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Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - shares	Sep. 30, 2012	Oct. 25, 2012
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CO/VA/
Entity Central Index Key	0000354963
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		23,925,153
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 94,647	$ 15,874
Accounts receivable, net	23,735	21,483
Income taxes receivable	0	12,495
Materials and supplies	7,249	7,469
Prepaid expenses and other	5,076	3,844
Assets held for sale	59	2,797
Deferred income taxes	985	502
Total current assets	131,751	64,464
Investments, including $2,074 and $2,160 carried at fair value	8,136	8,305
Property, plant and equipment, net	319,925	310,754
Other Assets
Intangible assets, net	76,210	81,346
Cost in excess of net assets of businesses acquired	10,962	10,962
Deferred charges and other assets, net	5,807	4,148
Net other assets	92,979	96,456
Total assets	552,791	479,979
Current Liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt	2,719	21,913
Accounts payable	10,072	11,708
Advanced billings and customer deposits	10,730	10,647
Accrued compensation	3,439	2,094
Liabilities held for sale	0	267
Income taxes payable	12,984	0
Accrued liabilities and other	9,606	8,950
Total current liabilities	49,550	55,579
Long-term debt, less current maturities	230,200	158,662
Other Long-Term Liabilities
Deferred income taxes	46,881	51,675
Deferred lease payable	4,620	4,174
Asset retirement obligations	5,883	7,610
Other liabilities	6,016	4,620
Total other liabilities	63,400	68,079
Commitments and Contingencies
Shareholders' Equity
Common stock	23,774	22,043
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax	(1,136)	0
Retained earnings	187,003	175,616
Total shareholders' equity	209,641	197,659
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 552,791	$ 479,979

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current Assets
Investments at fair value	$ 2,074	$ 2,160

- Definition

This element represents the portion of the balance sheet assertion valued at fair value by the entity whether such amount is presented as a separate caption or as a parenthetical disclosure. Additionally, this element may be used in connection with the fair value disclosures required in the footnote disclosures to the financial statements. The element may be used in both the balance sheet and disclosure in the same submission. This item represents investment securities as of the balance sheet date which may include marketable securities, derivative financial instruments, and investments accounted for under the equity method.

+ References + Details

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME [Abstract]
Operating revenues	$ 72,876	$ 62,657	$ 213,077	$ 184,640
Operating expenses:
Cost of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	32,995	25,514	92,067	76,792
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	17,680	14,199	47,788	41,438
Depreciation and amortization	16,794	13,774	47,860	42,155
Total operating expenses	67,469	53,487	187,715	160,385
Operating income	5,407	9,170	25,362	24,255
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	(2,323)	(2,003)	(5,641)	(6,668)
Gain (loss) on investments, net	212	(250)	815	(499)
Non-operating income, net	169	195	616	703
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	3,465	7,112	21,152	17,791
Income tax expense	2,050	3,497	9,608	8,070
Net income from continuing operations	1,415	3,615	11,544	9,721
Losses from discontinued operations, net of tax benefits of $29, $392, $97 and $436, respectively	(54)	(613)	(157)	(700)
Net income	1,361	3,002	11,387	9,021
Other comprehensive loss:
Unrealized loss on interest rate swap, net of tax	(1,136)	0	(1,136)	0
Comprehensive income	$ 225	$ 3,002	$ 10,251	$ 9,021
Basic and diluted income (loss) per share:
Net income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 0.06	$ 0.15	$ 0.48	$ 0.41
Losses from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	0	(0.02)	(0.01)	(0.03)
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 0.06	$ 0.13	$ 0.47	$ 0.38
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic (in shares)	23,875	23,781	23,858	23,773
Weighted average shares, diluted (in shares)	23,956	23,823	23,905	23,823

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Discontinued operations:
Earnings (loss) from discontinued operations, tax benefits	$ 29	$ 392	$ 97	$ 436

- Definition

Tax effect allocated to a disposal group that is classified as a component of the entity reported as a separate component of income before extraordinary items. Includes the tax effects of the following: income (loss) from operations during the phase-out period, gain (loss) on disposal, provision (or any reversals of earlier provisions) for loss on disposal, and adjustments of a prior period gain (loss) on disposal.

+ References

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b),(c)
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-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 144
-Paragraph 47
-Subparagraph c
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 109
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-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
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+ Details

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Common Stock [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Member]	Total
Balance at Dec. 31, 2010	$ 19,833	$ 170,472	$ 0	$ 190,305
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2010	23,767
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Dividends declared	$ 0	(7,849)	0	(7,849)
Net income	0	12,993	0	12,993
Dividends reinvested in common stock	$ 529	0	0	529
Dividends reinvested in common stock (in shares)	51
Stock based compensation	$ 1,718	0	0	1,718
Common stock issued for share awards	$ 0	0	0	0
Common stock issued for share awards (in shares)	19
Common stock issued	$ 13	0	0	13
Common stock issued (in shares)	1
Common stock repurchased	$ (92)	0	0	(92)
Common stock repurchased (in shares)	(5)
Common stock issued through exercise of incentive stock options	$ 37	0	0	37
Common stock issued through exercise of incentive stock options (in shares)	5
Net excess tax benefit from stock options exercised and stock awards	$ 5	0	0	5
Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	$ 22,043	175,616	0	197,659
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011	23,838
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	$ 0	11,387	0	11,387
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax	0	0	(1,136)	(1,136)
Comprehensive income	0	0	0	10,251
Stock based compensation	1,425	0	0	1,425
Common stock issued for share awards	$ 0	0	0	0
Common stock issued for share awards (in shares)	45
Common stock repurchased	$ (144)	0	0	(144)
Common stock repurchased (in shares)	(13)
Common stock issued through exercise of incentive stock options	$ 411	0	0	411
Common stock issued through exercise of incentive stock options (in shares)	55
Net excess tax benefit from stock options exercised and stock awards	$ 39	0	0	39
Balance at Sep. 30, 2012	$ 23,774	$ 187,003	$ (1,136)	$ 209,641
Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2012	23,925

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Parenthetical)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011 $ / shares
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY [Abstract]
Dividends declared per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.33

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Cash Flows From Operating Activities
Net income	$ 11,387	$ 9,021
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Non-cash impairment charge	0	645
Depreciation	42,692	33,732
Amortization	5,168	8,423
Provision for bad debt	2,135	2,559
Stock based compensation expense	1,425	1,335
Excess tax benefits on stock option exercises	(106)	0
Deferred income taxes (benefit)	(4,473)	6,081
Net (gain) loss on disposal of equipment	64	(1,035)
Realized (gains) losses on investments	(35)	27
Unrealized (gains) losses on investments	(250)	236
Net (gain) loss from patronage and equity Investments	(764)	13
Write-off of unamortized loan fees	780	0
Other	1,215	51
(Increase) decrease in:
Accounts receivable	(5,298)	(2,876)
Materials and supplies	220	1,050
Income taxes receivable	12,495	(3,894)
Increase (decrease) in:
Accounts payable	(1,671)	(4,449)
Deferred lease payable	446	319
Income taxes payable	12,984	0
Other prepaids, deferrals and accruals	(959)	3,283
Net cash provided by operating activities	77,455	54,521
Cash Flows From Investing Activities
Purchase and construction of property, plant and equipment	(53,611)	(52,505)
Proceeds from sale of assets	161	1,170
Proceeds from sale of equipment	0	60
Cash received from sales of Converged Services properties	3,265	0
Purchase of investment securities	0	(84)
Proceeds from sale of investment securities	1,203	444
Net cash used in investing activities	(48,982)	(50,915)
Cash Flows From Financing Activities
Principal payments on long-term debt	(177,655)	(9,115)
Amounts borrowed under debt agreements	230,000	0
Cash paid for debt issuance costs	(2,418)	0
Excess tax benefits on stock option exercises	106	0
Repurchases of stock	(144)	(92)
Proceeds from exercise of incentive stock options	411	10
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities	50,300	(9,197)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	78,773	(5,591)
Cash and cash equivalents:
Beginning	15,874	27,453
Ending	94,647	21,862
Cash payments for:
Interest	4,738	5,600
Income taxes (received) paid	$ (11,491)	$ 5,447

Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation	Sep. 30, 2012
Basis of Presentation [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	1. Basis of Presentation The interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and Subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company") are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the interim results have been reflected therein. All such adjustments were of a normal and recurring nature. These statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. The balance sheet information at December 31, 2011 was derived from the audited December 31, 2011 consolidated balance sheet. Operating revenues and income from operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the entire year.

- Definition

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

+ References

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-Name Accounting Research Bulletin (ARB)
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+ Details

Discontinued operations

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Discontinued Operations [Abstract]

Discontinued operations

2. Discontinued Operations

In September 2008, the Company announced its intention to sell its Converged Services operation, and the related assets and liabilities were reclassified as held for sale in the consolidated balance sheet and the historical operating results were reclassified as discontinued operations. Depreciation and amortization on long-lived assets was also discontinued. As previously reported in prior years, the Company recorded impairment charges.

In several transactions during 2011, the Company sold service contracts and related equipment for Converged Services' properties to third-party purchasers, receiving cash proceeds of $3.0 million (with an additional $2.3 million in proceeds placed in escrow). The total proceeds approximated the carrying value of the assets sold in each transaction.

During 2012, the Company sold service contracts and related equipment for Converged Services' properties to third party purchasers, receiving cash proceeds of $1.5 million, with an additional $0.4 million placed in escrow. The total proceeds approximated the carrying value of the assets sold. The Company also collected $1.8 million in cash from previously established escrow receivables.

At September 30, 2012, the Company had six remaining properties. The Company is working with the purchasers and owners of four properties to complete negotiated sale transactions and is in the process of ending its relationship with the remaining two. No additional impairments are anticipated.

Assets and liabilities held for sale consisted of the following (in thousands):

	September 30, 2012		December 31, 2011
Assets held for sale:
Property, plant and equipment, net	$	59	$	2,424
Other assets		-		373
	$	59	$	2,797
Liabilities:
Other liabilities	$	-	$	267

Discontinued operations included the following amounts of operating revenue and income (loss) before income taxes:

(in thousands)	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2012			2011
Operating revenues	$	96		$	2,531
Earnings (loss) before income taxes	$	(82	)	$	(1,005	)

	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2012			2011
Operating revenues	$	1,065		$	8,868
Earnings (loss) before income taxes	$	(254	)	$	(1,136	)

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the facts and circumstances leading to the completed or expected disposal, manner and timing of disposal, the gain (loss) recognized in the income statement and the income statement caption that includes that gain (loss), amounts of revenues and pretax profit or loss reported in discontinued operations, the segment in which the disposal group was reported, and the classification (whether sold or classified as held for sale) and carrying value of the assets and liabilities comprising the disposal group. Includes all disposal groups, including those classified as components of the entity (discontinued operations).

+ References

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

Property, Plant and Equipment

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property, Plant and Equipment

3. Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands):

	September 30, 2012		December 31, 2011
Plant in service	$	568,908	$	536,267
Plant under construction		30,437		12,389
		599,345		548,656
Less accumulated amortization and depreciation		279,420		237,902
Net property, plant and equipment	$	319,925	$	310,754

- Definition

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

+ References + Details

Earnings per share	9 Months Ended
Earnings per share	Sep. 30, 2012
Earnings per share [Abstract]
Earnings per share	4. Earnings per share Basic net income (loss) per share was computed on the weighted average number of shares outstanding. Diluted net income (loss) per share was computed under the treasury stock method, assuming the conversion as of the beginning of the period, for all dilutive stock options. Of 668 thousand and 511 thousand shares and options outstanding at September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively, 346 thousand and 363 thousand were anti-dilutive, respectively. These options have been excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share for their respective periods. There were no adjustments to net income for either period.

Investments Carried at Fair Value	9 Months Ended
Investments Carried at Fair Value	Sep. 30, 2012
Investments Carried at Fair Value [Abstract]
Investments Carried at Fair Value	5. Investments Carried at Fair Value Investments include $2.1 million and $2.2 million of investments carried at fair value as of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively, consisting of equity, bond and money market mutual funds. These investments were acquired under a rabbi trust arrangement related to a non-qualified supplemental retirement plan maintained by the Company. During the nine months ended September 30, 2012, the Company recognized $35 thousand in net gains on dispositions of investments, recognized $31 thousand in dividend and interest income from investments, and recognized net unrealized gains of $250 thousand on these investments. The Company also received $402 thousand distributed from the rabbi trust in connection with a payout from the non-qualified supplemental retirement plan to a participant. Fair values for these investments held under the rabbi trust were determined by Level 1 quoted market prices for the underlying mutual funds.

- 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

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Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 107
-Paragraph 15B
-Subparagraph a, b
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
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Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
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-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

+ Details

Financial Instruments	9 Months Ended
Financial Instruments	Sep. 30, 2012
Financial Instruments [Abstract]
Financial Instruments	6. Financial Instruments Financial instruments on the consolidated balance sheets that approximate fair value include: cash and cash equivalents, receivables, investments carried at fair value, payables, accrued liabilities, interest rate swaps and variable rate long-term debt.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

7. Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

The Company's objectives in using interest rate derivatives are to add stability to cash flows and to manage its exposure to interest rate movements. To accomplish this objective, the Company primarily uses interest rate swaps as part of its interest rate risk management strategy. Interest rate swaps (both those designated as cash flow hedges as well as those not designated as cash flow hedges) involve the receipt of variable-rate amounts from a counterparty in exchange for the Company making fixed-rate payments over the life of the agreements without exchange of the underlying notional amount.

The Company initially entered into a pay fixed, receive variable interest rate swap of $63.3 million of notional principal in August 2010. This interest rate swap was not designated as a cash flow hedge. Changes in the fair value of interest rate swaps not designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in interest expense each reporting period. The total outstanding notional amount of interest rate swaps not designated as cash flow hedges was $53.8 million as of September 30, 2012. This swap expires in July 2013. Changes in fair value recorded in interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, were a decrease of $55 thousand and an increase of $162 thousand respectively; for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, the changes were a decrease of $106 thousand and an increase $537 thousand, respectively.

The Company entered into a pay fixed, receive variable interest rate swap of $174.6 million of notional principal in September 2012. This interest rate swap was designated as a cash flow hedge. The total outstanding notional amount of cash flow hedges was $174.6 million as of September 30, 2012.

The effective portion of changes in the fair value of interest rate swaps designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income and is subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period that the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. The Company uses its derivatives to hedge the variable cash flows associated with existing variable-rate debt. The ineffective portion of the change in fair value of the derivative is recognized directly in earnings through interest expense. No hedge ineffectiveness was recognized during any of the periods presented.

Amounts reported in accumulated other comprehensive income related to the interest rate swaps designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges are reclassified to interest expense as interest payments are accrued on the Company's variable-rate debt. As of September 30, 2012, the Company estimates that $1.6 million will be reclassified as an increase to interest expense during the next twelve months due to the interest rate swaps since the hedge interest rate exceeds the variable interest rate on the debt.

The table below presents the fair value of the Company's derivative financial instruments as well as its classification on the consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 (in thousands):

	Liability Derivatives
		Fair Value as of
	Balance Sheet Location	September 30, 2012			December 31, 2011
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:

Interest rate swaps	Accrued liabilities and other		$	347		$	331
	Other liabilities			-			121
Total derivatives not designated as cash flow hedges			$	347		$	452

Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate swaps	Accrued liabilities and other		$	1,614		$	-
	Other liabilities			288			-
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments			$	1,902		$	-

The table below presents the effect of the Company's derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges on the consolidated income statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 (in thousands):

Three Months Ended September 30,		Derivative in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships		Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion)			Location of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)		Amount of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)
2012		Interest rate swap		$	(1,964	)	Interest expense		$	62

Nine Months Ended September 30,		Derivative in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships		Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion)			Location of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)		Amount of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)
2012		Interest rate swap		$	(1,964	)	Interest expense		$	62

The fair value of interest rate swaps is determined using a pricing model with inputs that are observable in the market (level 2 fair value inputs).

- Definition

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

+ References

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+ Details

Segment Information

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Segment Information [Abstract]

Segment Information

8. Segment Information

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision makers. The Company has three reportable segments, which the Company operates and manages as strategic business units organized by lines of business: (1) Wireless, (2) Wireline, and (3) Cable. A fourth segment, Other, primarily includes Shenandoah Telecommunications Company, the parent holding company as well as certain general and administrative costs historically charged to Converged Services that cannot be allocated to discontinued operations.

The Wireless segment provides digital wireless service to a portion of a four-state area covering the region from Harrisburg, York and Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Harrisonburg, Virginia, as a Sprint PCS Affiliate of Sprint Nextel. This segment also owns cell site towers built on leased land, and leases space on these towers to both affiliates and non-affiliated service providers.

The Cable segment provides video, internet and voice services in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland, and leases fiber optic facilities throughout these areas.

The Wireline segment provides regulated and unregulated voice services, dial-up and DSL internet access, and long distance access services throughout Shenandoah County and portions of northwestern Augusta and Rockingham Counties, Virginia, and leases fiber optic facilities throughout the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, northern Virginia and adjacent areas along the Interstate 81 corridor, including portions of West Virginia and Maryland.

Selected financial data for each segment is as follows:

Three months ended September 30, 2012 (in thousands)	Wireless		Wireline		Cable			Other			Eliminations			Consolidated Totals
External revenues
Service revenues	$	41,517	$	3,741	$	16,509		$	-		$	-		$	61,767
Other		3,307		5,389		2,413			-			-			11,109
Total external revenues		44,824		9,130		18,922			-			-			72,876
Internal revenues		837		4,597		79			-			(5,513	)		-
Total operating revenues		45,661		13,727		19,001			-			(5,513	)		72,876

Operating expenses
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		19,121		6,302		12,521			2			(4,951	)		32,995
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		9,651		1,752		6,199			640			(562	)		17,680
Depreciation and amortization		8,643		2,233		5,908			10			-			16,794
Total operating expenses		37,415		10,287		24,628			652			(5,513	)		67,469
Operating income (loss)		8,246		3,440		(5,627	)		(652	)		-			5,407

Three months ended September 30, 2011 (In thousands)	Wireless		Wireline		Cable			Other			Eliminations			Consolidated Totals
External revenues
Service revenues	$	34,403	$	3,604	$	14,532		$	-		$	-		$	52,539
Other		3,286		4,829		2,003			-			-			10,118
Total external revenues		37,689		8,433		16,535			-			-			62,657
Internal revenues		800		3,994		83			-			(4,877	)		-
Total operating revenues		38,489		12,427		16,618			-			(4,877	)		62,657

Operating expenses
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		12,667		4,887		12,082			36			(4,158	)		25,514
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		7,028		1,891		5,271			728			(719	)		14,199
Depreciation and amortization		5,868		2,156		5,692			58			-			13,774
Total operating expenses		25,563		8,934		23,045			822			(4,877	)		53,487
Operating income (loss)		12,926		3,493		(6,427	)		(822	)		-			9,170

Nine months ended September 30, 2012 (in thousands)	Wireless		Wireline		Cable			Other			Eliminations			Consolidated Totals
External revenues
Service revenues	$	120,107	$	11,272	$	48,918		$	-		$	-		$	180,297
Other		9,991		15,343		7,446			-			-			32,780
Total external revenues		130,098		26,615		56,364			-			-			213,077
Internal revenues		2,495		13,803		233			-			(16,531	)		-
Total operating revenues		132,593		40,418		56,597			-			(16,531	)		213,077

Operating expenses
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		52,432		18,048		36,381			25			(14,819	)		92,067
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		25,746		5,107		16,427			2,220			(1,712	)		47,788
Depreciation and amortization		23,153		6,691		17,963			53			-			47,860
Total operating expenses		101,331		29,846		70,771			2,298			(16,531	)		187,715
Operating income (loss)		31,262		10,572		(14,174	)		(2,298	)		-			25,362

Nine months ended September 30, 2011 (In thousands)	Wireless		Wireline		Cable			Other			Eliminations			Consolidated Totals
External revenues
Service revenues	$	100,413	$	10,850	$	43,594		$	-		$	-		$	154,857
Other		9,687		13,906		6,190			-			-			29,783
Total external revenues		110,100		24,756		49,784			-			-			184,640
Internal revenues		2,391		12,021		199			-			(14,611	)		-
Total operating revenues		112,491		36,777		49,983			-			(14,611	)		184,640

Operating expenses
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		39,671		14,238		35,441			100			(12,658	)		76,792
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		21,225		5,558		14,134			2,474			(1,953	)		41,438
Depreciation and amortization		18,242		6,260		17,478			175			-			42,155
Total operating expenses		79,138		26,056		67,053			2,749			(14,611	)		160,385
Operating income (loss)		33,353		10,721		(17,070	)		(2,749	)		-			24,255

A reconciliation of the total of the reportable segments' operating income to consolidated income from continuing operations before income taxes is as follows:

	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2012			2011

Total consolidated operating income	$	5,407		$	9,170
Interest expense		(2,323	)		(2,003	)
Non-operating income (expense), net		381			(55	)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$	3,465		$	7,112

	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2012			2011

Total consolidated operating income	$	25,362		$	24,255
Interest expense		(5,641	)		(6,668	)
Non-operating income (expense), net		1,431			204
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$	21,152		$	17,791

The Company's assets by segment are as follows:

(in thousands)	September 30, 2012			December 31, 2011

Wireless	$	136,396		$	147,093
Cable		209,344			212,683
Wireline		85,178			84,456
Other (includes assets held for sale)		481,030			381,230
Combined totals		911,948			825,462
Inter-segment eliminations		(359,157	)		(345,483	)
Consolidated totals	$	552,791		$	479,979

- Definition

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

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 131
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

+ Details

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Sep. 30, 2012
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Income Taxes	9. Income Taxes The Company files U.S. federal income tax returns and various state and local income tax returns. With few exceptions, years prior to 2008 are no longer subject to examination. The Company is under audit in the state of Maryland for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 tax years, and in the state of Pennsylvania for the 2009 tax year. No other state or federal income tax audits were in process as of September 30, 2012.

- Definition

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

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6881521&loc=d3e23780-122690

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
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-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 109
-Paragraph 136, 172
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 08
-Paragraph h
-Article 4

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 109
-Paragraph 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

+ Details

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Lines of Credit

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Lines of Credit [Abstract]

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Lines of Credit

10. Long-Term Debt and Revolving Lines of Credit

As of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the Company's outstanding long-term debt consisted of the following:

(in thousands)

	September 2012		December 2011

CoBank (fixed term loan)	$	2,557	$	4,524
CoBank Term Loan A		230,000		175,565
Other debt		362		486
		232,919		180,575
Current maturities		2,719		21,913
Total long-term debt	$	230,200	$	158,662

On September 14, 2012, the Company executed an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with CoBank and with the participation of 16 additional Farm Credit institutions, for the purpose of refinancing the Company's existing outstanding debt, funding planned capital expenditures to upgrade the Company's wireless network in conjunction with Sprint Nextel's wireless network upgrade project known as Network Vision, and other corporate needs.

The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement provides for three facilities, a Term Loan Facility, a Revolver Facility, and an Incremental Term Loan Facility. The Term Loan Facility totals $232.8 million and was fully drawn for the purposes described above. The Term Loan Facility has two parts, the Fixed Term Loan Facility of approximately $2.6 million in aggregate principal amount, and the Term Loan A Facility of $230 million in aggregate principal amount. The Fixed Term Loan Facility is required to be repaid in monthly installments of approximately $230 thousand of principal, plus interest at 7.37%, from September 2012 through August 2013. The Term Loan A Facility requires quarterly principal repayments of $5.75 million beginning on December 31, 2014, with the remaining expected balance of approximately $120.75 million due at maturity on September 30, 2019. After an initial stub period, the Term Loan A Facility is expected to bear interest at 30-day LIBOR, currently 0.22%, plus a spread determined by the Company's Total Leverage Ratio, initially 2.75%; the Company may elect to use other rates as the base, but does not currently expect to do so.

The Revolver Facility provides for $50 million in immediate availability for future capital expenditures and general corporate needs. In addition, the Credit Agreement permits the Company to enter into one or more Incremental Term Loan Facilities, or to increase the Revolver Facility, in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $100 million subject to compliance with certain covenants. No draw has been made or is currently contemplated under either of these facilities. When and if a draw is made, the maturity date and interest rate options would be substantially identical to the Term Loan A Facility. Repayment provisions would be agreed to at the time of each draw under the Incremental Term Loan Facility.

The Credit Agreement contains affirmative and negative covenants customary to secured credit facilities, including covenants restricting the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries, subject to negotiated exceptions, to incur additional indebtedness and additional liens on their assets, engage in mergers or acquisitions or dispose of assets, pay dividends or make other distributions, voluntarily prepay other indebtedness, enter into transactions with affiliated persons, make investments, and change the nature of the Company's and its subsidiaries' businesses.

Indebtedness outstanding under any of the facilities may be accelerated by an Event of Default, as defined in the Credit Agreement.

The Facilities are secured by a pledge by the Company of its stock in its subsidiaries, a guarantee by the Company's subsidiaries other than Shenandoah Telephone Company or Shentel Converged Services, Inc. (and, until certain regulatory approvals are received, Shentel Communications, LLC), and a security interest in all of the assets of the guarantors.

The Company is subject to certain financial covenants to be measured on a trailing twelve month basis each calendar quarter unless otherwise specified. These covenants include:

a limitation on the Company's total leverage ratio, defined as indebtedness divided by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, of less than or equal to 3.00 to 1.00 from the closing date through March 31, 2014, then 2.50 to 1.00 from April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015, and 2.00 to 1.00 thereafter;

a minimum debt service coverage ratio, defined as EBITDA divided by the sum of all scheduled principal payments on the Term Loans and regularly scheduled principal payments on other indebtedness plus cash interest expense, greater than 2.50 to 1.00 at all times;

a minimum equity to assets ratio, defined as consolidated total assets minus consolidated total liabilities, divided by consolidated total assets, of at least 0.30 to 1.00 from the amendment date through December 31, 2013; then at least 0.325 to 1.00 through December 31, 2014, and at least 0.35 to 1.00 thereafter, measured at each fiscal quarter end;

The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement requires the Company to obtain interest rate protection within 90 days of the amendment date for at least 33% of the aggregate principal balance of the Term Loan A then outstanding, for not less than three years after such date. The Company entered into a pay fixed, receive variable interest rate swap (the 2012 swap) agreement covering approximately 76% of the outstanding principal of the Term Loan A balance through its maturity. The 2012 swap effectively fixes the rate on this portion of the debt at 3.88%. The Company has applied hedge accounting to this swap agreement. The Company also has an existing pay fixed, receive variable interest rate swap agreement. This agreement was executed in 2010 and expires in July 2013. As of the amendment date, it covered the remaining approximately 25% of the outstanding principal balance, and effectively fixed the rate on this portion of the debt at 4.00%. The principal covered by this swap will decline quarterly until it expires. The Company did not elect to apply hedge accounting to this swap.

The Company wrote-off approximately $0.8 million, pre-tax, of existing unamortized transaction costs associated with replacing certain lenders from the original credit agreement.

As of September 30, 2012, the Company was in compliance with the covenants in its credit agreements.

The aggregate maturities of long-term debt for each of the twelve month periods shown below are as follows:

Twelve Months Ended	Amount
	(in thousands)
September 30, 2013	$	2,719
September 30, 2014		-
September 30, 2015		23,000
September 30, 2016		23,000
September 30, 2017		23,000
Later years		161,200
	$	232,919

The estimated fair value of fixed rate debt instruments as of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 was approximately equal to its carrying value at each date, given the short term to maturity. The estimated fair value of the variable rate debt is assumed to approximate its carrying value. The fair value of the Company's interest rate swaps was a liability of $2.2 million and $452 thousand at September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively.

The Company receives patronage credits from CoBank and certain of its affiliated Farm Credit institutions, which are not reflected in the stated rates shown above. Patronage credits are a distribution of profits of CoBank, as approved by its Board of Directors. During both the first quarters of 2012 and 2011, the Company received patronage credits of approximately 100 basis points on its outstanding CoBank debt balance (approximately 40% of the then outstanding balance). The Company accrued 100 basis points in the year ended December 31, 2011, in anticipation of the early 2012 distribution of the credits by CoBank. Patronage credits are typically paid 65% in cash, with the balance paid in shares of CoBank stock.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for information about short-term and long-term debt arrangements, which includes amounts of borrowings under each line of credit, note payable, commercial paper issue, bonds indenture, debenture issue, own-share lending arrangements and any other contractual agreement to repay funds, and about the underlying arrangements, rationale for a classification as long-term, including repayment terms, interest rates, collateral provided, restrictions on use of assets and activities, whether or not in compliance with debt covenants, and other matters important to users of the financial statements, such as the effects of refinancing and noncompliance with debt covenants.

+ References + Details

Asset Retirement Obligation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Asset Retirement Obligations [Abstract]

Asset Retirement Obligations

11. Asset Retirement Obligations

The Company records the fair value of an asset retirement obligation as a liability in the period in which it incurs a legal obligation associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets that results from acquisition, construction, development and/or normal use of the assets. The Company also records a corresponding asset, which is depreciated over the life of the tangible long-lived asset. Subsequent to the initial measurement of the asset retirement obligation, the obligation is adjusted at the end of each period to reflect the passage of time and changes in the estimated future cash flows underlying the obligation.

During the second quarter of 2012, new information became available regarding the cost to remove cell site improvements. The Company recorded a one-time adjustment to wireless segment asset retirement obligation liabilities to reflect changes in the estimated future cash flows underlying the obligation to remove cell site improvements. As a result of the adjustment, the company recorded a decrease of $2.0 million to asset retirement liabilities and a decrease of $1.1 million to asset retirement obligation asset. Additionally, the Company recognized a $0.9 million decrease in depreciation expense for the quarter. The Company expects to charge asset removal costs associated with network upgrades against the liability established for removal of cell site improvements.

Changes in the liability for asset removal obligations for the nine months and twelve months ended September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 are summarized below (in thousands):

	September 2012			December 2011

Balance at beginning of year	$	7,610		$	6,542
Revisions to previous estimates		(1,973	)		-
Additional liabilities accrued		280			556
Liabilities retired		(240	)		-
Accretion expense		206			512
Balance at end of period	$	5,883		$	7,610

Lease Commitments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Lease Commitments [Abstract]

Lease Commitments

12. Lease Commitments

The Company leases land, buildings and tower space under various non-cancelable agreements, which expire between the years 2012 and 2039 and require various minimum annual rental payments. These leases typically include renewal options and escalation clauses. In general, tower leases have five or ten year initial terms with four renewal terms of five years each. The other leases generally contain certain renewal options for periods ranging from five to twenty years.

During 2012, particularly during the three months ended September 30, 2012, the Company amended a number of its cell site leases to accommodate changes required to complete the replacement of base station equipment under the Company's participation in Sprint Nextel's Network Vision program. Updated lease disclosures affected by these changes are provided below.

Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases, including renewals that are reasonably assured at the inception of the lease, with initial variable lease terms in excess of one year as of September 30, 2012 are as

follows:

Year Ending	Amount
	(in thousands)
Oct – Dec 2012	$	2,709
2013		10,901
2014		10,661
2015		10,302
2016		9,872
2017		9,883
2018 and beyond		46,137
	$	100,465

- Definition

The entire disclosure for lessee entity's leasing arrangements including, but not limited to, all of the following: (a.) The basis on which contingent rental payments are determined, (b.) The existence and terms of renewal or purchase options and escalation clauses, (c.) Restrictions imposed by lease agreements, such as those concerning dividends, additional debt, and further leasing.

+ References + Details

Discontinued operations (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Discontinued Operations [Abstract]

Schedule of assets and liabilities held for sale

Assets and liabilities held for sale consisted of the following (in thousands):

	September 30, 2012		December 31, 2011
Assets held for sale:
Property, plant and equipment, net	$	59	$	2,424
Other assets		-		373
	$	59	$	2,797
Liabilities:
Other liabilities	$	-	$	267

Schedule of disposal groups including discontinued operations operating revenues and income loss text block

Discontinued operations included the following amounts of operating revenue and income (loss) before income taxes:

(in thousands)	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2012			2011
Operating revenues	$	96		$	2,531
Earnings (loss) before income taxes	$	(82	)	$	(1,005	)

	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2012			2011
Operating revenues	$	1,065		$	8,868
Earnings (loss) before income taxes	$	(254	)	$	(1,136	)

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of disposal groups, which may include the gain (loss) recognized in the income statement and the income statement caption that includes that gain (loss), amounts of revenues and pretax profit or loss reported in discontinued operations, the classification and carrying value of the assets and liabilities comprising the disposal group, and the segment in which the disposal group was reported. Also may include the amount of adjustments to amounts previously reported in discontinued operations such as resolution of contingencies arising from the disposal transaction or the operations of the component prior to disposal.

+ References + Details

Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands):

	September 30, 2012		December 31, 2011
Plant in service	$	568,908	$	536,267
Plant under construction		30,437		12,389
		599,345		548,656
Less accumulated amortization and depreciation		279,420		237,902
Net property, plant and equipment	$	319,925	$	310,754

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities [Abstract]

Schedule of derivative financial instruments as well as its classification on the consolidated balance sheet

	Liability Derivatives
		Fair Value as of
	Balance Sheet Location	September 30, 2012			December 31, 2011
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:

Interest rate swaps	Accrued liabilities and other		$	347		$	331
	Other liabilities			-			121
Total derivatives not designated as cash flow hedges			$	347		$	452

Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate swaps	Accrued liabilities and other		$	1,614		$	-
	Other liabilities			288			-
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments			$	1,902		$	-

Schedule of derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges on the consolidated income statements

Three Months Ended September 30,		Derivative in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships		Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion)			Location of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)		Amount of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)
2012		Interest rate swap		$	(1,964	)	Interest expense		$	62

Nine Months Ended September 30,		Derivative in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships		Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion)			Location of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)		Amount of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)
2012		Interest rate swap		$	(1,964	)	Interest expense		$	62

The fair value of interest rate swaps is determined using a pricing model with inputs that are observable in the market (level 2 fair value inputs).

Segment Information (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Segment Information [Abstract]

Selected financial data

Selected financial data for each segment is as follows:

Three months ended September 30, 2012 (in thousands)	Wireless		Wireline		Cable			Other			Eliminations			Consolidated Totals
External revenues
Service revenues	$	41,517	$	3,741	$	16,509		$	-		$	-		$	61,767
Other		3,307		5,389		2,413			-			-			11,109
Total external revenues		44,824		9,130		18,922			-			-			72,876
Internal revenues		837		4,597		79			-			(5,513	)		-
Total operating revenues		45,661		13,727		19,001			-			(5,513	)		72,876

Operating expenses
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		19,121		6,302		12,521			2			(4,951	)		32,995
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		9,651		1,752		6,199			640			(562	)		17,680
Depreciation and amortization		8,643		2,233		5,908			10			-			16,794
Total operating expenses		37,415		10,287		24,628			652			(5,513	)		67,469
Operating income (loss)		8,246		3,440		(5,627	)		(652	)		-			5,407

Three months ended September 30, 2011 (In thousands)	Wireless		Wireline		Cable			Other			Eliminations			Consolidated Totals
External revenues
Service revenues	$	34,403	$	3,604	$	14,532		$	-		$	-		$	52,539
Other		3,286		4,829		2,003			-			-			10,118
Total external revenues		37,689		8,433		16,535			-			-			62,657
Internal revenues		800		3,994		83			-			(4,877	)		-
Total operating revenues		38,489		12,427		16,618			-			(4,877	)		62,657

Operating expenses
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		12,667		4,887		12,082			36			(4,158	)		25,514
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		7,028		1,891		5,271			728			(719	)		14,199
Depreciation and amortization		5,868		2,156		5,692			58			-			13,774
Total operating expenses		25,563		8,934		23,045			822			(4,877	)		53,487
Operating income (loss)		12,926		3,493		(6,427	)		(822	)		-			9,170

Nine months ended September 30, 2012 (in thousands)	Wireless		Wireline		Cable			Other			Eliminations			Consolidated Totals
External revenues
Service revenues	$	120,107	$	11,272	$	48,918		$	-		$	-		$	180,297
Other		9,991		15,343		7,446			-			-			32,780
Total external revenues		130,098		26,615		56,364			-			-			213,077
Internal revenues		2,495		13,803		233			-			(16,531	)		-
Total operating revenues		132,593		40,418		56,597			-			(16,531	)		213,077

Operating expenses
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		52,432		18,048		36,381			25			(14,819	)		92,067
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		25,746		5,107		16,427			2,220			(1,712	)		47,788
Depreciation and amortization		23,153		6,691		17,963			53			-			47,860
Total operating expenses		101,331		29,846		70,771			2,298			(16,531	)		187,715
Operating income (loss)		31,262		10,572		(14,174	)		(2,298	)		-			25,362

Nine months ended September 30, 2011 (In thousands)	Wireless		Wireline		Cable			Other			Eliminations			Consolidated Totals
External revenues
Service revenues	$	100,413	$	10,850	$	43,594		$	-		$	-		$	154,857
Other		9,687		13,906		6,190			-			-			29,783
Total external revenues		110,100		24,756		49,784			-			-			184,640
Internal revenues		2,391		12,021		199			-			(14,611	)		-
Total operating revenues		112,491		36,777		49,983			-			(14,611	)		184,640

Operating expenses
Costs of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		39,671		14,238		35,441			100			(12,658	)		76,792
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		21,225		5,558		14,134			2,474			(1,953	)		41,438
Depreciation and amortization		18,242		6,260		17,478			175			-			42,155
Total operating expenses		79,138		26,056		67,053			2,749			(14,611	)		160,385
Operating income (loss)		33,353		10,721		(17,070	)		(2,749	)		-			24,255

Reconciliation of income from continuing operations from segments to consolidated

A reconciliation of the total of the reportable segments' operating income to consolidated income from continuing operations before income taxes is as follows:

	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2012			2011

Total consolidated operating income	$	5,407		$	9,170
Interest expense		(2,323	)		(2,003	)
Non-operating income (expense), net		381			(55	)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$	3,465		$	7,112

	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2012			2011

Total consolidated operating income	$	25,362		$	24,255
Interest expense		(5,641	)		(6,668	)
Non-operating income (expense), net		1,431			204
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$	21,152		$	17,791

Assets by segment

The Company's assets by segment are as follows:

(in thousands)	September 30, 2012			December 31, 2011

Wireless	$	136,396		$	147,093
Cable		209,344			212,683
Wireline		85,178			84,456
Other (includes assets held for sale)		481,030			381,230
Combined totals		911,948			825,462
Inter-segment eliminations		(359,157	)		(345,483	)
Consolidated totals	$	552,791		$	479,979

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Lines of Credit (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Lines of Credit [Abstract]

Schedule of outstanding long-term debt

As of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the Company's outstanding long-term debt consisted of the following:

(in thousands)

	September 2012		December 2011

CoBank (fixed term loan)	$	2,557	$	4,524
CoBank Term Loan A		230,000		175,565
Other debt		362		486
		232,919		180,575
Current maturities		2,719		21,913
Total long-term debt	$	230,200	$	158,662

Schedule of maturities of long-term debt

The aggregate maturities of long-term debt for each of the twelve month periods shown below are as follows:

Twelve Months Ended	Amount
	(in thousands)
September 30, 2013	$	2,719
September 30, 2014		-
September 30, 2015		23,000
September 30, 2016		23,000
September 30, 2017		23,000
Later years		161,200
	$	232,919

- 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://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 470
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6479336&loc=d3e64711-112823

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21475-112644

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(e),(f))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6881521&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 55
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6584090&loc=d3e28878-108400

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21538-112644

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6451184&loc=d3e28541-108399

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
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-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21506-112644

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6451184&loc=d3e28551-108399

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21521-112644

Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 02
-Paragraph 22
-Article 5

+ Details

Asset Retirement Obligation (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Asset Retirement Obligations [Abstract]

Schedule of Asset Retirement Obligations

Changes in the liability for asset removal obligations for the nine months and twelve months ended September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 are summarized below (in thousands):

	September 2012			December 2011

Balance at beginning of year	$	7,610		$	6,542
Revisions to previous estimates		(1,973	)		-
Additional liabilities accrued		280			556
Liabilities retired		(240	)		-
Accretion expense		206			512
Balance at end of period	$	5,883		$	7,610

Lease Commitments (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Lease Commitments [Abstract]

Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases

follows:

Year Ending	Amount
	(in thousands)
Oct – Dec 2012	$	2,709
2013		10,901
2014		10,661
2015		10,302
2016		9,872
2017		9,883
2018 and beyond		46,137
	$	100,465

Discontinued operations (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
Discontinued operations (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($)
Discontinued Operations [Abstract]
Proceeds from sale of service contracts and related equipment			$ 1,500		$ 3,000
Proceeds placed in escrow	$ 400		400		2,300
Proceeds from escrow receivables			$ 1,800
Number of properties owners consent required for negotiated sale transactions	4		4
Number of properties in process of ending relationship	2		2
Assets held for sale:
Property, plant and equipment, net	$ 59		$ 59		2,424
Other assets	0		0		373
Assets held for sale	59		59		2,797
Liabilities:
Other Liabilities	0		0		$ 267
Discontinued operations including amounts of operating revenue and income (loss) before income taxes [Abstract]
Operating revenues	96	$ 2,531	1,065	$ 8,868
Earnings (loss) before income taxes	$ (82)	$ (1,005)	$ (254)	$ (1,136)

Property, Plant and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Property, plant and equipment [Abstract]
Gross property, plant and equipment	$ 599,345	$ 548,656
Less accumulated amortization and depreciation	279,420	237,902
Net property, plant and equipment	319,925	310,754
Plant in Service [Member]
Property, plant and equipment [Abstract]
Gross property, plant and equipment	568,908	536,267
Plant under Construction [Member]
Property, plant and equipment [Abstract]
Gross property, plant and equipment	$ 30,437	$ 12,389

- Definition

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

+ References + Details

Earnings per share (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	9 Months Ended
Earnings per share (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Earnings per share [Abstract]
Shares and options outstanding (in shares)	668	511
Options [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of diluted earnings per share (in shares)	346	363

- Definition

Securities (including those issuable pursuant to contingent stock agreements) that could potentially dilute basic earnings per share (EPS) or earnings per unit (EPU) in the future that were not included in the computation of diluted EPS or EPU because to do so would increase EPS or EPU amounts or decrease loss per share or unit amounts for the period presented.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Antidilution
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6505113

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Diluted Earnings Per Share
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6510752

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Contingent Stock Agreement
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6508534

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6371337&loc=d3e3550-109257

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 128
-Paragraph 40
-Subparagraph c
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 128
-Paragraph 13, 14
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF)
-Number 07-4
-Paragraph 4
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 128
-Paragraph 171
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

+ Details

Investments Carried at Fair Value (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011
Investments Carried at Fair Value [Abstract]
Investments at fair value	$ 2,074		$ 2,160
Net gains on dispositions of investments	35
Dividend and interest income from investments	31
Net unrealized gains recognized	250	$ (236)
Distributions from rabbi trust	$ 402

- Definition

+ References + Details

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011	Aug. 31, 2010
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities [Abstract]
Notional amount of interest rate swaps not designated as cash flow hedges		$ 53,800		$ 53,800
Notional amount of cash flow hedges	$ 174,600		$ 174,600
Interest Expense [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Changes in fair value recorded in interest expense	(55)	162	(106)	537
Amount reclassified as an increase to interest expense during next twelve months			$ 1,600
Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, expiry date			Jul. 31, 2013
Amount of notional principal interest rate swap		$ 174,600		$ 174,600		$ 63,300
Liability Derivatives, Fair Value	2,200		$ 2,200
Cash flow hedges \| Interest Expense [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Income (Effective Portion)	62		62
Cash flow hedges \| Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion)	(1,964)		(1,964)
Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] \| Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Liability Derivatives, Fair Value	1,902		1,902		$ 0
Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] \| Accrued liabilities and other [Member] \| Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Liability Derivatives, Fair Value	1,614		1,614		0
Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] \| Other Liabilities [Member] \| Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Liability Derivatives, Fair Value	288		288		0
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] \| Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Liability Derivatives, Fair Value	347		347		452
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] \| Accrued liabilities and other [Member] \| Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Liability Derivatives, Fair Value	347		347		331
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] \| Other Liabilities [Member] \| Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Liability Derivatives, Fair Value	$ 0		$ 0		$ 121

Segment Information (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Segment Information (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($)
Segment Information [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments			3
External revenues [Abstract]
Service revenues	$ 61,767	$ 52,539	$ 180,297	$ 154,857
Other	11,109	10,118	32,780	29,783
Total external revenues	72,876	62,657	213,077	184,640
Internal revenues	0	0	0	0
Total operating revenues	72,876	62,657	213,077	184,640
Operating expenses [Abstract]
Cost of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	32,995	25,514	92,067	76,792
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	17,680	14,199	47,788	41,438
Depreciation and amortization	16,794	13,774	47,860	42,155
Total operating expenses	67,469	53,487	187,715	160,385
Operating income (loss)	5,407	9,170	25,362	24,255
Reconciliation of income from continuing operations from segments to consolidated [Abstract]
Total consolidated operating income	5,407	9,170	25,362	24,255
Interest expense	(2,323)	(2,003)	(5,641)	(6,668)
Non-operating income (expense), net	381	(55)	1,431	204
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	3,465	7,112	21,152	17,791
Assets by segment [Abstract]
Assets	552,791		552,791		$ 479,979
Wireless [Member]
External revenues [Abstract]
Service revenues	41,517	34,403	120,107	100,413
Other	3,307	3,286	9,991	9,687
Total external revenues	44,824	37,689	130,098	110,100
Internal revenues	837	800	2,495	2,391
Total operating revenues	45,661	38,489	132,593	112,491
Operating expenses [Abstract]
Cost of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	19,121	12,667	52,432	39,671
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	9,651	7,028	25,746	21,225
Depreciation and amortization	8,643	5,868	23,153	18,242
Total operating expenses	37,415	25,563	101,331	79,138
Operating income (loss)	8,246	12,926	31,262	33,353
Reconciliation of income from continuing operations from segments to consolidated [Abstract]
Total consolidated operating income	8,246	12,926	31,262	33,353
Assets by segment [Abstract]
Assets	136,396		136,396		147,093
Wireline [Member]
External revenues [Abstract]
Service revenues	3,741	3,604	11,272	10,850
Other	5,389	4,829	15,343	13,906
Total external revenues	9,130	8,433	26,615	24,756
Internal revenues	4,597	3,994	13,803	12,021
Total operating revenues	13,727	12,427	40,418	36,777
Operating expenses [Abstract]
Cost of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	6,302	4,887	18,048	14,238
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	1,752	1,891	5,107	5,558
Depreciation and amortization	2,233	2,156	6,691	6,260
Total operating expenses	10,287	8,934	29,846	26,056
Operating income (loss)	3,440	3,493	10,572	10,721
Reconciliation of income from continuing operations from segments to consolidated [Abstract]
Total consolidated operating income	3,440	3,493	10,572	10,721
Assets by segment [Abstract]
Assets	85,178		85,178		84,456
Cable [Member]
External revenues [Abstract]
Service revenues	16,509	14,532	48,918	43,594
Other	2,413	2,003	7,446	6,190
Total external revenues	18,922	16,535	56,364	49,784
Internal revenues	79	83	233	199
Total operating revenues	19,001	16,618	56,597	49,983
Operating expenses [Abstract]
Cost of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	12,521	12,082	36,381	35,441
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	6,199	5,271	16,427	14,134
Depreciation and amortization	5,908	5,692	17,963	17,478
Total operating expenses	24,628	23,045	70,771	67,053
Operating income (loss)	(5,627)	(6,427)	(14,174)	(17,070)
Reconciliation of income from continuing operations from segments to consolidated [Abstract]
Total consolidated operating income	(5,627)	(6,427)	(14,174)	(17,070)
Assets by segment [Abstract]
Assets	209,344		209,344		212,683
Other [Member]
External revenues [Abstract]
Service revenues	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0
Total external revenues	0	0	0	0
Internal revenues	0	0	0	0
Total operating revenues	0	0	0	0
Operating expenses [Abstract]
Cost of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	2	36	25	100
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	640	728	2,220	2,474
Depreciation and amortization	10	58	53	175
Total operating expenses	652	822	2,298	2,749
Operating income (loss)	(652)	(822)	(2,298)	(2,749)
Reconciliation of income from continuing operations from segments to consolidated [Abstract]
Total consolidated operating income	(652)	(822)	(2,298)	(2,749)
Assets by segment [Abstract]
Assets	481,030		481,030		381,230
Combined totals [Member]
Assets by segment [Abstract]
Assets	911,948		911,948		825,462
Eliminations [Member]
External revenues [Abstract]
Service revenues	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0
Total external revenues	0	0	0	0
Internal revenues	(5,513)	(4,877)	(16,531)	(14,611)
Total operating revenues	(5,513)	(4,877)	(16,531)	(14,611)
Operating expenses [Abstract]
Cost of goods and services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	(4,951)	(4,158)	(14,819)	(12,658)
Selling, general and administrative, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	(562)	(719)	(1,712)	(1,953)
Depreciation and amortization	0	0	0	0
Total operating expenses	(5,513)	(4,877)	(16,531)	(14,611)
Operating income (loss)	0	0	0	0
Reconciliation of income from continuing operations from segments to consolidated [Abstract]
Total consolidated operating income	0	$ 0	0	$ 0
Assets by segment [Abstract]
Assets	$ (359,157)		$ (359,157)		$ (345,483)

Long-Term Debt and Revolving Lines of Credit (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($)
Long-Term Debt and Revolving Lines of Credit [Abstract]
CoBank (fixed term loan)			$ 2,557		$ 4,524
CoBank Term Loan A			230,000		175,565
Other debt			362		486
Long-term debt			232,919		180,575
Current maturities			2,719		21,913
Total long-term debt			$ 230,200		$ 158,662
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of additional farm credit institutions			16
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Minimum leverage ratio as multiple from the closing date through March 31, 2014			3.00
Minimum leverage ratio as multiple from April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015			2.50
Minimum leverage ratio As multiple thereafter			2.00
Minimum debt service coverage ratio			2.50
Minimum equity to assets ratio as multiple from amendment date through December 31			0.30
Minimum equity to assets ratio as Multiple through December 31, 2014			0.325
Minimum equity to assets ratio as multiple thereafter			0.35
Percentage of aggregate principal balance on which entity obtain interest rate protection (in hundredths)			33.00%
Percentage of principal amount of loan on which entity entered in pay fixed receive fixed interest rate swap (in hundredths)			76.00%
Percentage of outstanding principal balance of loan covered under existing pay fixed receive variable interest rate swap agreement (in hundredths)			25.00%
Write-off of unamortized loan fees			$ 780	$ 0
Percentage of outstanding debt balance (in hundredths)	40.00%
Patronage credit basis points on outstanding debt balance	100	100
Basis point accrued in anticipation of early distribution of credit					100
Percentage of patronage credit paid in cash			65.00%
Aggregate maturity of long - term debt [Abstract]
September 30, 2013			$ 2,719
September 30, 2014			0
September 30, 2015			23,000
September 30, 2016			23,000
September 30, 2017			23,000
Later years			161,200
Long-term debt			$ 232,919		$ 180,575
Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Derivative fixed interest rate (in hundredths)			3.88%
Derivative fixed interest rate on amended agreement (in hundredths)			4.00%
Derivative, expiry date			Jul. 31, 2013
Derivative liabilities			$ 2,200
Interest Rate Swap [Member] \| Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities			347		$ 452
Fixed Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument periodic payment principal			$ 230
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage (in hundredths)			7.37%
Term Loan A Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument periodic payment principal			$ 5,750
Basis spread of LIBOR (in hundredths)			0.22%
Basis spread determined by total leverage ratio (in hundredths)			2.75%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity			$ 50,000
Incremental Term Loan Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity			$ 100,000

Asset Retirement Obligation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Asset Retirement Obligations [Abstract]
Decrease in asset retirement liabilities	$ 2,000
Decrease in asset retirement obligation asset	1,100
Decrease in depreciation expense	900
Changes in Liabilities for Asset Removal Obligation [Abstract]
Balance at beginning of year	$ 7,610	$ 7,610	$ 6,542
Revision to previous estimates		(1,973)	0
Additional liabilities accrued		280	556
Liabilities retired		(240)	0
Accretion expense		206	512
Balance at end of period		$ 5,883	$ 7,610

Lease Commitments (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
Lease Commitments (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)
Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases [Abstract]
Oct - Dec 2012	$ 2,709
2013	10,901
2014	10,661
2015	10,302
2016	9,872
2017	9,883
2018 and beyond	46,137
Future minimum lease payments due	$ 100,465
Tower space [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lease renewals	4
Term of renewal option	5 years
Tower space [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Period of initial term	5 years
Tower space [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Period of initial term	10 years
Other [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Term of renewal option	5 years
Other [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Term of renewal option	20 years