US Cellular 2011 Annual Report Download - page 78

United States Cellular Corporation
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of United States Cellular Corporation:
In our opinion, based on our audits and the report of other auditors, the accompanying consolidated
balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in equity, and cash flows
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of United States Cellular Corporation and its
subsidiaries at December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for
each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2011 in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, based on our audits, the
Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2011, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by
the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s
management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over
financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting,
included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our
responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We did not audit the financial statements of Los
Angeles SMSA Limited Partnership, a 5.5% owned entity accounted for by the equity method of
accounting. The consolidated financial statements of United States Cellular Corporation reflect an
investment in this partnership of $104,100,000 and $114,800,000 as of December 31, 2011 and 2010,
respectively, and equity earnings of $55,300,000, $64,800,000, and $64,700,000, respectively for each of
the three years in the period ended December 31, 2011. The financial statements of Los Angeles SMSA
Limited Partnership were audited by other auditors whose report thereon has been furnished to us, and
our opinion on the financial statements expressed herein, insofar as it relates to the amounts included for
Los Angeles SMSA Limited Partnership, is based solely on the report of the other auditors. We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable
assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective
internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial
statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the
financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control
over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting,
assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating
effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such
other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits and the
report of other auditors provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in
which it accounts for revenue in 2010.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable
assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for
external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal
control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance
of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the
assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles,
and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with
authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance
regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s
assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect
misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the
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