Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Leases and Transponder Service Agreements

v2.4.1.9
Leases and Transponder Service Agreements
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Leases and Transponder Service Agreements [Abstract]  
Leases of lessee disclosure
Leases and Transponder Service Arrangements
Future minimum payments under noncancelable operating leases and capital transponder leases with initial terms of one year or more at March 31, 2015 consisted of the following:
(in millions)
Capital transponders

Operating leases

Remainder of 2015
$
7

14

2016
9

18

2017
10

17

2018
11

15

2019
10

13

Thereafter
23

94

Total
$
70

171


The Company has entered into twelve separate agreements with transponder suppliers to transmit its signals in the U.S., Germany and the U.K. at an aggregate monthly cost of $1 million. Depreciation expense related to the transponders was $3 million for both the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. Total future minimum capital lease payments of $70 million include $5 million of imputed interest. The transponder service agreements for our U.S. transponders expire between 2019 and 2023. The transponder service agreements for our international transponders expire between 2015 and 2024.
Expenses for operating leases, principally for data processing equipment and facilities and for satellite uplink service agreements, amounted to $6 million and $7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.