had characteristics of both information services and telecommunications services. The potential regulatory state and federal implications of this rationale are unclear, given the various regulatory requirements for the provision of telecommunications services. In addition to the Ninth Circuit ruling, there have been several other court rulings that have rejected local imposition of open access conditions on cable-provided Internet access relying on various other grounds, for example, a cable companys free speech rights under the First Amendment. Other local authorities have imposed or may impose mandatory Internet access requirements on cable operators. These developments could burden the capacity of cable systems and complicate any plans the Partnership may have to develop for providing Internet service.
Telephone Entry Into Cable Television
The 1996 Telecom Act allows telephone companies to compete directly with cable operators by repealing the historic telephone company/cable cross-ownership ban. Local exchange carriers, including the regional telephone companies, can now compete with cable operators both inside and outside their telephone service areas with certain regulatory safeguards. Because of their resources, local exchange carriers could be formidable competitors to traditional cable operators. Various local exchange carriers currently are providing video programming services within their telephone service areas through a variety of distribution methods, including both the deployment of broadband wire facilities, the use of wireless transmission, and through the resale of bundled packages that include satellite video services.
Electric Utility Entry Into Telecommunications/Cable Television
The 1996 Telecomm Act provides that registered utility holding companies and subsidiaries may provide telecommunications services, including cable television, notwithstanding the Public Utility Holding Company Act. Electric utilities must establish separate subsidiaries, known as exempt telecommunications companies and must apply to the FCC for operating authority. Like telephone companies, electric utilities have substantial resources at their disposal, and could be formidable competitors to traditional cable systems. Several of these utilities have been granted broad authority by the FCC to engage in activities, which could include the provision of video programming.
Additional Ownership Restrictions
The 1996 Telecomm Act eliminates statutory restrictions on broadcast/cable cross-ownership, including broadcast network/cable restrictions, but leaves in place existing FCC regulations prohibiting local cross-ownership between co-located television stations and cable systems. The 1996 Cable Act leaves in place existing restrictions on cable cross-ownership with satellite master antenna television and multichannel multipoint distribution service facilities, but lifts those restrictions where the cable operator is subject to effective competition. FCC regulations permit cable operators to own and operate satellite master antenna television systems within their franchise area, provided that their operation is consistent with local cable franchise requirements.
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Must Carry/Retransmission Consent
The 1992 Cable Act contains broadcast signal carriage requirements that require cable operators to carry most commercial and non-commercial broadcast stations without compensation to the cable operator. Once every three years, local commercial television broadcast stations may elect between must carry status or retransmission consent status. Under the latter, local broadcast stations may negotiate the terms of carriage, which may include the payment of fees or require the carriage of other programming content. As broadcasters transition from analog to digital transmission technologies, the FCC is considering whether to require cable companies to simultaneously carry both analog and digital signals of a single broadcaster, and once digital carriage is required of broadcasters, whether cable companies may be required to carry multiple digital program streams that each broadcaster may have the capability to transmit (commonly referred to as Digital Must Carry). If the FCC requires Digital Must Carry, the Partnerships will have less freedom to allocate the usable spectrum of the cable plant, which in turn, would diminish our ability to provide those services to our subscribers that we believe they would be most likely to purchase, such as advanced video services, Internet services and, perhaps, telecommunications services. As a result, Digital Must Carry could diminish our ability to attract and retain subscribers. It is not possible to predict whether the FCC will require Digital Must Carry. To date, the Partnership has been able to reach mutually acceptable arrangements with all of the broadcasters who elected retransmission consent.
Access Channels
Local franchising authorities can include franchise provisions requiring cable operators to set aside certain channels for public, educational and governmental access programming. Federal law also requires cable systems to designate a portion of their channel capacity, up to 15% in some cases, for commercial leased access by unaffiliated third parties. The FCC has adopted rules regulating the terms, conditions and maximum rates a cable operator may charge for commercial leased access use. While, in the Partnerships experience to date, requests for commercial leased access carriages have been relatively limited, it is always possible that demand could increase or the revisions could be made to the above requirements that would place further burdens on the channel capacity of our cable systems.
Access to Programming
To spur the development of independent cable programmers and competition to incumbent cable operators, the Act precludes cable operators, satellite services in which they have an attributable interest, and satellite broadcast programming vendors from hindering the distribution of satellite delivered programming by any multi-channel video program distributor. This prohibition prevents satellite delivered programming vendors from favoring their cable operators over new competitors and requires these programmers to sell their programming to other multi-channel video distributors. These rules do not apply to cable programmers who are not affiliated with cable operators or programmers who deliver their service by terrestrial means (rather than by satellite). Recent mergers and acquisitions in the industry may make vertical integration of cable operators and programming more difficult in the future. At this time, it is not possible to predict what facts or circumstances may impact the Partnerships ability to have continued access to the programming it currently carries or that might become available in the future.
Multiple Dwelling Unit Inside Wiring; Subscriber Access; Satellite Dish Installations
The FCC has established rules that regulate how an incumbent cable operator, upon expiration of a multiple dwelling units (MDU) service contract, sells, abandons, or removes home run wiring that was installed by the cable operator in a MDU building. While these inside wiring rules are expected to assist building owners in their attempts to replace existing cable operators with new programming providers who are willing to pay the building owner a higher fee, where this fee is permissible, the FCC has also declined to prohibit exclusive or to cap perpetual arrangement held by incumbent cable operators with MDU owners. However, in certain states, local access laws prohibit exclusive arrangements with MDUs. Further, with limited exceptions, existing federal and FCC regulation prohibit any state or local law or regulations, or private covenant, private contract, lease provision, homeowners association rule or similar restriction, impairing the installation, maintenance or use of certain video reception antennas satellite dishes on property within the exclusive control of a tenant or property owner.
Other Regulations of the Federal Communications Commission
In addition to the FCC regulations noted above, there are other FCC regulations covering such areas as the following: equal employment opportunity, set top box regulations, subscriber privacy, programming practices, including, among other things, syndicated program exclusivity, network program nonduplication, local sports
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blackouts, indecent programming, lottery programming, political programming, sponsorship identification, childrens programming advertisements, closed captioning, registration of cable systems and facilities licensing, maintenance of various records and public inspection files, aeronautical frequency usage, lockbox availability, antenna structure notification, tower marking and lighting, consumer protection and customer service standards, technical standards, consumer electronics equipment compatibility, and emergency alert systems.
Enforcement
The FCC has the authority to enforce its regulations through the imposition of substantial fines, the issuance of cease and desist orders and/or the imposition of other administrative sanctions, such as the revocation of FCC licenses needed to operate certain transmission facilities used in connection with cable operations.
Copyright
Cable television systems are subject to federal copyright licensing covering carriage of television and radio broadcast signals. In exchange for filing certain reports and contributing a percentage of their revenues to a federal copyright royalty pool, cable operators can obtain blanket permission to retransmit copyrighted material included in broadcast signals. The possible modification or elimination of this compulsory copyright license is the subject of continuing legislative review and could adversely affect the Partnerships ability to obtain desired broadcast programming. The outcome of this legislative activity cannot be predicted. Copyright clearances for nonbroadcast programming services are arranged through private negotiations.
In addition, cable operators distribute locally originated programming and advertising that use music controlled by one of the three principal music performing rights organizations: the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), and SESAC, Inc., originally known as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers. The cable industry has had a long series of negotiations and adjudications with these organizations, and we cannot predict with certainty whether license fee disputes may arise in the future.
State and Local Franchise Regulation
Cable television systems generally are operated pursuant to nonexclusive franchises granted by a municipality or other state or local government entity in order to cross public rights-of-way. Cable franchises generally are granted for fixed terms and in many cases include monetary penalties for non-compliance and may be terminable if the franchisee fails to comply with material provisions. The specific terms and conditions of franchises vary materially between jurisdictions. Each franchise may contain provisions governing cable operations, service rates, franchising fees, system construction and maintenance obligations, system channel capacity, design and technical performance, customer service standards, and indemnification protections. A number of states subject cable systems to the jurisdiction of centralized state governmental agencies, some of which impose regulation of a character similar to that of a public utility. Although local franchising authorities have considerable discretion in establishing franchise terms, local franchising authorities cannot demand franchise fees exceeding 5% of the systems gross revenues derived from cable television services, cannot dictate the particular technology used by the system, cannot specify video programming other than identifying broad categories of programming and cannot require cable operators to provide any telecommunications service or facilities, (other than institutional networks under certain circumstances), as a condition of an initial cable franchise grant, franchise renewal, or franchise transfer.
Federal law contains renewal procedures designed to protect incumbent franchisees against arbitrary denials of renewal. Even if a franchise is renewed, the local franchising authority may seek to impose new and more onerous requirements such as significant upgrades in facilities and service or increased franchise fees as a condition of renewal. Similarly, if a local franchising authoritys consent is required for the purchase or sale of a cable system or franchise, the local franchising authority may attempt to impose more burdensome or onerous franchise requirements in connection with a request for consent. Historically, most of the Partnerships franchises have been renewed and transfer consents granted.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
The Partnerships cable television systems are located in and around Aliceville, Alabama and Swainsboro, Georgia. The principal physical properties of the Systems consist of system components (including antennas, coaxial cable, electronic amplification and distribution equipment), motor vehicles, miscellaneous hardware, spare parts and real property, including office buildings and headend sites and buildings. The Partnerships cable plant passed approximately 12,320 homes as of December 31, 2003. Management believes that the Partnerships plant passes all areas which are currently economically feasible to service. Future line extensions depend upon the density of homes in the area as well as available capital resources for the construction of new plant. (See Part II. Item 7. Liquidity and Capital Resources.)
On March 11, 2003, the Partnership sold the operating assets and franchise rights of its cable system in and around the community of La Conner, Washington (the La Conner System), which served approximately 1,600 subscribers. The La Conner System served approximately 1,600 subscribers, and was sold at a price of approximately $3,200,000 of which the Partnership received approximately $3,000,000 at closing. The sales price was adjusted at closing for the proration of certain revenues and expenses and approximately $200,000 will be held in escrow and released to the Partnership one year from the closing of the transaction, subject to general representations and warranties. Historically, the Partnership has entered into similarly structured transactions, and collected the amount held in escrow. Substantially all of the proceeds were used to pay down amounts outstanding under the Partnerships term loan agreement.
The sale was made pursuant to an offer by Wave Division Networks, LLC, which was formalized in a Purchase and Sale Agreement dated October 28, 2002. Based on the offer made by Wave Division Networks, LLC, management determined that acceptance would be in the best economic interest of the Partnership, and that the sale was not a result of declining or deteriorating operations nor was it necessary to create liquidity or reduce outstanding debt. It is the opinion of management that the Partnership could have continued existing operations and met all obligations as they became due.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.
ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS
None.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
| (a) | There is no established public trading market for the Partnerships units of limited partnership interest. | |||
| (b) | The approximate number of equity holders as of December 31, 2003, is as follows: | |||
Limited Partners: |
940 | |||
General Partners: |
1 |
| (c) | During 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999, the Partnership made no cash distributions. |
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The data set forth below should be read in conjunction with Item 7. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the financial statements included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
| Years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 |
2002 (1) |
2001 |
2000 |
1999 |
||||||||||||||||
SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 4,047,745 | $ | 4,136,359 | $ | 4,106,402 | $ | 4,110,101 | $ | 4,000,832 | ||||||||||
Operating income |
416,650 | 492,894 | 289,932 | 488,043 | 332,140 | |||||||||||||||
Income (loss) from continuing operations |
234,978 | 228,087 | (266,904 | ) | (96,500 | ) | (272,051 | ) | ||||||||||||
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (2) |
1,350,945 | (45,985 | ) | (53,065 | ) | (64,386 | ) | (131,255 | ) | |||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
1,585,923 | 182,102 | (319,969 | ) | (160,886 | ) | (403,306 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net income (loss) from continuing operations
per limited partnership unit |
12 | 12 | (14 | ) | (5 | ) | (14 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net income (loss) from discontinued
operations per limited partnership unit |
71 | (2 | ) | (3 | ) | (3 | ) | (7 | ) | |||||||||||
Net income (loss) per limited partner unit |
83 | 10 | (17 | ) | (8 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||||||||||
Cumulative tax losses per limited partner unit |
(520 | ) | (520 | ) | (520 | ) | (520 | ) | (520 | ) | ||||||||||
(1) As of December 31, 2001, the Partnership discontinued amortization of its franchise agreements and goodwill in accordance with SFAS No. 142. Amortization of these items attributable to continuing operations was $329,523 for year ended December 31, 2001, and amortization of these items attributable to discontinued operations was $58,086 for the year ended December 31, 2001.
(2) On March 11, 2003, the partnership sold the operating assets and franchise rights of its La Conner, Washington system. The results of operations and the sale of the La Conner system are presented as discontinued operations in this filing and the accompanying financial statements.
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| December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
1999 |
||||||||||||||||
BALANCE SHEET DATA: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets |
$ | 7,410,618 | $ | 9,641,472 | $ | 10,226,110 | $ | 11,239,622 | $ | 12,044,826 | ||||||||||
Term loan |
4,457,696 | 8,213,663 | 8,828,957 | 9,693,028 | 10,272,182 | |||||||||||||||
Total liabilities |
5,088,932 | 8,905,709 | 9,672,449 | 10,365,992 | 11,010,310 | |||||||||||||||
General partners deficit |
(57,002 | ) | (72,861 | ) | (74,682 | ) | (71,482 | ) | (69,873 | ) | ||||||||||
Limited partners capital |
2,378,688 | 808,624 | 628,343 | 945,112 | 1,104,389 | |||||||||||||||
| Quarters Ended |
||||||||||||||||
| December 31, | September 30, | June 30, | March 31, | |||||||||||||
| 2003 |
2003 |
2003 |
2003 |
|||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 998,709 | $ | 1,010,742 | $ | 1,019,775 | $ | 1,018,519 | ||||||||
Operating income |
159,490 | 63,712 | 94,085 | 99,373 | ||||||||||||
Income from continuing
operations |
140,009 | 10,378 | 35,790 | 48,801 | ||||||||||||
Income (loss) from discontinued
operations |
5,278 | | | 1,345,667 | ||||||||||||
Net income |
145,287 | 10,378 | 35,790 | 1,394,468 | ||||||||||||
Net income from
continuing operations per
limited partnership unit |
7 | | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||
Net income from
discontinued operations per
limited partnership unit |
| | | 71 | ||||||||||||
Net income per limited
partnership unit |
7 | | 2 | 74 | ||||||||||||
[Continued from above table, first column(s) repeated]
| Quarters Ended |
||||||||||||||||
| December 31, | September 30, | June 30, | March 31, | |||||||||||||
| 2002 |
2002 |
2002 |
2002 |
|||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 1,013,403 | $ | 1,028,415 | $ | 1,053,948 | $ | 1,040,593 | ||||||||
Operating income |
104,710 | 109,996 | 145,006 | 133,182 | ||||||||||||
Income from continuing
operations |
19,361 | 38,094 | 83,704 | 86,928 | ||||||||||||
Income (loss) from discontinued
operations |
(10,942 | ) | (7,451 | ) | (2,702 | ) | (24,890 | ) | ||||||||
Net income |
8,419 | 30,643 | 81,002 | 62,038 | ||||||||||||
Net income from
continuing operations per
limited partnership unit |
1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||
Net income from
discontinued operations per
limited partnership unit |
| | | (2 | ) | |||||||||||
Net income per limited
partnership unit |
1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||||
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
2003 and 2002
Total revenue from continuing operations totaled $4,047,745 for the year ended December 31, 2003, decreasing approximately 2% from $4,136,359 for the year ended December 31, 2002. Rate increases implemented during 2003 were offset by decreases in subscribers. Of the 2003 revenue from continuing operations, $3,203,449 (79%) is derived from subscriptions to basic services, $275,339 (7%) from subscriptions to premium services, $151,673 (4%) from subscriptions to expanded basic services, $140,838 (3%) from advertising services, $99,716 (2%) from late fee charges and $176,730 (5%) from other sources.
The following table displays historical average rate information for various services offered by the Partnerships systems (amounts per subscriber per month):
| 2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
1999 |
||||||||||||||||
Basic Rate |
$ | 32.20 | $ | 30.75 | $ | 28.50 | $ | 27.35 | $ | 25.95 | ||||||||||
Expanded Basic Rate |
8.25 | 8.50 | 8.75 | 8.25 | 7.95 | |||||||||||||||
HBO Rate |
11.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.70 | 10.50 | |||||||||||||||
Cinemax Rate |
9.00 | 8.50 | 8.00 | 7.30 | 7.50 | |||||||||||||||
Showtime Rate |
8.75 | 8.75 | 8.75 | 8.75 | 8.25 | |||||||||||||||
Disney Rate |
| | | | 8.60 | |||||||||||||||
Encore Rate |
2.50 | 2.00 | 1.75 | 1.50 | 1.50 | |||||||||||||||
Starz |
3.00 | 3.50 | 5.50 | 6.25 | 6.70 | |||||||||||||||
Service Contract Rate |
0.50 | 1.25 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.05 | |||||||||||||||
Digital Rate (Incremental) |
9.00 | 9.00 | 8.75 | | | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses from continuing operations totaled $366,281 for the year ended December 31, 2003, representing a decrease of approximately 2% from $372,019 for the year ended December 31, 2002. The decrease is attributable to decreased system maintenance costs, offset by increased operating salaries and employee benefit costs. Salary and benefit costs are the major component of operating expenses. Employee wages are reviewed annually and, in most cases, increased based on cost of living adjustments and other factors. Therefore, management expects operating expenses to increase in the future.
General and administrative expenses from continuing operations totaled $1,031,831 for the year ended December 31, 2003, representing a decrease of approximately 2% from $1,051,188 for the year ended December 31, 2002. This decrease is due to decreased bad debt expense throughout the Partnerships systems and a decrease in the amounts allocated to the Partnership by the General Partner for administrative and accounting services, which consists primarily of salary and benefit costs.
Programming expenses attributable to continuing operations totaled $1,148,414 for the year ended December 31, 2003, representing a decrease of approximately 1% from $1,163,163 for the year ended December 31, 2002. This decrease is due to a decrease in the number of subscribers served, offset by increased costs charged by various program suppliers. Rate increases from program suppliers, as well as new fees due to the launch of additional channels, will contribute to the trend of increased programming costs in the future, assuming that the number of subscribers remains constant.
Depreciation and amortization expense allocated to continuing operations increased approximately 3%, from $1,045,653 in 2002 to $1,074,569 in 2003. The increase is primarily attributable to depreciation of recent purchases related to the upgrade of plant and equipment, offset by certain assets becoming fully depreciated.
Interest expense and amortization of loan fees allocated to continuing operations decreased approximately $71,414, or 28% from $250,859 during 2002 to $179,445 during 2003. This decrease in interest expense is attributable to a $49,964 gain recognized on the Partnerships interest rate swap agreements in 2002, offset by a $120,123 reduction in interest expense attributable to continuing operations due to lower average outstanding indebtedness as a result of required principal repayments and lower interest rates during 2003 as compared to 2002.
14
In accordance with EITF 87-24, Allocation of Interest to Discontinued Operations, the Partnership allocated interest expense to discontinued operations using the historic weighted average interest rate applicable to the Partnerships term loan and approximately $2,956,000 in principal payments, which were applied to the term loan as a result of the sale of the La Conner System.
In 2003, the Partnership generated income from continuing operations of $234,978 compared to $228,087 in 2002. Prior to 2002, the Partnership historically incurred losses from continuing operations as a result of significant non-cash charges to income for depreciation and amortization. The Partnership has generated positive operating income in each of the three years ended December 31, 2003, and Management anticipates that this trend will continue.
2002 and 2001
Total revenue from continuing operations reached $4,136,359 for the year ended December 31, 2002, increasing slightly from $4,106,402 for the year ended December 31, 2001. Rate increases implemented during 2002 and a 40% increase in advertising revenue was offset by a decrease in subscribers. Of the 2002 revenue generated from continuing operations, $3,226,273 (78%) is derived from subscriptions to basic services, $312,826 (8%) from subscriptions to premium services, $128,546 (3%) from subscriptions to expanded basic services, $132,283 (3%) from advertising services, $123,248 (3%) from late fee charges, and $213,183 (5%) from other sources.
Operating expenses from continuing operations totaled $372,019 for the year ended December 31, 2002, representing a decrease of approximately 3% from $385,016 for the year ended December 31,2001. The decrease is attributable to lower operating salaries and employee benefit costs, as a result of reduced headcount in 2002 compared to 2001.
General and administrative expenses attributable to continuing operations totaled $1,051,188 for the year ended December 31, 2002, representing an increase of approximately 5% from $999,200 for the year ended December 31, 2001. This increase is due to increased salaries and benefits, property taxes and administrative overhead.
Programming expenses attributable to continuing operations totaled $1,163,163 for the year ended December 31, 2002, representing an increase of approximately 9% from $1,071,518 for the year ended December 31, 2001. This increase is due to increased costs charged by various program suppliers as well as new digital service launches offset by a decrease in the number of subscribers served.
Depreciation and amortization expense attributable to continuing operations decreased approximately 21%, from $1,320,792 in 2001 to $1,045,653 in 2002. The decrease is primarily attributable to the Partnerships implementation of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 142 Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. As of December 31, 2001, the Partnership discontinued amortizing its franchise agreements and goodwill resulting in a decrease of approximately $330,000 in amortization expense related to continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2002. This is offset by depreciation and amortization of plant, equipment and other intangible assets acquired during 2002.
Interest expense and amortization of loan fees allocated to continuing operations decreased approximately $277,424, or 53% from $528,283 during 2001 to $250,859 during 2002. This decrease in interest expense is attributable to a $49,964 loss recognized on the Partnerships interest rate swap agreements in 2001, which was subsequently recorded as a gain in 2002 when the interest rate swap agreement expired. In addition, interest expense attributable to continuing operations decreased by $177,760 due to lower average outstanding indebtedness as a result of required principal repayments and lower interest rates during 2002 as compared to 2001.
In accordance with EITF 87-24, Allocation of Interest to Discontinued Operations, the Partnership allocated interest expense to discontinued operations using the historic weighted average interest rate applicable to the Partnerships term loan and approximately $2,956,000 in principal payments, which were applied to the term loan as a result of the sale of the La Conner System.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
During 2003, the Partnerships primary source of liquidity was generated primarily from the sale of the La Conner system and cash flow from operations. The Partnership routinely generates cash through the monthly billing of subscribers for cable services. During 2003, cash generated from monthly billings was sufficient to meet the
15
Partnerships needs for working capital, capital expenditures and debt service, and management expects the cash generated from these monthly billings will be sufficient to meet the Partnerships 2004 obligations.
2003
Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $1,365,133 for the year ended December 31, 2003. Adjustments to the $1,585,923 net income for the period to reconcile to net cash provided by operating activities consisted primarily of $1,105,514 of depreciation and amortization, offset by a gain on disposal of assets of $1,358,887 related primarily to the sale of the La Conner system and changes in other operating assets and liabilities of $25,336.
Net cash provided by investing activities consisted of $529,543 in capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2003, offset by proceeds from the sale of the La Conner system of $3,064,021.
Net cash used in financing activities consisted of $3,755,967 in principal payments on long-term debt and payment of additional loan fees of $24,287 for the year ended December 31, 2003.
Term Loan
In August 2003, the Partnership agreed to certain terms and conditions with its existing lender and amended its credit agreement. The terms of the amendment extend the maturity of the existing credit agreement to December 31, 2007 and modify the principal repayment schedule to require quarterly principal payments of $200,000 per quarter with the balance due upon maturity. Based on these terms, the Partnership is required to make principal payments during the remainder of 2003 through maturity according to the following schedule:
| Amended Principal | ||||
| Payments |
||||
2004 |
800,000 | |||
2005 |
800,000 | |||
2006 |
800,000 | |||
2007 |
2,057,696 | |||
Total |
$ | 4,457,696 | ||
The agreement also requires the maintenance of certain financial covenants, including a Funded Debt to Cash Flow Ratio of no more than 3.75 to 1, a Cash Flow Coverage Ratio of no less than 1.00 to 1, and a limitation on the maximum amount of annual capital expenditures of $1,200,000, among other restrictions. As of December 31, 2003, the Partnership was in compliance with the terms of its amended credit agreement.
As of the date of this filing, the balance under the credit facility is $4,457,696, bearing interest at a LIBOR based rate of 3.1875%. This interest rate expires March 31, 2004, at which time a new rate will be established. The above rates include a margin paid to the lender based on overall leverage, and may increase or decrease as the Partnerships leverage fluctuates.
Obligations and Commitments
In addition to working capital needs for ongoing operations, the Partnership has capital requirements for (i) annual maturities related to the term loan and (ii) required minimum operating lease payments. The following table summarizes the contractual obligations as of December 31, 2003 and the anticipated effect of these obligations on the Partnerships liquidity in future years:
16
| Payments Due By Period |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Less than | 1 3 | 3 5 | More than | |||||||||||||||||
| Total |
1 year |
years |
years |
5 years |
||||||||||||||||
Term loan |
$ | 4,457,696 | $ | 800,000 | $ | 3,657,696 | $ | | $ | | ||||||||||
Minimum operating lease payments |
51,825 | |||||||||||||||||||