HWNI High Wire Networks Inc (QB)

Property and equipment are stated at cost. The Company depreciates the cost of property and equipment over their estimated useful lives at the following annual rates:

The Company has two reporting units, HWN and SVC, and tests its goodwill for impairment at least annually on December 31 and whenever events or circumstances change that indicate impairment may have occurred. A significant amount of judgment is involved in determining if an indicator of impairment has occurred. Such indicators may include, among others: a significant decline in the Company’s expected future cash flows; a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate; unanticipated competition; and slower growth rates. Any adverse change in these factors could have a significant impact on the recoverability of goodwill and the Company’s consolidated financial results.

The Company tests goodwill by estimating fair value using a Discounted Cash Flow (“DCF”) model. The key assumptions used in the DCF model to determine the highest and best use of estimated future cash flows include revenue growth rates and profit margins based on internal forecasts, terminal value and an estimate of a market participant’s weighted-average cost of capital used to discount future cash flows to their present value. There were no impairment charges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

In connection with the sale of HWN’s technology services business unit discussed in Note 3, Recent Subsidiary Activity, the Company assigned $1,349,681 of HWN’s goodwill to the sold assets. This amount was based on relative fair values in accordance with ASC 350-20-40 and is included in the gain on sale of business unit within net income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax on the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, definite-lived intangible assets consisted of tradenames and customer relationships which are being amortized over their estimated useful lives of 10 years. 

The Company periodically evaluates the reasonableness of the useful lives of these assets. Once these assets are fully amortized, they are removed from the accounts. These assets are reviewed for impairment or obsolescence when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If impaired, intangible assets are written down to fair value based on discounted cash flows or other valuation techniques. The Company has no intangibles with indefinite lives.

For long-lived assets, impairment losses are only recorded if the asset’s carrying amount is not recoverable through its undiscounted, probability-weighted future cash flows. The Company measures the impairment loss based on the difference between the carrying amount and the estimated fair value. When an impairment exists, the related assets are written down to fair value. There were no impairment charges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

The sale of HWN’s technology services business unit discussed in Note 3, Recent Subsidiary Activity included all of HWN’s remaining intangible assets. The net book value at the time of the sale of $121,826 is included in the gain on sale of business unit within net income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax on the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 360, “Property, Plant and Equipment”, the Company tests long-lived assets or asset groups for recoverability when events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Circumstances which could trigger a review include, but are not limited to: significant decreases in the market price of the asset; significant adverse changes in the business climate or legal factors; accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition or construction of the asset; current period cash flow or operating losses combined with a history of losses or a forecast of continuing losses associated with the use of the asset; and current expectation that the asset will more likely than not be sold or disposed significantly before the end of its estimated useful life. Recoverability is assessed based on the carrying amount of the asset and its fair value, which is generally determined based on the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and the eventual disposal of the asset, as well as specific appraisal in certain instances. An impairment loss is recognized when the carrying amount is not recoverable and exceeds fair value. There were no impairment charges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method in accordance with ASC 740, “Accounting for Income Taxes”. The asset and liability method provides that deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and for operating loss and tax credit carry forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the currently enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that is believed more likely than not to be realized.

The Company conducts business, and files federal and state income, franchise or net worth, tax returns in United States, in various states within the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Company determines its filing obligations in a jurisdiction in accordance with existing statutory and case law. The Company may be subject to a reassessment of federal and provincial income taxes by Canadian tax authorities for a period of three years from the date of the original notice of assessment in respect of any particular taxation year. For Canadian and U.S. income tax returns, the open taxation years range from 2020 to 2023. In certain circumstances, the U.S. federal statute of limitations can reach beyond the standard three year period. U.S. state statutes of limitations for income tax assessment vary from state to state. Tax authorities of the U.S. have not audited any of the Company’s, or its subsidiaries’, income tax returns for the open taxation years noted above.

Significant management judgment is required in determining the provision for income taxes, and in particular, any valuation allowance recorded against the Company’s deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets are regularly reviewed for recoverability. The Company currently has significant deferred tax assets resulting from net operating loss carryforwards and deductible temporary differences, which should reduce taxable income in future periods. The realization of these assets is dependent on generating future taxable income.

The Company follows the guidance set forth within ASC 740, “Income Taxes” which prescribes a two-step process for the financial statement recognition and measurement of income tax positions taken or expected to be taken in an income tax return. The first step evaluates an income tax position in order to determine whether it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, based on the technical merits of the position. The second step measures the benefit to be recognized in the financial statements for those income tax positions that meet the more likely than not recognition threshold. ASC 740 also provides guidance on de-recognition, classification, recognition and classification of interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. Penalties and interest, if incurred, would be recorded as a component of current income tax expense.

Prior to 2021, the Company had elected to be treated as a Subchapter S Corporation for income tax purposes, and as such recognized no income tax liability or benefit.

The Company recognizes revenue based on the five criteria for revenue recognition established under ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”: 1) identify the contract, 2) identify separate performance obligations, 3) determine the transaction price, 4) allocate the transaction price among the performance obligations, and 5) recognize revenue as the performance obligations are satisfied.

Contract Types

The Company’s contracts fall under two main types: 1) fixed-price and 2) time-and-materials. Fixed-price contracts are based on purchase order line items that are billed on individual invoices as the project progresses and milestones are reached. Time-and-materials contracts include employees working on an as needed basis at customer locations and materials costs incurred by those employees.

A significant portion of the Company’s revenues come from customers with whom the Company has a master service agreement (“MSA”). These MSA’s generally contain customer specific service requirements.

Performance Obligations

A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer, and is the unit of account in the new revenue standard. The contract transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. For the Company’s different revenue service types, the performance obligation is satisfied at different times. For professional services revenue, the performance obligation is met when the work is performed. In certain cases, this may be each day or each week, depending on the customer. For construction services, the performance obligation is met when the work is completed and the customer has approved the work.

Revenue Service Types

The following is a description of the Company’s revenue service types:

Disaggregation of Revenues

The Company disaggregates its revenue by operating segment (refer to Note 16, Segment Disclosures, for additional information).

Contract Assets and Liabilities

Contract assets would include costs and services incurred on contracts with open performance obligations. These amounts would be included in contract assets on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company did not have any contract assets.

Contract liabilities include payment received for incomplete performance obligations and are included in contract liabilities on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, contract liabilities totaled $230,020 and $80,819, respectively.

Cost of revenues includes all direct costs of providing services under the Company’s contracts, including costs for direct labor provided by employees, services by independent subcontractors, operation of capital equipment, direct materials, insurance claims and other direct costs. 

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

The Company records stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, “Compensation – Stock Compensation”, using the fair value method. All transactions in which goods or services are the consideration received for the issuance of equity instruments are accounted for based on the grant date fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instrument issued, whichever is more reliably measurable.

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation awards issued to non-employees for services, as prescribed by ASC 718, at either the grant date fair value of the services rendered or the instruments issued in exchange for such services, whichever is more readily determinable, using the measurement date guidelines enumerated in Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-07. In accordance with ASU 2016-09, the Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.

The Company uses certain pricing models to calculate the fair value of stock-based awards. This model is affected by the Company’s stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of subjective variables. These subjective variables include, but are not limited to, the Company’s expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, and actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as an expense in the consolidated statement of operations over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period.

The Company computes (loss) income per share in accordance with ASC 260, “Earnings per Share” which requires presentation of both basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) on the face of the income statement. Basic EPS is computed by dividing the (loss) income available to common shareholders (numerator) by the weighted average number of shares outstanding (denominator) during the period. Diluted EPS gives effect to all dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period using the treasury stock method and convertible preferred stock using the if-converted method. In computing diluted EPS, the average stock price for the period is used in determining the number of shares assumed to be purchased from the conversion of convertible debentures or preferred stock and the exercise of stock options or warrants. Diluted EPS excludes dilutive potential shares if their effect is anti-dilutive. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, the Company had 134,773,719 and 145,710,627 common stock equivalents outstanding. As of September 30, 2024, 27,371,129 of the common stock equivalents were dilutive.

ASC 842, “Leases” requires recognition of leases on the consolidated balance sheets as right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use underlying assets for the lease terms and lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the leases. Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value and future minimum lease payments over the lease term at commencement date. As the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its estimated incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. Certain of the Company’s lease agreements contain options to renew and options to terminate the leases early. The lease term used to calculate ROU assets and lease liabilities only includes renewal and termination options that are deemed reasonably certain to be exercised.

The Company recognized lease liabilities, with corresponding ROU assets, based on the present value of unpaid lease payments for existing operating leases longer than twelve months as of January 1, 2019. The ROU assets were adjusted per ASC 842 transition guidance for existing lease-related balances of accrued and prepaid rent, unamortized lease incentives provided by lessors, and restructuring liabilities, Operating lease cost is recognized as a single lease cost on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses. Variable lease payments for common area maintenance, property taxes and other operating expenses are recognized as expense in the period when the changes in facts and circumstances on which the variable lease payments are based occur. The Company has elected not to separate lease and non-lease components for all property leases for the purposes of calculating ROU assets and lease liabilities.

Management assesses going concern uncertainty in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements to determine whether there is sufficient cash on hand and working capital, including available borrowings on loans, to operate for a period of at least one year from the date the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are issued or available to be issued, which is referred to as the “look-forward period”, as defined in GAAP. As part of this assessment, based on conditions that are known and reasonably knowable to management, management will consider various scenarios, forecasts, projections, estimates and will make certain key assumptions, including the timing and nature of projected cash expenditures or programs, its ability to delay or curtail expenditures or programs and its ability to raise additional capital, if necessary, among other factors. Based on this assessment, as necessary or applicable, management makes certain assumptions around implementing curtailments or delays in the nature and timing of programs and expenditures to the extent it deems probable those implementations can be achieved and management has the proper authority to execute them within the look-forward period.

The Company generated operating losses in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, and High Wire has historically generated operating losses since its inception and has relied on cash on hand, sales of securities, external bank lines of credit, and issuance of third-party and related party debt to support cash flow from operations. As of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company had an operating loss of $6,101,149, cash flows used in continuing operations of $8,603,354, and a working capital deficit of $5,200,477. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year from the issuance of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis under which the Company is expected to be able to realize its assets and satisfy its liabilities in the normal course of business.

Management believes that based on relevant conditions and events that are known and reasonably knowable, its forecasts of operations for one year from the date of the filing of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q indicate improved operations and the Company’s ability to continue operations as a going concern. The Company has contingency plans to reduce or defer expenses and cash outlays should operations not improve in the look forward period. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the continued financial support from its shareholders, the ability of management to raise additional equity capital through private and public offerings of its common stock, and the attainment of profitable operations. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Management requires additional funds over the next twelve months to fully implement its business plan. Management is currently seeking additional financing through the sale of equity and from borrowings from private lenders to cover its operating expenditures. There can be no certainty that these sources will provide the additional funds required for the next twelve months. 

In November 2023, the Financial Standards Accounting Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07 “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures” which expands annual and interim disclosure requirements for reportable segments, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. ASU 2023-07 is effective for the Company’s annual periods beginning January 1, 2024, and for interim periods beginning January 1, 2025, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential effect that the updated standard will have on its financial statement disclosures.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 “Income Taxes (Topics 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures” to expand the disclosure requirements for income taxes, specifically related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 is effective for the Company’s annual periods beginning January 1, 2025, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential effect that the updated standard will have on its financial statement disclosures.  

Any other new accounting pronouncements recently issued, but not yet effective, have been reviewed and determined to be not applicable or were related to technical amendments or codification. As a result, the adoption of such new accounting pronouncements, when effective, is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and accounts receivable. The Company maintains its cash balances with high-credit-quality financial institutions. Deposits held with banks may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. These deposits may be withdrawn upon demand and therefore bear minimal risk. As of September 30, 2024, there were no cash balances in excess of provided insurance.

The Company provides credit to customers on an uncollateralized basis after evaluating client creditworthiness. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, no customers accounted for 10% or more of consolidated revenues. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, one customer accounted for 15% of consolidated accounts receivable. For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, no customers accounted for 10% or more of consolidated accounts receivable for either period.

The Company’s customers are all located within the domestic United States of America

The Company measures and discloses the estimated fair value of financial assets and liabilities using the fair value hierarchy prescribed by US generally accepted accounting principles. The fair value hierarchy has three levels, which are based on reliable available inputs of observable data. The hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. The three-level hierarchy is defined as follows:

Level 1 – quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets;

Level 2 – quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model derived valuations in which significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets; and

Level 3 – fair value measurements derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

Financial instruments consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, restricted cash, accounts payable, loans payable and convertible debentures. Warrant liabilities are determined based on “Level 3” inputs, which are significant and unobservable and have the lowest priority. There were no transfers into or out of “Level 3” during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. The recorded values of all other financial instruments approximate their current fair values because of their nature and respective relatively short maturity dates or durations.

The Company’s financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value measured on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 consisted of the following: