STAMFORD, Conn., Mar 26, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Frontier Communications (NYSE:FTR, news, filings) announced today that New Communications Holdings Inc. (“Spinco”), a subsidiary of Verizon Communications Inc. (“Verizon”) formed for the purposes of holding defined assets and liabilities of the local exchange business and related landline activities of Verizon in 14 states, has priced $3.2 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes. The gross proceeds of the offering will be deposited into an escrow account. Spinco intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund the special cash payment by Spinco to Verizon, in connection with the spin-off of Spinco to Verizon’s shareholders and the subsequent merger of Spinco with and into Frontier.
The Senior Notes consist of $500 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2015 (the “2015 Notes”), $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2017 (the “2017 Notes”), $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2020 (the “2020 Notes”) and $500 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2022 (the “2022 Notes”, and together with the 2015 Notes, the 2017 Notes and the 2020 Notes, the “Notes”).
The 2015 Notes will have an interest rate of 7.875% per annum, the 2017 Notes will have an interest rate of 8.25% per annum, the 2020 Notes will have an interest rate of 8.50% per annum and the 2022 Notes will have an interest rate of 8.75% per annum. The Notes will be issued at a price equal to 100% of their face value. The Notes are being sold in a private placement that is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Notes or any other securities, nor will there be any sale of the Notes or any other securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state. The Notes will be issued in reliance on the exemption from the registration requirements provided by Rule 144A under the Securities Act and, outside of the United States, only to non-U.S. investors pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. None of the Notes have been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.
About Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Corporation (NYSE: FTR) is a full-service communications provider and one of the largest local exchange telephone companies in the country serving rural areas and small and medium-sized towns and cities. Frontier is included in the S&P 500 Index. Frontier Communications offers telephone, television and Internet services, including wireless Internet data access, as well as bundled offerings, specialized bundles for small businesses and home offices, and data security solutions. Additional information about Frontier products and services is available at http://www.frontier.com/. More information about the transaction with Verizon may be found at http://www.frontier.com/ir.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This news release is not a substitute for the definitive prospectus/proxy statement included in the Registration Statement on Form S-4 that Frontier filed, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has declared effective, in connection with the proposed transactions described in the definitive prospectus/proxy statement. INVESTORS IN FRONTIER’S COMMON STOCK ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROSPECTUS/PROXY STATEMENT BECAUSE IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING DETAILED RISK FACTORS. The definitive prospectus/proxy statement and other documents filed or to be filed by Frontier with the SEC are or will be available free of charge at the SEC’s website, http://www.sec.gov/, or by directing a request when such a filing is made to Frontier, 3 High Ridge Park, Stamford, CT 06905-1390, Attention: Investor Relations.
Frontier’s stockholders approved the proposed transactions on October 27, 2009, and no other vote of the stockholders of Frontier or Verizon is required in connection with the proposed transactions.
Forward-Looking Language
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of management’s views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance. Words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements (including oral representations) involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties are based on a number of factors, including but not limited to: Our ability to complete the acquisition of access lines from Verizon; the failure to obtain, delays in obtaining or adverse conditions contained in any required regulatory approvals for the Verizon transaction; for two years after the merger, we may be limited in the amount of capital stock that we can issue to make acquisitions or to raise additional capital; our indemnity obligation to Verizon may discourage, delay or prevent a third party from acquiring control of us during the two year period following the merger in a transaction that our stockholders might consider favorable; the ability to successfully integrate Verizon’s local exchange business and related activities that we expect to acquire into Frontier’s existing operations; the effects of increased expenses due to activities related to the Verizon transaction; the ability to successfully migrate Verizon’s West Virginia operations from Verizon owned and operated systems and processes to Frontier owned and operated systems and processes; the risk that the growth opportunities and cost synergies from the Verizon transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the sufficiency of the assets to be acquired from Verizon to enable us to operate the acquired business; disruption from the Verizon transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers; the effects of greater than anticipated competition requiring new pricing, marketing strategies or new product or service offerings and the risk that we will not respond on a timely or profitable basis; reductions in the number of our access lines that cannot be offset by increases in High Speed Internet subscribers and sale of other products; our ability to sell enhanced and data services in order to offset ongoing declines in revenue from local services, switched access services and subsidies; the effects of ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry as a result of federal and state legislation and regulation; the effects of changes in the availability of federal and state universal funding to us and our competitors; the effects of competition from cable, wireless and other wireline carriers (through voice over internet protocol (VOIP) or otherwise); our ability to adjust successfully to changes in the communications industry and to implement strategies for improving growth; adverse changes in the credit markets or in the ratings given to our debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations, which could limit or restrict the availability, or increase the cost, of financing; reductions in switched access revenues as a result of regulation, competition and/or technology substitutions; the effects of changes in both general and local economic conditions on the markets we serve, which can affect demand for our products and services, customer purchasing decisions, collectability of revenue and required levels of capital expenditures related to new construction of residences and businesses; our ability to effectively manage service quality; our ability to successfully introduce new product offerings, including our ability to offer bundled service packages on terms that are both profitable to us and attractive to our customers; changes in accounting policies or practices adopted voluntarily or as required by generally accepted accounting principles or regulators; our ability to effectively manage our operations, operating expenses and capital expenditures, and to repay, reduce or refinance our debt; the effects of bankruptcies and home foreclosures, which could result in difficulty in collection of revenues and loss of customers; the effects of technological changes and competition on our capital expenditures and product and service offerings, including the lack of assurance that our ongoing network improvements will be sufficient to meet or exceed the capabilities and quality of competing networks; the effects of increased medical, retiree and pension expenses and related funding requirements; changes in income tax rates, tax laws, regulations or rulings, and/or federal or state tax assessments; the effects of state regulatory cash management policies on our ability to transfer cash among our subsidiaries and to the parent company; our ability to successfully renegotiate union contracts expiring in 2010 and beyond; declines in the value of our pension plan assets, which could require us to make contributions to the pension plan in 2011 and beyond; our ability to pay dividends in respect of our common shares, which may be affected by our cash flow from operations, amount of capital expenditures, debt service requirements, cash paid for income taxes and our liquidity; the effects of any unfavorable outcome with respect to any of our current or future legal, governmental or regulatory proceedings, audits or disputes; the possible impact of adverse changes in political or other external factors over which we have no control; and the effects of hurricanes, ice storms or other natural disasters. These and other uncertainties related to our business are described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and the foregoing information should be read in conjunction with these filings. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or to make any other forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required to do so by securities laws.
SOURCE: Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications
INVESTOR:
David Whitehouse203-614-5708
SVP & Treasurer
david.whitehouse@frontiercorp.com
or
Gregory Lundberg, 203-614-5044
Director, Investor Relations
greg.lundberg@frontiercorp.com
MEDIA:
Brigid Smith, 203-614-5042
AVP Corp. Communications
brigid.smith@frontiercorp.com
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