Consolidated Communications Reports First Quarter 2021 Results

• Achieved fast start on multi-year, Gig+ FTTP expansion plan; completed 45,800 upgrades in first quarter and on track to upgrade 300,000 in 2021 and upgrade 70% of Company’s service area by 2025
• Completed opportunistic repricing of term loan further strengthening the capital structure by improving incremental cash flow by approximately $30 million per year
• Second closing of Searchlight Capital Partners’ additional $75 million investment is on track to be completed in third quarter

First Quarter 2021 Highlights

• Revenue totaled $324.8 million, generating Adjusted EBITDA of $126.6 million
• Consumer broadband revenue grew 2.6%, representing the eighth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth
• Commercial and carrier data-transport revenue grew approximately 1%, compared to first quarter 2020
• Net cash from operating activities was $98.5 million; cash and cash equivalents totaled $325.1 million
• Capital expenditures totaled $76 million

Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNSL) (the “Company” or “Consolidated”) reported results for the first quarter 2021.

“Our first-quarter results demonstrate we’re delivering on our fiber growth plans as we upgraded approximately 46,000 passings to Gig+ FTTP and are sustaining an eight-quarter track record of year-over-year broadband revenue growth,” said Bob Udell, president and chief executive officer at Consolidated Communications. “The fast start to the year demonstrates our team’s strong execution of our fiber-first strategy.”

“We are on track to close on the final stage of the Searchlight investment following FCC and state approvals which are expected in the third quarter 2021,” added Udell. “Our fiber expansion plan is fully funded and we are embarking on the Company’s most important growth and transformation period yet as we bring highly competitive, gigabit broadband services to at least 70% of our footprint by 2025.”

Financial Results for the First Quarter

• Revenue totaled $324.8 million, a decline of 0.3% compared to the first quarter 2020.
  • Broadband revenue increased 2.6% or $1.7 million.
  • Video services revenue declined $2.3 million reflecting our strategy change to streaming Over-The-Top services bundled with broadband services.
  • Voice services revenue declined $4.2 million or 4.7% across all customer channels.
  • Subsidies declined $1.1 million primarily due to reductions in support from Texas High Cost Funds.
  • Other Products and Services revenue increased $6.2 million. Non-recurring revenue associated with network builds for public-private partnerships totaled $6.5 million.
• Operating expenses increased $5.3 million or 2.6% compared to the same period last year. First quarter operating expenses included $8 million in expense related to public-private partnership network builds and initial fiber expansion costs.
• Income from operations totaled $38.3 million in the first quarter, an increase of $974,000 or 2.6%. The year-over-year change was primarily due to a decline in depreciation and amortization expense of $7.1 million, partially offset by an increase of $5.3 million in operating expenses and slightly lower revenue.
• Net interest expense was $48.4 million, an increase of $16.3 million, as a result of the recapitalization of the balance sheet associated with the Oct. 2, 2020 refinancing, the receipt of the $350 million Searchlight strategic investment and additional borrowings during the quarter. Interest expense increased $5.6 million due to the higher mix of senior notes in the Company’s external debt and additional borrowings under the Company’s credit agreement during the quarter. Non-cash interest on the Searchlight note combined with amortization of deferred financing costs and the discount totaled $10.2 million. The Company expects to continue to make payment in kind (PIK) interest payments on the Searchlight note.
• At March 31, 2021, the Company recognized a non-cash loss of $57.6 million related to a change in the fair value of the Searchlight contingent payment obligations.
• Cash distributions from the Company’s wireless partnerships totaled $9.4 million, a decline of $700,000 from a year ago.
• Other income, net was $12.3 million compared to $15.2 million in the first quarter 2020. The change was primarily due to lower income from the Company’s minority interest in wireless partnerships, a gain of $3.7 million on an asset sale in the first quarter of 2020 offset by a decrease in non-operating pension/OPEB expense of $1.9 million.
• On a GAAP basis, net loss was $62.1 million, compared to net income of $15.6 million for the same period a year ago. GAAP net loss per share was ($0.80). Adjusted diluted net income (loss) per share excludes certain items as outlined in the table provided in this release. Adjusted diluted net income per share was $0.21 in the first quarter of 2021, compared to $0.23 in the first quarter of 2020.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $126.6 million, a decrease 3.8% from the first quarter 2020 primarily due to certain expenses associated with the startup of the fiber expansion plans.
• The total net debt leverage ratio was 3.41x with $325.1 million cash and cash equivalents.
• Capital expenditures totaled $76 million in the first quarter, compared to $42.4 million in the first quarter of 2020, driven by the Company’s fiber build expansion plan and investment in digital transformation technology.

On April 26, 2021, Consolidated’s shareholders approved the issuance to Searchlight of additional shares of common stock equal to 20% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Those shares are issuable to Searchlight pursuant to a contingent payment right, which is convertible upon receipt of FCC and certain state regulatory approvals. FCC approval is also required for the closing of the second stage of the transaction and the investment by Searchlight of its remaining $75 million investment. The Company has received Hart-Scott-Rodino approval of the transaction.

2021 Outlook

Consolidated Communications affirmed its previous outlook for 2021 which is outlined below.

• Capital expenditures are expected to be in a range of $400 million to $420 million, reflecting a higher level of spending to support the fiber expansion plan.
• Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in a range of $500 million to $510 million, reflecting the start-up and acceleration of the Company’s growth plan.
• Cash interest expense is expected to be in a range of $130 million to $135 million, and was updated on April 5, 2021 with the Company’s announcement of a repricing of its term loan.
• Cash income taxes are expected to be in a range of $2 million to $4 million.

Conference Call

Consolidated’s first-quarter 2021 earnings conference call will be webcast live today at 10 a.m. ET. The webcast and materials will be available on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at http://ir.consolidated.com. The live conference call dial-in number for analysts and investors is 833-794-0898, conference ID 7369367. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available through May 6 and can be accessed by calling 800-585-8367, enter ID 7369367.

About Consolidated Communications

Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSL) is a leading broadband and business communications provider serving consumers, businesses, and wireless and wireline carriers across rural and metro communities and a 23-state service area. Leveraging an advanced fiber network spanning 47,400 fiber route miles, Consolidated Communications offers a wide range of communications solutions, including: high-speed Internet, data, phone, security, managed services, cloud services and wholesale, carrier solutions. From our first connection 125 years ago, Consolidated is dedicated to turning technology into solutions, connecting people and enriching how they work and live. Visit www.consolidated.com for more information.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release, as well as the conference call, includes disclosures regarding “EBITDA,” “adjusted EBITDA,” “total net debt to last 12 month adjusted EBITDA ratio” or “Net debt leverage ratio,” “free cash flow” and “adjusted diluted net income (loss) per share,” all of which are non-GAAP financial measures and described in this section as not being in compliance with Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they should not be construed as alternatives to net cash from operating or investing activities, cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations, net income or net income per share as defined by GAAP and are not, on their own, necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash needs as determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, not all companies use identical calculations, and the non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. A reconciliation of the differences between these non-GAAP financial measures and the most directly comparable financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP is included in the tables that follow.

Adjusted EBITDA is comprised of EBITDA, adjusted for certain items as permitted or required by the lenders under our credit agreement in place at the end of each quarter in the periods presented. The tables that follow include an explanation of how adjusted EBITDA is calculated for each of the periods presented with the reconciliation to net income. EBITDA is defined as net earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization on a historical basis.

We present adjusted EBITDA for several reasons. Management believes adjusted EBITDA is useful as a means to evaluate our ability to fund our estimated uses of cash (including interest on our debt). In addition, we have presented adjusted EBITDA to investors in the past because it is frequently used by investors, securities analysts and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry, and management believes presenting it here provides a measure of consistency in our financial reporting. Adjusted EBITDA, referred to as Available Cash in our credit agreement, is also a component of the restrictive covenants and financial ratios contained in our credit agreement that requires us to maintain compliance with these covenants and limit certain activities, such as our ability to incur debt. The definitions in these covenants and ratios are based on adjusted EBITDA after giving effect to specified charges. In addition, adjusted EBITDA provides our board of directors with meaningful information, with other data, assumptions and considerations, to measure our ability to service and repay debt. We present the related “total net debt to last 12 month adjusted EBITDA ratio” or “Net debt leverage ratio” principally to put other non-GAAP measures in context and facilitate comparisons by investors, security analysts and others; this ratio differs in certain respects from the similar ratio used in our credit agreement. These measures differ in certain respects from the ratios used in our senior notes indenture.

These non-GAAP financial measures have certain shortcomings. In particular, adjusted EBITDA does not represent the residual cash flows available for discretionary expenditures, since items such as debt repayment and interest payments are not deducted from such measure. Because adjusted EBITDA is a component of the ratio of total net debt to last twelve month adjusted EBITDA, these measures are also subject to the material limitations discussed above. In addition, the ratio of total net debt to last twelve month adjusted EBITDA is subject to the risk that we may not be able to use the cash on the balance sheet to reduce our debt on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Management believes this ratio is useful as a means to evaluate our ability to incur additional indebtedness in the future.

Free cash flow represents net cash provided by operating activities adjusted for capital expenditures, cash dividends, and proceeds received from the sale of assets, refinancing and investment. Free cash flow is a measure of operating cash flows available for corporate purposes after providing sufficient fixed asset additions. The tables that follow include a calculation of free cash flow for each of the periods presented with a reconciliation to net cash provided by operating activities. Free cash flow provides useful information to investors in the evaluation of our operating performance and liquidity.

We present the non-GAAP measure “adjusted diluted net income (loss) per share” because our net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share are regularly affected by items that occur at irregular intervals or are non-cash items. We believe that disclosing these measures assists investors, securities analysts and other interested parties in evaluating both our company over time and the relative performance of the companies in our industry.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect, among other things, our current expectations, plans, strategies, and anticipated financial results. There are a number of risks, uncertainties, and conditions that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include a number of factors related to our business, including the uncertainties relating to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the Company’s business, results of operations, cash flows, stock price and employees; the possibility that any of the anticipated benefits of the strategic investment from Searchlight or our refinancing of outstanding debt, including our senior secured credit facilities, will not be realized; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company or its directors; the ability to obtain regulatory approvals and meet other closing conditions to the investment on a timely basis or at all, including the risk that regulatory approvals required for the investment are not obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated or that could adversely affect the Company or the expected benefits of the investment; the anticipated use of proceeds of the strategic investment; economic and financial market conditions generally and economic conditions in our service areas; various risks to the price and volatility of our common stock; changes in the valuation of pension plan assets; the substantial amount of debt and our ability to repay or refinance it or incur additional debt in the future; our need for a significant amount of cash to service and repay the debt restrictions contained in our debt agreements that limit the discretion of management in operating the business; regulatory changes, including changes to subsidies, rapid development and introduction of new technologies and intense competition in the telecommunications industry; risks associated with our possible pursuit of acquisitions; system failures; cyber-attacks, information or security breaches or technology failure of ours or of a third party; losses of large customers or government contracts; risks associated with the rights-of-way for the network; disruptions in the relationship with third party vendors; losses of key management personnel and the inability to attract and retain highly qualified management and personnel in the future; changes in the extensive governmental legislation and regulations governing telecommunications providers and the provision of telecommunications services; new or changing tax laws or regulations; telecommunications carriers disputing and/or avoiding their obligations to pay network access charges for use of our network; high costs of regulatory compliance; the competitive impact of legislation and regulatory changes in the telecommunications industry; and liability and compliance costs regarding environmental regulations; and risks associated with discontinuing paying dividends on our common stock. A detailed discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our filings with the SEC, including our reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Many of these circumstances are beyond our ability to control or predict. Moreover, forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions on our part. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “should,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company and its subsidiaries to be different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements that appear throughout this press release. Furthermore, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required under the federal securities laws or the rules and regulations of the SEC, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

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