17.  COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Contractual Obligations. The Company has obligations to make future payments for goods and services under certain contractual arrangements. These contractual obligations secure the future rights to various assets and services to be used in the normal course of the Companys operations. For example, the Company is contractually committed to make certain minimum lease payments for the use of property under operating lease agreements. In accordance with applicable accounting rules, the future rights and obligations pertaining to firm commitments, such as operating lease obligations and certain purchase obligations under contracts, are not reflected as assets or liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Companys rent expense, which primarily includes facility rental expense, was $8.1 million, $8.4 million and $1.8 million in 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The Company has lease obligations under various operating leases including minimum lease obligations for real estate. The following table summarizes the Companys contractual obligations outstanding as of December 31, 2016 under various contractual obligations (including amounts associated with data processing services, high-speed data connectivity and fiber-related obligations) and the estimated timing and effect that such obligations are expected to have on the Companys liquidity and cash flows in future periods (in thousands): Years ending December 31, Programming purchase commitments (1) Operating leases Total debt , including capital lease Other purchase obligations (2) Total 2017 $ 171,995 $ 1,038 $ 6,250 $ 24,162 $ 203,445 2018 150,830 728 8,767 15,731 176,056 2019 124,507 564 12,517 8,988 146,576 2020 83,621 452 67,517 3,990 155,580 2021 19,244 360 17 2,507 22,128 Thereafter - 741 450,216 4,060 455,017 Total $ 550,197 $ 3,883 $ 545,284 $ 59,438 $ 1,158,802 ___________ (1) Includes commitments to purchase programming to be produced in future years. (2) Includes purchase obligations related to capital projec