cs&l (nasdaq: csal), an s&p 400 midcap index company headquartered in little rock, ark., is a publicly traded real estate investment trust primarily engaged in the acquisition of communication distribution systems. cs&l currently owns 3.6 million strand miles of fiber, 235,000 route miles of copper and central office land and buildings across 29 states. as a strategic financing partner to the telecommunications industry, cs&l continually evaluates challenges and trends impacting the industry, and opportunities to grow and diversify its portfolio by acquiring additional communication distribution systems. as a real estate investment trust (reit), cs&l intends to grow and diversify its portfolio over time, primarily in three ways: 1. acquiring and leasing communications assets that qualify as real property. 2. financing fiber for existing and new customers. 3. acting as financing partner to facilitate m&a. cs&l also expects to benefit from rent escalations related to our existin