Level 3 Announces Walter Scott, Jr. Intends to Retire as Chairman at 2014 Annual Meeting

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE:LVLT, news, filings) today announced Walter Scott, Jr., chairman of the Board of Directors, intends to retire from the Board of Directors effective with the May 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. In connection with his retirement, Scott will not stand for reelection at the May 2014 Annual Meeting. Scott, 82, has served as chairman of the Board since 1979 and has been a member of the Board since 1964.

In connection with this announcement, the Board has adopted a transition plan for the Chairman’s role. As part of the transition plan, it is anticipated that immediately after the company’s annual meeting of stockholders in May 2014, James O. Ellis, Jr. will be appointed as Scott’s successor. Ellis is also currently a member of the Board of Directors of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Dominion Resources, Inc. and Inmarsat PLC. Ellis has been a member of the Board since March 2005 and is the chairman of the Board’s Classified Business and Security Committee and a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Ellis retired with the rank of Admiral from the U.S. Navy after 35 years of service.

“On behalf of the employees of Level 3 worldwide, I want to acknowledge Walter’s leadership of the Board for the more than 15 years since the start of the Level 3 business,” said Jeff Storey, president and chief executive officer of Level 3. “Our business and all of our stakeholders have been the beneficiaries of his steady leadership, guidance and insights, and I believe that in no small measure we are in the position that we are today as a result. I look forward to working with Jim Ellis to continue to build on the company’s successes.”

“It has been an honor to serve as a member of the Level 3 Board and its chairman,” said Walter Scott. “I believe both the company and the management team are in a strong position and now is the right time for me to transition the leadership of the Board to Jim, and I look forward to continuing to lead the Board through the 2014 Annual Meeting. I want to thank all of the Level 3 employees for their hard work and dedication, as I believe that we have the best people in the industry.”

About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE:LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that provides local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers. Level 3’s comprehensive portfolio of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 500 markets in 55 countries over a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. For more information, please visit www.level3.com or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.  Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.

Website Access to Company Information
Level 3 maintains a corporate website at www.level3.com, and you can find additional information about the company through the Investors pages on that website at http://investors.level3.com/investor-relations/default.aspx.  Level 3 uses its website as a channel of distribution of important information about the company. Level 3 routinely posts financial and other important information regarding the company and its business, financial condition and operations on the Investor Relations web pages.

Visitors to the Investors Relations web pages can view and print copies of Level 3’s SEC filings, including periodic and current reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, as soon as reasonably practicable after those filings are made with the SEC.

Copies of the charters for each of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance committees of Level 3’s Board of Directors, its Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Ethics, press releases and analysts and investor conference presentations are all available through the Investor Relations web pages.

Please note that the information contained on any of Level 3’s web sites is not incorporated by reference in, or considered to be a part of, any document unless expressly incorporated by reference in that document.

Forward-Looking Statement

Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3’s control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the company’s ability to: successfully integrate the Global Crossing acquisition or otherwise realize the anticipated benefits thereof; manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global economy; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network and computer system security measures; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; manage the future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain competitive; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; obtain capacity for its network from other providers and interconnect its network with other networks on favorable terms; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; successfully integrate future acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory, foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of its debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.