▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇/\▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇.,
▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ TRUST COMPANY OF NEW YORK,
Trustee
Indenture
Dated as of March 3, 1998
8 7/8% Senior Notes due 2008
================================================================================
CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE
TIA Sections Indenture Sections
------------ ------------------
ss. 310(a)(1)..................................... 7.10
(a)(2)....................................... 7.10
(b).......................................... 7.08
ss. 313(c)........................................ 7.06; 10.02
ss. 314(a)........................................ 4.17; 10.02
(a)(4)....................................... 4.16; 10.02
(c)(1)....................................... 10.03
(c)(2)....................................... 10.03
(e).......................................... 10.04
ss. 315(b)........................................ 7.05; 10.02
ss. 316(a)(1)(A).................................. 6.05
(a)(1)(B).................................... 6.04
(b).......................................... 6.07
ss. 317(a)(1)..................................... 6.08
(a)(2)....................................... 6.09
ss. 318(a)........................................ 10.01
(c).......................................... 10.01
Note: The Cross-Reference Table shall not for any purpose be deemed to be a
part of the Indenture.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ARTICLE ONE
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
SECTION 1.01. Definitions ............................................. 1
SECTION 1.02. Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act ....... 21
SECTION 1.03. Rules of Construction ................................... 22
ARTICLE TWO
THE NOTES
SECTION 2.01. Form and Dating ......................................... 22
SECTION 2.02. Restrictive Legends ..................................... 23
SECTION 2.03. Execution, Authentication and Denominations ............. 25
SECTION 2.04. Registrar and Paying Agent .............................. 26
SECTION 2.05. Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust ..................... 27
SECTION 2.06. Transfer and Exchange ................................... 27
SECTION 2.07. Book-Entry Provisions for Global Notes .................. 28
SECTION 2.08. Special Transfer Provisions ............................. 30
SECTION 2.09. Replacement Notes ....................................... 33
SECTION 2.10. Outstanding Notes ....................................... 33
SECTION 2.11. Temporary Notes ......................................... 34
SECTION 2.12. Cancellation ............................................ 34
SECTION 2.13. CUSIP Numbers ........................................... 34
SECTION 2.14. Defaulted Interest ...................................... 35
SECTION 2.15. Issuance of Additional Notes ............................ 35
ARTICLE THREE
REDEMPTION
SECTION 3.01. Right of Redemption; Mandatory Redemption ............... 35
SECTION 3.02. Notices to Trustee ...................................... 36
SECTION 3.03. Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed ....................... 36
SECTION 3.04. Notice of Redemption .................................... 36
SECTION 3.05. Effect of Notice of Redemption .......................... 37
SECTION 3.06. Deposit of Redemption Price ............................. 37
SECTION 3.07. Payment of Notes Called for Redemption .................. 38
SECTION 3.08. Notes Redeemed in Part .................................. 38
ARTICLE FOUR
COVENANTS
SECTION 4.01. Payment of Notes ........................................ 38
SECTION 4.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency ......................... 39
----------
Note: The Table of Contents shall not for any purpose be deemed to be a
part of the Indenture.
ii
SECTION 4.03. Limitation on Indebtedness .............................. 39
SECTION 4.04. Limitation on Restricted Payments ....................... 41
SECTION 4.05. Limitation on Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions
Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries....................... 44
SECTION 4.06. Limitation on the Issuance and Sale of Capital Stock of
Restricted Subsidiaries................................. 45
SECTION 4.07. Limitation on Issuances of Guarantees by Restricted
Subsidiaries............................................ 46
SECTION 4.08. Limitation on Transactions with Stockholders and
Affiliates.............................................. 46
SECTION 4.09. Limitation on Liens ..................................... 47
SECTION 4.10. Limitation on Asset Sales ............................... 48
SECTION 4.11. Repurchase of Notes upon a Change of Control ............ 48
SECTION 4.12. Existence ............................................... 49
SECTION 4.13. Payment of Taxes and Other Claims ....................... 49
SECTION 4.14. Maintenance of Properties and Insurance ................. 49
SECTION 4.15. Notice of Defaults ...................................... 50
SECTION 4.16. Compliance Certificates ................................. 50
SECTION 4.17. Commission Reports and Reports to Holders ............... 50
SECTION 4.18. Waiver of Stay, Extension or Usury Laws ................. 51
SECTION 4.19. Limitation on Sale-Leaseback Transactions ............... 51
ARTICLE FIVE
SUCCESSOR CORPORATION
SECTION 5.01. When Company May Merge, Etc ............................. 52
SECTION 5.02. Successor Substituted ................................... 52
ARTICLE SIX
DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
SECTION 6.01. Events of Default ....................................... 53
SECTION 6.02. Acceleration ............................................ 54
SECTION 6.03. Other Remedies .......................................... 55
SECTION 6.04. Waiver of Past Defaults ................................. 55
SECTION 6.05. Control by Majority ..................................... 55
SECTION 6.06. Limitation on Suits ..................................... 55
SECTION 6.07. Rights of Holders to Receive Payment .................... 56
SECTION 6.08. Collection Suit by Trustee .............................. 56
SECTION 6.09. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim ........................ 57
SECTION 6.10. Priorities .............................................. 57
SECTION 6.11. Undertaking for Costs ................................... 58
SECTION 6.12. Restoration of Rights and Remedies ...................... 58
SECTION 6.13. Rights and Remedies Cumulative .......................... 58
SECTION 6.14. Delay or Omission Not Waiver ............................ 58
ARTICLE SEVEN
TRUSTEE
SECTION 7.01. General ................................................. 58
SECTION 7.02. Certain Rights of Trustee ............................... 59
SECTION 7.03. Individual Rights of Trustee ............................ 60
iii
SECTION 7.04. Trustee's Disclaimer .................................... 60
SECTION 7.05. Notice of Default ....................................... 60
SECTION 7.06. Reports by Trustee to Holders ........................... 60
SECTION 7.07. Compensation and Indemnity .............................. 60
SECTION 7.08. Replacement of Trustee .................................. 61
SECTION 7.09. Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc ........................ 62
SECTION 7.10. Eligibility ............................................. 62
SECTION 7.11. Money Held in Trust ..................................... 62
SECTION 7.12. Withholding Taxes ....................................... 63
ARTICLE EIGHT
DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE
SECTION 8.01. Termination of Company's Obligations .................... 63
SECTION 8.02. Defeasance and Discharge of Indenture ................... 64
SECTION 8.03. Defeasance of Certain Obligations ....................... 66
SECTION 8.04. Application of Trust Money .............................. 68
SECTION 8.05. Repayment to Company .................................... 68
SECTION 8.06. Reinstatement ........................................... 68
ARTICLE NINE
AMENDMENTS, SUPPLEMENTS AND WAIVERS
SECTION 9.01. Without Consent of Holders .............................. 69
SECTION 9.02. With Consent of Holders ................................. 69
SECTION 9.03. Revocation and Effect of Consent ........................ 70
SECTION 9.04. Notation on or Exchange of Notes ........................ 71
SECTION 9.05. Trustee to Sign Amendments, Etc ......................... 71
SECTION 9.06. Conformity with Trust Indenture Act ..................... 71
ARTICLE TEN
MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION 10.01. Trust Indenture Act of 1939 ............................. 72
SECTION 10.02. Notices ................................................. 72
SECTION 10.03. Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent ...... 73
SECTION 10.04. Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion ........... 73
SECTION 10.05. Rules by Trustee, Paying Agent or Registrar ............. 74
SECTION 10.06. Payment Date Other Than a Business Day .................. 74
SECTION 10.07. Governing Law ........................................... 74
SECTION 10.08. No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements ........... 74
SECTION 10.09. No Recourse Against Others .............................. 74
SECTION 10.10. Successors .............................................. 74
SECTION 10.11. Duplicate Originals ..................................... 75
SECTION 10.12. Separability ............................................ 75
SECTION 10.13. Table of Contents, Headings, Etc ........................ 75
EXHIBIT A Form of Note ............................................ A-1
iv
EXHIBIT B Form of Certificate ..................................... B-1
EXHIBIT C Form of Certificate to Be Delivered in Connection with
Transfers Pursuant to Non-QIB Accredited Investors ...... C-1
EXHIBIT D Form of Certificate to Be Delivered in Connection with
Transfers Pursuant to Regulation S ...................... D-1
INDENTURE, dated as of March 3, 1998, between ITC/\DELTACOM, INC., a
Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and United States Trust Company of New
York, a bank and trust company organized under the New York banking law (the
"Trustee").
RECITALS
The Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this
Indenture to provide for the issuance initially of up to $160,000,000 aggregate
principal amount of the Company's 8-7/8% Senior Notes due 2008 (the "Notes")
issuable as provided in this Indenture. All things necessary to make this
Indenture a valid agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have
been done, and the Company has done all things necessary to make the Notes, when
executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee hereunder
and duly issued by the Company, the valid obligations of the Company as
hereinafter provided.
This Indenture is subject to, and shall be governed by, the provisions of
the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 that are required to be a part of and to govern
indentures qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.
AND THIS INDENTURE FURTHER WITNESSETH
For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Notes by
the Holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and
proportionate benefit of all Holders, the Company and the Trustee, as follows.
ARTICLE ONE
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
SECTION 1.01. Definitions.
"Acquired Assets" means (i) the Capital Stock of any Person that becomes a
Restricted Subsidiary after the Closing Date and (ii) the real or personal
property (including tangible and intangible assets) of any Person that becomes a
Restricted Subsidiary after the Closing Date.
"Acquired Indebtedness" means Indebtedness of a Person existing at the time
such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary or assumed in connection with an
Asset Acquisition by a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that Indebtedness of such
Person which is redeemed, defeased, retired or otherwise repaid at the time of
or immediately upon consummation of the transactions by which such Person
becomes a Restricted Subsidiary or such Asset Acquisition shall not be Acquired
Indebtedness.
"Adjusted Consolidated Net Income" means, for any period, the aggregate net
income (or loss) of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period
determined in conformity with GAAP; provided that the following items shall be
excluded in computing Adjusted Consolidated Net Income (without duplication):
(i) the net income (or loss) of any Person (other than a Restricted Subsidiary)
in which any Person (other than the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries) has a joint interest and the net income (or loss) of any
Unrestricted Subsidiary, except (x) with respect to net income, to the extent of
the amount of dividends or other distributions actually paid to the Company or
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries by such other Person or such Unrestricted
Subsidiary during such period and (y) with respect to net losses, to the extent
of the amount of cash contributed by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary to
such Person during such period; (ii) solely for the purposes of calculating the
amount of
2
Restricted Payments that may be made pursuant to clause (C) of the first
paragraph of Section 4.04 (and in such case, except to the extent includable
pursuant to clause (i) above), the net income (or loss) of any Person accrued
prior to the date it becomes a Restricted Subsidiary or is merged into or
consolidated with the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or all or
substantially all of the property and assets of such Person are acquired by the
Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; (iii) the net income of any
Restricted Subsidiary to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends
or similar distributions by such Restricted Subsidiary of such net income is not
at the time permitted by the operation of the terms of its charter or any
agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental
regulation applicable to such Restricted Subsidiary; (iv) any gains or losses
(on an after-tax basis) attributable to Asset Sales; (v) except for purposes of
calculating the amount of Restricted Payments that may be made pursuant to
clause (C) of the first paragraph of Section 4.04, any amount paid or accrued as
dividends on Preferred Stock (other than accrued dividends which, pursuant to
the terms of the Preferred Stock, will not be payable prior to the first
anniversary after the Stated Maturity of the Notes) of the Company or any
Restricted Subsidiary owned by Persons other than the Company and any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries; and (vi) all extraordinary gains and extraordinary
losses.
"Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets" means the total amount of
assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries (less applicable
depreciation, amortization and other valuation reserves), except to the extent
resulting from write-ups of capital assets (excluding write-ups in connection
with accounting for acquisitions in conformity with GAAP), after deducting
therefrom (i) all current liabilities of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries (excluding intercompany items) and (ii) all goodwill, trade names,
trademarks, patents, unamortized debt discount and expense and other like
intangibles, all as set forth on the most recent quarterly or annual
consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries,
prepared in conformity with GAAP and filed with the Commission or provided to
the Trustee pursuant to Section 4.17.
"Affiliate" means, as applied to any Person, any other Person directly or
indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under direct or indirect common
control with, such Person. For purposes of this definition, "control"
(including, with correlative meanings, the terms "controlling," "controlled by"
and "under common control with"), as applied to any Person, means the
possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the
direction of the management and policies of such Person, whether through the
ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
"Agent" means any Registrar, Co-Registrar, Paying Agent or authenticating
agent.
"Agent Members" has the meaning provided in Section 2.07(a).
"Asset Acquisition" means (i) an investment by the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries in any other Person pursuant to which such Person shall
become a Restricted Subsidiary or shall be merged into or consolidated with the
Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that such Person's
primary business is related, ancillary or complementary to the businesses of the
Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of such investment or (ii)
an acquisition by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of the
property and assets of any Person other than the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries that constitute substantially all of a division or line
of business of such Person; provided that the property and assets acquired are
related, ancillary or complementary to the businesses of the Company and its
Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of such acquisition.
"Asset Disposition" means the sale or other disposition by the Company or
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than to the Company or another
Restricted Subsidiary) of (i) all or substantially all of the Capital Stock of
any Restricted Subsidiary or (ii) all or substantially all of the assets that
constitute a division or line of business of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries.
3
"Asset Sale" means any sale, transfer or other disposition (including by
way of merger, consolidation or sale-leaseback transaction) in one transaction
or a series of related transactions by the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries to any Person other than the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries of (i) all or any of the Capital Stock of any Restricted
Subsidiary, (ii) all or substantially all of the property and assets of an
operating unit or business of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries
or (iii) any other property and assets (other than the Capital Stock or other
Investment in an Unrestricted Subsidiary) of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries outside the ordinary course of business of the Company
or such Restricted Subsidiary and, in each case, that is not governed by Article
Five; provided that "Asset Sale" shall not include (a) sales, transfers or other
dispositions of inventory, receivables and other current assets, (b) sales,
transfers or other dispositions of assets with a fair market value (as certified
in an Officers' Certificate) not in excess of $500,000 in any transaction or
series of related transactions or (c) sales, transfers or other dispositions of
assets for consideration at least equal to the fair market value of the assets
sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of to the extent the consideration
received would satisfy clause (B) of the first paragraph of Section 4.10,
provided that after giving pro forma effect to such exchange, the Consolidated
Leverage Ratio shall be no greater than the Consolidated Leverage Ratio
immediately prior to such exchange.
"Average Life" means, at any date of determination with respect to any
debt security, the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the sum of the products of
(a) the number of years from such date of determination to the dates of each
successive scheduled principal payment of such debt security and (b) the amount
of such principal payment by (ii) the sum of all such principal payments.
"Board of Directors" means the Board of Directors of the Company or any
committee of such Board of Directors duly authorized to act under this
Indenture.
"Board Resolution" means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary
or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board
of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such
certification, and delivered to the Trustee.
"Business Day" means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or other day on
which commercial banks in The City of New York, or in the city of the Corporate
Trust Office of the Trustee, are authorized by law to close.
"Capital Stock" means, with respect to any Person, any and all shares,
interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated, whether
voting or non-voting) in equity of such Person, whether outstanding on the
Closing Date or issued thereafter, including, without limitation, all Common
Stock and Preferred Stock.
"Capitalized Lease" means, as applied to any Person, any lease of any
property (whether real, personal or mixed) of which the discounted present value
of the rental obligations of such Person as lessee, in conformity with GAAP, is
required to be capitalized on the balance sheet of such Person.
"Capitalized Lease Obligations" means the discounted present value of the
rental obligations under a Capitalized Lease.
"Change of Control" means such time as (i) a "person" or "group" (within
the meaning of Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) becomes the
ultimate "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of
more than 35% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of the Company on a
fully diluted basis and such ownership represents a greater percentage of the
total voting power of the Voting Stock of the Company, on a fully diluted basis,
than is held by the Existing Stockholders on such date; or (ii) individuals who
on the Closing Date constitute the Board of Directors (together with any new
directors whose election by the Board of Directors or whose nomination by the
Board of Directors for election by the Company's stockholders was approved
4
by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors then
in office who either were members of the Board of Directors on the Closing Date
or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved) cease
for any reason to constitute a majority of the members of the Board of Directors
then in office.
"Closing Date" means the date on which the Notes are originally issued
under this Indenture.
"Commission" means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to
time constituted, created under the Exchange Act or, if at any time after the
execution of this instrument such Commission is not existing and performing the
duties now assigned to it under the TIA, then the body performing such duties at
such time.
"Common Stock" means, with respect to any Person, any and all shares,
interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated, whether
voting or non-voting) of such Person's equity, other than Preferred Stock of
such Person, whether outstanding on the Closing Date or issued thereafter,
including, without limitation, all series and classes of such common stock.
"Company" means the party named as such in the first paragraph of this
Indenture until a successor replaces it pursuant to Article Five of this
Indenture and thereafter means the successor.
"Company Order" means a written request or order signed in the name of the
Company (i) by its Chairman, a Vice Chairman, its President or a Vice President
and (ii) by its Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, its Secretary or an Assistant
Secretary and delivered to the Trustee; provided, however, that such written
request or order may be signed by any two of the officers or directors listed in
clause (i) above in lieu of being signed by one of such officers or directors
listed in such clause (i) and one of the officers listed in clause (ii) above.
"Consolidated EBITDA" means, for any period, the sum of the amounts for
such period of (i) Adjusted Consolidated Net Income, (ii) Consolidated Interest
Expense, to the extent such amount was deducted in calculating Adjusted
Consolidated Net Income, (iii) income taxes, to the extent such amount was
deducted in calculating Adjusted Consolidated Net Income (other than income
taxes (either positive or negative) attributable to extraordinary and
non-recurring gains or losses or sales of assets), (iv) depreciation expense, to
the extent such amount was deducted in calculating Adjusted Consolidated Net
Income, (v) amortization expense, to the extent such amount was deducted in
calculating Adjusted Consolidated Net Income, and (vi) all other non-cash items
reducing Adjusted Consolidated Net Income (other than items that will require
cash payments and for which an accrual or reserve is, or is required by GAAP to
be, made), less all non-cash items increasing Adjusted Consolidated Net Income,
all as determined on a consolidated basis for the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries in conformity with GAAP; provided that, if any Restricted
Subsidiary is not a Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary, Consolidated EBITDA
shall be reduced (to the extent not otherwise reduced in accordance with GAAP)
by an amount equal to (A) the amount of the Adjusted Consolidated Net Income
attributable to such Restricted Subsidiary multiplied by (B) the quotient of (1)
the number of shares of outstanding Common Stock of such Restricted Subsidiary
not owned on the last day of such period by the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries divided by (2) the total number of shares of outstanding Common
Stock of such Restricted Subsidiary on the last day of such period.
"Consolidated Interest Expense" means, for any period, the aggregate
amount of interest in respect of Indebtedness (including, without limitation,
amortization of original issue discount on any Indebtedness and the interest
portion of any deferred payment obligation, calculated in accordance with the
effective interest method of accounting; all commissions, discounts and other
fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit and bankers' acceptance
financing; the net costs associated with Interest Rate Agreements; and
Indebtedness that is Guaranteed or secured by the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries) and all but the principal component of rentals in
respect of Capitalized Lease Obligations paid, accrued or scheduled to be paid
or to be accrued by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries during such
period; excluding, however, (i) any amount of such interest of any Restricted
5
Subsidiary if the net income of such Restricted Subsidiary is excluded in the
calculation of Adjusted Consolidated Net Income pursuant to clause (iii) of the
definition thereof (but only in the same proportion as the net income of such
Restricted Subsidiary is excluded from the calculation of Adjusted Consolidated
Net Income pursuant to clause (iii) of the definition thereof) and (ii) any
premiums, fees and expenses (and any amortization thereof) payable in connection
with the offering of the Notes and the Reorganization, all as determined on a
consolidated basis (without taking into account Unrestricted Subsidiaries) in
conformity with GAAP.
"Consolidated Leverage Ratio" means, on any Transaction Date, the ratio of
(i) the aggregate amount of Indebtedness of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis outstanding on such Transaction Date to
(ii) the aggregate amount of Consolidated EBITDA for the Four Quarter Period;
provided that, in making the foregoing calculation, (A) pro forma effect shall
be given to any Indebtedness to be Incurred or repaid on the Transaction Date;
(B) pro forma effect shall be given to Asset Dispositions and Asset Acquisitions
(including giving pro forma effect to the application of proceeds of any Asset
Disposition) that occur during the Reference Period, as if they had occurred and
such proceeds had been applied on the first day of such Reference Period; (C)
pro forma effect shall be given to asset dispositions and asset acquisitions
(including giving pro forma effect to the application of proceeds of any asset
disposition) that have been made by any Person that has become a Restricted
Subsidiary or has been merged with or into the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary during such Reference Period and that would have constituted Asset
Dispositions or Asset Acquisitions had such transactions occurred when such
Person was a Restricted Subsidiary as if such asset dispositions or asset
acquisitions were Asset Dispositions or Asset Acquisitions that occurred on the
first day of such Reference Period; provided that to the extent that clause (B)
or (C) of this sentence requires that pro forma effect be given to an Asset
Acquisition or Asset Disposition, such pro forma calculation shall be based upon
the four full fiscal quarters immediately preceding the Transaction Date of the
Person, or division or line of business of the Person, that is acquired or
disposed of for which financial information is available; and (D) the aggregate
amount of Indebtedness outstanding as of the end of such Reference Period will
be deemed to include the total amount of funds outstanding and/or available on
the Transaction Date under any revolving credit or similar facilities of the
Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries.
"Consolidated Net Worth" means, at any date of determination,
stockholders' equity as set forth on the most recently available quarterly or
annual consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries
(which shall be as of a date not more than 90 days prior to the date of such
computation and which shall not take into account Unrestricted Subsidiaries),
less any amounts attributable to Redeemable Stock or any equity security
convertible into or exchangeable for Indebtedness, the cost of treasury stock
and the principal amount of any promissory notes receivable from the sale of the
Capital Stock of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, each item to
be determined in conformity with GAAP (excluding the effects of foreign currency
exchange adjustments under Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 52).
"Consolidated Secured Indebtedness Leverage Ratio" means, on any
Transaction Date, the ratio of (i) the aggregate amount of Secured Indebtedness
of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis
outstanding on such Transaction Date to (ii) the aggregate amount of
Consolidated EBITDA for the Four Quarter Period; provided that, in making the
foregoing calculation, (A) pro forma effect shall be given to any Secured
Indebtedness to be Incurred or repaid on the Transaction Date; (B) pro forma
effect shall be given to Asset Dispositions and Asset Acquisitions (including
giving pro forma effect to the application of proceeds of any Asset
Disposition) that occur during the Reference Period, as if they had occurred and
such proceeds had been applied on the first day of such Reference Period; (C)
pro forma effect shall be given to asset dispositions and asset acquisitions
(including giving pro forma effect to the application of proceeds of any asset
disposition) that have been made by any Person that has become a Restricted
Subsidiary or has been merged with or into the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary during such Reference Period and that would have constituted Asset
Dispositions or Asset Acquisitions had such transactions occurred when such
Person was a Restricted Subsidiary as if such asset dispositions or asset
acquisitions were Asset Dispositions or Asset Acquisitions that occurred on the
first day of such Reference Period;
6
provided that to the extent that clause (B) or (C) of this sentence requires
that pro forma effect be given to an Asset Acquisition or Asset Disposition,
such pro forma calculation shall be based upon the four full fiscal quarters
immediately preceding the Transaction Date of the Person, or division or line of
business of the Person, that is acquired or disposed of for which financial
information is available; and (D) the aggregate amount of Secured Indebtedness
outstanding as of the end of such Reference Period will be deemed to include the
total amount of funds outstanding and/or available on the Transaction Date under
any revolving credit or similar facilities of the Company or its Restricted
Subsidiaries to the extent that borrowings under such facilities would
constitute Secured Indebtedness.
"Corporate Trust Office" means the office of the Trustee at which the
corporate trust business of the Trustee shall, at any particular time, be
principally administered, which office is, at the date of this Indenture,
located at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: Corporate
Trust Department.
"Credit Agreement" means the First Amended and Restated Credit Agreement
among Interstate FiberNet Inc., NationsBank of Texas, N.A., as administrative
lender, and the lenders party thereto, as such agreement may be amended,
supplemented or modified from time to time.
"Credit Facilities" means revolving credit or working capital facilities
or similar facilities made available from time to time to the Company and its
Restricted Subsidiaries.
"Currency Agreement" means any foreign exchange contract, currency swap
agreement or other similar agreement or arrangement.
"Default" means any event that is, or after notice or passage of time or
both would be, an Event of Default.
"Depositary" means The Depository Trust Company, its nominees, and their
respective successors.
"Event of Default" has the meaning provided in Section 6.01.
"Excess Proceeds" has the meaning provided in Section 4.10.
"Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
"Exchange Notes" means any securities of the Company containing terms
identical to the Notes (except that such Exchange Notes shall be registered
under the Securities Act) that are issued and exchanged for the Notes pursuant
to the Registration Rights Agreement and this Indenture.
"Existing Stockholders" means ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇, III and SCANA
Corporation and their Affiliates, and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇, III's spouse and any
one or more of his lineal descendants and their spouses; provided, however, that
any such person other than ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇, III shall only be deemed to be an
"Existing Stockholder" to the extent such person's Capital Stock of the Company
was received, directly or indirectly, from ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇, III.
"fair market value" means the price that would be paid in an arm's-length
transaction between an informed and willing seller under no compulsion to sell
and an informed and willing buyer under no compulsion to buy, as determined in
good faith by the Board of Directors, whose determination shall be conclusive if
evidenced by a Board Resolution; provided that for purposes of clause (viii) of
the second paragraph of Section 4.03(a), (x) the fair market value of any
security registered under the Exchange Act shall be the average of the closing
prices, regular way, of such security for the 20 consecutive trading days
immediately preceding the capital contribution or sale of Capital
7
Stock and (y) in the event the aggregate fair market value of any other property
(other than cash or cash equivalents) received by the Company exceeds $10
million, the fair market value of such property shall be determined by a
nationally recognized investment banking firm and set forth in their written
opinion which shall be delivered to the Trustee.
"Four Quarter Period" means, with respect to any Transaction Date, the
then most recent four fiscal quarter period for which financial statements of
the Company have been filed with the Commission or provided to the Trustee
pursuant to Section 4.17.
"GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States
of America as in effect from time to time, including, without limitation, those
set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board
of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and
pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other
statements by such other entity as approved by a significant segment of the
accounting profession. All ratios and computations contained or referred to in
this Indenture shall be computed in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent
basis, except that computations made for purposes of determining compliance with
the terms of the covenants and with other provisions of this Indenture shall be
made without giving effect to (i) the amortization of any expenses incurred in
connection with the offering of the Notes or the Reorganization and (ii) except
as otherwise provided, the amortization of any amounts required or permitted by
Accounting Principles Board Opinion Nos. 16 and 17.
"Global Notes" has the meaning provided in Section 2.01.
"Guarantee" means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of any Person
directly or indirectly guaranteeing any Indebtedness of any other Person and,
without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any obligation, direct or
indirect, contingent or otherwise, of such Person (i) to purchase or pay (or
advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness of
such other Person (whether arising by virtue of partnership arrangements, or by
agreements to keep-well, to purchase assets, goods, securities or services
(unless such purchase arrangements are on arm's-length and are entered into in
the ordinary course of business), to take-or-pay, or to maintain financial
statement conditions or otherwise) or (ii) entered into for purposes of assuring
in any other manner the obligee of such Indebtedness of the payment thereof or
to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part);
provided that the term "Guarantee" shall not include endorsements for collection
or deposit in the ordinary course of business. The term "Guarantee" used as a
verb has a corresponding meaning.
"Guaranteed Indebtedness" has the meaning provided in Section 4.07.
"Holder" means the registered holder of any Note.
"Incur" means, with respect to any Indebtedness, to incur, create, issue,
assume, Guarantee or otherwise become liable for or with respect to, or become
responsible for, the payment of, contingently or otherwise, such Indebtedness,
including an Incurrence of Acquired Indebtedness; provided that neither the
accrual of interest nor the accretion of original issue discount shall be
considered an Incurrence of Indebtedness.
"Indebtedness" means, with respect to any Person at any date of
determination (without duplication), (i) all indebtedness of such Person for
borrowed money, (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds,
debentures, notes or other similar instruments, (iii) all obligations of such
Person in respect of letters of credit or other similar instruments (including
reimbursement obligations with respect thereto), (iv) all obligations of such
Person to pay the deferred and unpaid purchase price of property or services,
which purchase price is due more than six months after the date of placing such
property in service or taking delivery and title thereto or the completion of
such services, except Trade Payables, (v) all Capitalized Lease Obligations of
such Person, (vi) all Indebtedness of other Persons
8
secured by a Lien on any asset of such Person, whether or not such Indebtedness
is assumed by such Person; provided that the amount of such Indebtedness shall
be the lesser of (A) the fair market value of such asset at such date of
determination and (B) the amount of such Indebtedness, (vii) all Indebtedness of
other Persons Guaranteed by such Person to the extent such Indebtedness is
Guaranteed by such Person and (viii) to the extent not otherwise included in
this definition, obligations under Currency Agreements and Interest Rate
Agreements. The amount of Indebtedness of any Person at any date shall be the
outstanding balance at such date (or, in the case of a revolving credit or other
similar facility, the total amount of funds outstanding and/or available on the
date of determination) of all unconditional obligations as described above and,
with respect to contingent obligations, the maximum liability upon the
occurrence of the contingency giving rise to the obligation, provided (A) that
the amount outstanding at any time of any Indebtedness issued with original
issue discount is the face amount of such Indebtedness less the remaining
unamortized portion of the original issue discount of such Indebtedness at the
time of its issuance as determined in conformity with GAAP, (B) that money
borrowed and set aside at the time of the Incurrence of any Indebtedness in
order to prefund the payment of the interest on such Indebtedness shall not be
deemed to be "Indebtedness" and (C) that Indebtedness shall not include any
liability for federal, state, local or other taxes.
"Indenture" means this Indenture as originally executed or as it may be
amended or supplemented from time to time by one or more indentures supplemental
to this Indenture entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions of this
Indenture.
"Institutional Accredited Investor" means an institution that is an
"accredited investor" as that term is defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7)
under the Securities Act.
"Interest Payment Date" means each semiannual interest payment date on
March 1 and September 1 of each year, commencing September 1, 1998.
"Interest Rate Agreement" means any interest rate protection agreement,
interest rate future agreement, interest rate option agreement, interest rate
swap agreement, interest rate cap agreement, interest rate collar agreement,
interest rate hedge agreement, option or future contract or other similar
agreement or arrangement.
"Investment" in any Person means any direct or indirect advance, loan or
other extension of credit (including, without limitation, by way of Guarantee or
similar arrangement; but excluding advances to customers in the ordinary course
of business that are, in conformity with GAAP, recorded as accounts receivable
on the balance sheet of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries) or capital
contribution to (by means of any transfer of cash or other property to others or
any payment for property or services for the account or use of others), or any
purchase or acquisition of Capital Stock, bonds, notes, debentures or other
similar instruments issued by, such Person and shall include (i) the designation
of a Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary and (ii) the fair
market value of the Capital Stock (or any other Investment), held by the Company
or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, of (or in) any Person that has ceased to
be a Restricted Subsidiary, including, without limitation, by reason of any
transaction permitted by clause (iii) of Section 4.06. For purposes of the
definition of "Unrestricted Subsidiary" and Section 4.04, (i) "Investment" shall
include the fair market value of the assets (net of liabilities (other than
liabilities to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries)) of any Restricted
Subsidiary at the time that such Restricted Subsidiary is designated an
Unrestricted Subsidiary, (ii) the fair market value of the assets (net of
liabilities (other than liabilities to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries))
of any Unrestricted Subsidiary at the time that such Unrestricted Subsidiary is
designated a Restricted Subsidiary shall be considered a reduction in
outstanding Investments and (iii) any property transferred to or from any Person
shall be valued at its fair market value at the time of such transfer.
"Lien" means any mortgage, pledge, security interest, encumbrance, lien or
charge of any kind (including, without limitation, any conditional sale or other
title retention agreement or lease in the nature thereof or any agreement to
give any security interest).
9
"Net Cash Proceeds" means, (a) with respect to any Asset Sale, the
proceeds of such Asset Sale in the form of cash or cash equivalents, including
payments in respect of deferred payment obligations (to the extent corresponding
to the principal, but not interest, component thereof) when received in the form
of cash or cash equivalents (except to the extent such obligations are financed
or sold with recourse to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary) and proceeds
from the conversion of other property received when converted to cash or cash
equivalents, net of (i) brokerage commissions and other fees and expenses
(including fees and expenses of counsel and investment bankers) related to such
Asset Sale, (ii) provisions for all taxes (whether or not such taxes will
actually be paid or are payable) as a result of such Asset Sale without regard
to the consolidated results of operations of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (iii) payments made to repay Indebtedness or any
other obligation outstanding at the time of such Asset Sale that either (A) is
secured by a Lien on the property or assets sold or (B) is required to be paid
as a result of such sale and (iv) appropriate amounts to be provided by the
Company or any Restricted Subsidiary as a reserve against any liabilities
associated with such Asset Sale, including, without limitation, pension and
other post-employment benefit liabilities, liabilities related to environmental
matters and liabilities under any indemnification obligations associated with
such Asset Sale, all as determined in conformity with GAAP, and (b) with respect
to any capital contribution or issuance or sale of Capital Stock, options,
warrants or other rights to acquire Capital Stock or Indebtedness, the proceeds
of such capital contribution or issuance or sale in the form of cash or cash
equivalents, including payments in respect of deferred payment obligations (to
the extent corresponding to the principal, but not interest, component thereof)
when received in the form of cash or cash equivalents (except to the extent such
obligations are financed or sold with recourse to the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary) and proceeds from the conversion of other property received when
converted to cash or cash equivalents, net of attorney's fees, accountants'
fees, underwriters' or placement agents' fees, discounts or commissions and
brokerage, consultant and other fees incurred in connection with such issuance
or sale and net of taxes or payable as a result thereof.
"Non-U.S. Person" means a person who is not a "U.S. person" (as defined
in Regulation S).
"Notes" means any of the securities, as defined in the first paragraph of
the recitals hereof, that are authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.
For all purposes of this Indenture, the term "Notes" shall include the Notes
initially issued on the Closing Date, any Exchange Notes to be issued and
exchanged for any Notes pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement and this
Indenture and any other Notes issued after the Closing Date under this
Indenture. For purposes of this Indenture, all Notes shall vote together as one
series of Notes under this Indenture.
"Offer to Purchase" means an offer by the Company to purchase Notes from
the Holders commenced by mailing a notice to the Trustee and each Holder
stating: (i) the covenant pursuant to which the offer is being made and that all
Notes validly tendered will be accepted for payment on a pro rata basis; (ii)
the purchase price and the date of purchase (which shall be a Business Day no
earlier than 30 days nor later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed)
(the "Payment Date"); (iii) that any Note not tendered will continue to accrue
interest pursuant to its terms; (iv) that, unless the Company defaults in the
payment of the purchase price, any Note accepted for payment pursuant to the
Offer to Purchase shall cease to accrue interest on and after the Payment Date;
(v) that Holders electing to have a Note purchased pursuant to the Offer to
Purchase will be required to surrender the Note, together with the form entitled
"Option of the Holder to Elect Purchase" on the reverse side of the Note
completed, to the Paying Agent at the address specified in the notice prior to
the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Payment
Date; (vi) that Holders will be entitled to withdraw their election if the
Paying Agent receives, not later than the close of business on the third
Business Day immediately preceding the Payment Date, a facsimile transmission or
letter setting forth the name of such Holder, the principal amount of Notes
delivered for purchase and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing his
election to have such Notes purchased; and (vii) that Holders whose Notes are
being purchased only in part will be issued new Notes equal in principal amount
to the unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered; provided that each Note
purchased and each new Note issued shall be in a principal amount of $1,000 or
integral multiples thereof. On the Payment Date, the Company shall (i) accept
for payment on a pro rata basis Notes or portions thereof tendered pursuant to
an Offer to Purchase; (ii) deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay
the purchase price of all Notes or portions thereof so accepted; and (iii)
deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Trustee all Notes or portions thereof
so accepted together with an Officers' Certificate specifying the Notes or
portions thereof accepted for payment by the Company. The Paying Agent shall
promptly mail to the Holders of Notes so accepted payment in an amount equal to
the purchase price, and the Trustee shall promptly authenticate and mail to such
Holders a new Note equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the
Note surrendered; provided that each Note purchased and each new Note issued
shall be in a principal amount
10
of $1,000 or integral multiples thereof. The Company will publicly announce the
results of an Offer to Purchase as soon as practicable after the Payment Date.
The Trustee shall act as the Paying Agent for an Offer to Purchase. The Company
will comply with Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws
and regulations thereunder to the extent such laws and regulations are
applicable, in the event that the Company is required to repurchase Notes
pursuant to an Offer to Purchase.
"Officer" means, with respect to the Company, (i) the Chairman of the
Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Vice President or the
Chief Financial Officer, and (ii) the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, or
the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary.
"Officers' Certificate" means a certificate signed by one Officer listed
in clause (i) of the definition thereof and one Officer listed in clause (ii) of
the definition thereof or two officers listed in clause (i) of the definition
thereof. Each Officers' Certificate (other than certificates provided pursuant
to TIA Section 314(a)(4)) shall include the statements provided for in TIA
Section 314(e).
"Offshore Global Note" has the meaning provided in Section 2.01.
"Offshore Physical Notes" has the meaning provided in Section 2.01.
"Opinion of Counsel" means a written opinion signed by legal counsel, who
may be an employee of or counsel to the Company, that meets the requirements of
Section 10.04 hereof. Each such Opinion of Counsel shall include the statements
provided for in TIA Section 314(e).
"Paying Agent" has the meaning provided in Section 2.04, except that, for
the purposes of Article Eight, the Paying Agent shall not be the Company or a
Subsidiary of the Company or an Affiliate of any of them. The term "Paying
Agent" includes any additional Paying Agent.
"Permitted Investment" means (i) an Investment in the Company or a
Restricted Subsidiary or a Person which will, upon the making of such
Investment, become a Restricted Subsidiary or be merged or consolidated with or
into or transfer or convey all or substantially all its assets to the Company or
a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that such Person's primary business is
related, ancillary or complementary to the businesses of the Company and its
Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of such Investment; (ii) a Temporary Cash
Investment; (iii) commission, payroll, travel and similar advances to cover
matters that are expected at the time of such advances ultimately to be treated
as expenses in accordance with GAAP; (iv) stock, obligations or securities
received in satisfaction of judgments; (v) Investments in prepaid expenses,
negotiable instruments held for collection, and lease, utility and workers'
compensation, performance and other similar deposits; and (vi) Interest Rate
Agreements and Currency Agreements to the extent permitted under clause (iv) of
the second paragraph of Section 4.03(a).
"Permitted Liens" means (i) Liens for taxes, assessments, governmental
charges or claims that are being contested in good faith by appropriate legal
proceedings promptly instituted and diligently conducted and for which a reserve
or other appropriate provisions, if any, as shall be required in conformity with
GAAP shall have been made;
11
(ii) statutory and common law Liens of landlords and carriers, warehousemen,
mechanics, suppliers, materialmen, repairmen or other similar Liens arising in
the ordinary course of business and with respect to amounts not yet delinquent
or being contested in good faith by appropriate legal proceedings promptly
instituted and diligently conducted and for which a reserve or other appropriate
provision, if any, as shall be required in conformity with GAAP shall have been
made; (iii) Liens incurred or deposits made in the ordinary course of business
in connection with workers' compensation, unemployment insurance and other types
of social security; (iv) Liens incurred or deposits made to secure the
performance of tenders, bids, leases, statutory or regulatory obligations,
bankers' acceptances, surety and appeal bonds, government contracts, performance
and return-of-money bonds and other obligations of a similar nature incurred in
the ordinary course of business (exclusive of obligations for the payment of
borrowed money); (v) easements, rights-of-way, municipal and zoning ordinances
and similar charges, encumbrances, title defects or other irregularities that do
not materially interfere with the ordinary course of business of the Company or
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; (vi) Liens (including extensions and
renewals thereof) upon real or personal property (including, without limitation,
tangible and intangible assets and Acquired Assets) acquired after the Closing
Date; provided that (a) such Lien is created solely for the purpose of securing
Indebtedness Incurred, in accordance with Section 4.03, to finance the cost
(including, without limitation, the cost of design, development, construction,
acquisition, installation, improvement, transportation or integration) of the
real or personal property (including tangible and intangible assets) subject
thereto and such Lien is created prior to, at the time of or within six months
after the latest of the acquisition, the completion of construction or the
commencement of full operation of such real or personal property; provided that
in the case of Acquired Assets, the Lien secures the Indebtedness Incurred to
purchase the Capital Stock of the Person to make such Person a Restricted
Subsidiary, (b) the principal amount of the Indebtedness secured by such Lien
does not exceed 100% of such cost and (c) any such Lien shall not extend to or
cover any real or personal property other than such real or personal property
and any improvements on such real or personal property and any proceeds thereof;
(vii) leases or subleases granted to others that do not materially interfere
with the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (viii) Liens encumbering property or assets
under construction arising from progress or partial payments by a customer of
the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries relating to such property or assets;
(ix) any interest or title of a lessor in the property subject to any
Capitalized Lease or operating lease; (x) Liens arising from filing Uniform
Commercial Code financing statements regarding leases; (xi) Liens on property
of, or on shares of Capital Stock or Indebtedness of, any Person existing at the
time such Person becomes, or becomes a part of, any Restricted Subsidiary;
provided that such Liens do not extend to or cover any property or assets of the
Company or any Restricted Subsidiary other than the property or assets acquired
and any proceeds thereof; (xii) Liens in favor of the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary; (xiii) Liens arising from the rendering of a final judgment or order
against the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary that does not give rise to an
Event of Default; (xiv) Liens securing reimbursement obligations with respect to
letters of credit that encumber documents and other property relating to such
letters of credit and the products and proceeds thereof; (xv) Liens in favor of
customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of
customs duties in connection with the importation of goods; (xvi) Liens
encumbering customary initial deposits and margin deposits, and other Liens that
are either within the general parameters customary in the industry and incurred
in the ordinary course of business, in each case securing Indebtedness under
Interest Rate Agreements and Currency Agreements and forward contracts, options,
future contracts, futures options or similar agreements or arrangements designed
solely to protect the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from
fluctuations in interest rates, currencies or the price of commodities; (xvii)
Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar
arrangements for the sale of goods entered into by the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business in accordance with
the past practices of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries prior to the
Closing Date; (xviii) Liens on or sales of receivables, including related
intangible assets and proceeds thereof; and (xix) Liens that secure Indebtedness
with an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $5 million at any time
outstanding.
12
"Person" means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a limited
liability company, an association, a trust or any other entity or organization,
including a government or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality
thereof.
"Physical Notes" has the meaning provided in Section 2.01.
"Preferred Stock" means, with respect to any Person, any and all shares,
interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated, whether
voting or non-voting) of such Person's preferred or preference equity, whether
outstanding on the Closing Date or issued thereafter, including, without
limitation, all series and classes of such preferred or preference stock.
"principal" of a debt security, including the Notes, means the principal
amount due on the Stated Maturity as shown on such debt security.
"Private Placement Legend" means the legend initially set forth on the
Notes in the form set forth in Section 2.02.
"Public Equity Offering" means an underwritten primary offering of Common
Stock of the Company pursuant to an effective registration statement under the
Securities Act.
"QIB" means a "qualified institutional buyer" as defined in Rule 144A.
"Redeemable Stock" means any class or series of Capital Stock of any
Person that by its terms or otherwise is (i) required to be redeemed prior to
the Stated Maturity of the Notes, (ii) redeemable at the option of the holder of
such class or series of Capital Stock at any time prior to the Stated Maturity
of the Notes or (iii) convertible into or exchangeable for Capital Stock
referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above or Indebtedness having a scheduled
maturity prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes; provided that any Capital
Stock that would not constitute Redeemable Stock but for provisions thereof
giving holders thereof the right to require such Person to repurchase or redeem
such Capital Stock upon the occurrence of an "asset sale" or "change of control"
occurring prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes shall not constitute
Redeemable Stock if the "asset sale" or "change of control" provisions
applicable to such Capital Stock are no more favorable in any material respect
to the holders of such Capital Stock than the provisions contained in Sections
4.10 and 4.11 are to the holders of the Notes and such Capital Stock
specifically provides that such Person will not repurchase or redeem any such
stock pursuant to such provision prior to the Company's repurchase of such Notes
as are required to be repurchased pursuant to Sections 4.10 and 4.11.
"Redemption Date" means, when used with respect to any Note to be
redeemed, the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture.
"Redemption Price" means, when used with respect to any Note to be
redeemed, the price at which such Note is to be redeemed pursuant to this
Indenture.
"Reference Period" means, with respect to any Transaction Date, the period
from the beginning of the Four Quarter Period with respect to such Transaction
Date through such Transaction Date.
"Registrar" has the meaning provided in Section 2.04.
"Registration Rights Agreement" means the Registration Rights Agreement,
dated as of the Closing Date, between the Company and ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co.
Incorporated, Salomon Brothers Inc and NationsBanc ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC and
certain permitted assigns specified therein.
13
"Registration Statement" means the Registration Statement as defined and
described in the Registration Rights Agreement.
"Regular Record Date" for the interest payable on any Interest Payment
Date means the February 15 or August 15 (whether or not a Business Day), as the
case may be, next preceding such Interest Payment Date.
"Regulation S" means Regulation S under the Securities Act.
"Reorganization" means the transaactions in which ITC Holding Company,
Inc., a Delaware corporation, contributed to the Company its investments in the
Reorganization Subsidiaries (or their successors in interest).
"Reorganization Subsidiaries" means, collectively, (i) DeltaCom, Inc., an
Alabama corporation; (ii) Eastern Telecom, Inc., a Georgia corporation; (iii)
Gulf States Transmission Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation, (iv) ITC
Transmission Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation; (v) ITC Transmission Systems
II, Inc., a Delaware corporation; and (vi) Interstate FiberNet, a Georgia
general partnership.
"Responsible Officer", when used with respect to the Trustee, means the
chairman or any vice chairman of the board of directors, the chairman or any
vice chairman of the executive committee of the board of directors, the chairman
of the trust committee, the president, any vice president, any assistant vice
president, the secretary, any assistant secretary, the treasurer, any assistant
treasurer, the cashier, any assistant cashier, any trust officer or assistant
trust officer, the controller or any assistant controller or any other officer
of the Trustee in its Corporate Trust Department customarily performing
functions similar to those performed by any of the above-designated officers and
in each case having direct responsibility for the administration of this
Indenture and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter,
any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of his or her
knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
"Restricted Payments" has the meaning provided in Section 4.04.
"Restricted Subsidiary" means any Subsidiary of the Company other than
an Unrestricted Subsidiary.
"Rule 144A" means Rule 144A under the Securities Act.
"Secured Indebtedness" means Indebtedness of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries that is secured by Liens on the property or assets of
the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.
"Securities Act" means the Securities Act of 1933.
"Security Register" has the meaning provided in Section 2.04.
"Significant Subsidiary" means, at any date of determination, any
Restricted Subsidiary that, together with its Subsidiaries, (i) for the most
recent fiscal year of the Company, accounted for more than 10% of the
consolidated revenues of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries or (ii) as
of the end of such fiscal year, was the owner of more than 10% of the
consolidated assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, all as set
forth on the most recently available consolidated financial statements of the
Company for such fiscal year.
"Stated Maturity" means (i) with respect to any debt security, the date
specified in such debt security as the fixed date on which the final installment
of principal of such debt security is due and payable and (ii) with respect to
14
any scheduled installment of principal of or interest on any debt security, the
date specified in such debt security as the fixed date on which such installment
is due and payable.
"Strategic Subordinated Indebtedness" means Indebtedness of the Company
Incurred to finance the acquisition of a Person engaged in the
Telecommunications Business that by its terms, or by the terms of any agreement
or instrument pursuant to which such Indebtedness is Incurred, (i) is expressly
made subordinate in right of payment to the Notes and (ii) provides that no
payment of principal, premium or interest on, or any other payment with respect
to, such Indebtedness may be made prior to the payment in full of all of the
Company's obligations under the Notes; provided that such Indebtedness may
provide for and be repaid at any time from the proceeds of the sale of Capital
Stock (other than Redeemable Stock) of the Company after the Incurrence of such
Indebtedness.
"Subsidiary" means, with respect to any Person, any corporation,
association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the voting power
of the outstanding Voting Stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person
and one or more other Subsidiaries of such Person.
"Subsidiary Guarantee" has the meaning provided in Section 4.07.
"Telecommunications Business" means the development, ownership or
operation of one or more telephone, telecommunications or information systems or
the provision of telephony, telecommunications or information services
(including, without limitation, any voice, video transmission, data or Internet
services) and any related, ancillary or complementary business.
"Temporary Cash Investment" means any of the following: (i) direct
obligations of the United States of America or any agency thereof or obligations
fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the United States of America or any
agency thereof, (ii) time deposit accounts, certificates of deposit and money
market deposits maturing within one year of the date of acquisition thereof
issued by a bank or trust company which is organized under the laws of the
United States of America, any state thereof or any foreign country recognized by
the United States of America, and which bank or trust company has capital,
surplus and undivided profits aggregating in excess of $50 million (or the
foreign currency equivalent thereof) and has outstanding debt which is rated "A"
(or such similar equivalent rating) or higher by at least one nationally
recognized statistical rating organization (as defined in Rule 436 under the
Securities Act) or any money-market fund sponsored by a registered broker dealer
or mutual fund distributor, (iii) repurchase obligations with a term of not more
than 30 days for underlying securities of the types described in clause (i)
above entered into with a bank meeting the qualifications described in clause
(ii) above, (iv) commercial paper, maturing not more than one year after the
date of acquisition, issued by a corporation (other than an Affiliate of the
Company) organized and in existence under the laws of the United States of
America, any state thereof or any foreign country recognized by the United
States of America with a rating at the time as of which any investment therein
is made of "P-1" (or higher) according to ▇▇▇▇▇'▇ Investors Service, Inc. or
"A-1" (or higher) according to Standard & Poor's Ratings Service, and (v)
securities with maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition
issued or fully and unconditionally guaranteed by any state, commonwealth or
territory of the United States of America, or by any political subdivision or
taxing authority thereof, and rated at least "A" by Standard & Poor's Ratings
Service or ▇▇▇▇▇'▇ Investors Service, Inc.
"TIA" or "Trust Indenture Act" means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15
U.S. Code ▇▇.▇▇. 77aaa-77bbbb), as in effect on the date this Indenture was
executed, except as provided in Section 9.06.
"Trade Payables" means, with respect to any Person, any accounts payable
or any other indebtedness or monetary obligation to trade creditors created,
assumed or Guaranteed by such Person or any of its Subsidiaries arising in the
ordinary course of business in connection with the acquisition of goods or
services.
15
"Transaction Date" means, with respect to the Incurrence of any
Indebtedness by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, the date such
Indebtedness is to be Incurred and, with respect to any Restricted Payment, the
date such Restricted Payment is to be made.
"Trustee" means the party named as such in the first paragraph of this
Indenture until a successor replaces it in accordance with the provisions of
Article Seven of this Indenture and thereafter means such successor.
"United States Bankruptcy Code" means the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978,
as amended and as codified in Title 11 of the United States Code, as amended
from time to time hereafter, or any successor federal bankruptcy law.
"U.S. Global Notes" has the meaning provided in Section 2.01.
"U.S. Government Obligations" means securities that are (i) direct
obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full
faith and credit is pledged or (ii) obligations of a Person controlled or
supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of
America the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and
credit obligation by the United States of America, which, in either case, are
not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof at any time prior
to the Stated Maturity of the Notes, and shall also include a depository receipt
issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S.
Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any
such U.S. Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the
holder of a depository receipt; provided that (except as required by law) such
custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the
holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in
respect of the U.S. Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on
or principal of the U.S. Government Obligation evidenced by such depository
receipt.
"U.S. Physical Notes" has the meaning provided in Section 2.01.
"Unrestricted Subsidiary" means (i) any Subsidiary of the Company that at
the time of determination shall be designated an Unrestricted Subsidiary by the
Board of Directors in the manner provided below and (ii) any Subsidiary of an
Unrestricted Subsidiary. The Board of Directors may designate any Restricted
Subsidiary (including any newly acquired or newly formed Subsidiary of the
Company) to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary unless such Subsidiary owns any
Capital Stock of, or owns or holds any Lien on any property of, the Company or
any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that either (A) the Subsidiary to be so
designated has total assets of $1,000 or less or (B) if such Subsidiary has
assets greater than $1,000, such designation would be permitted under Section
4.04. The Board of Directors may designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a
Restricted Subsidiary; provided that (i) no Default or Event of Default shall
have occurred and be continuing at the time of or after giving effect to such
designation and (ii) all Liens and Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary
outstanding immediately after such designation would, if Incurred at such time,
have been permitted to be Incurred for all purposes of this Indenture. Any such
designation by the Board of Directors shall be evidenced to the Trustee by
promptly filing with the Trustee a copy of the Board Resolution giving effect to
such designation and an Officers' Certificate certifying that such designation
complied with the foregoing provisions.
"Voting Stock" means, with respect to any Person, Capital Stock of any
class or kind ordinarily having the power to vote for the election of directors,
managers or other voting members of the governing body of such Person.
"Wholly Owned" means, with respect to any Subsidiary of any Person, the
ownership of all of the outstanding Capital Stock of such Subsidiary (other than
any director's qualifying shares or Investments by foreign nationals mandated by
applicable law) by such Person or one or more Wholly Owned Subsidiaries of such
Person.
16
SECTION 1.02. Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act. Whenever
this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated
by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used
in this Indenture have the following meanings:
"indenture securities" means the Notes;
"indenture security holder" means a Holder or a Noteholder;
"indenture to be qualified" means this Indenture;
"indenture trustee" or "institutional trustee" means the Trustee; and
"obligor" on the indenture securities means the Company or any other
obligor on the Notes.
All other TIA terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA,
defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by a rule of the
Commission and not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them
therein.
SECTION 1.03. Rules of Construction. Unless the context otherwise requires:
(i) a term has the meaning assigned to it;
(ii) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned
to it in accordance with GAAP;
(iii) "or" is not exclusive;
(iv) words in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural
include the singular;
(v) provisions apply to successive events and transactions;
(vi) "herein," "hereof" and other words of similar import refer to
this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or
other subdivision;
(vii) all ratios and computations based on GAAP contained in this
Indenture shall be computed in accordance with the definition of GAAP set
forth in Section 1.01; and
(viii) all references to Sections or Articles refer to Sections or
Articles of this Indenture unless otherwise indicated.
17
ARTICLE TWO
THE NOTES
SECTION 2.01. Form and Dating. The Notes and the Trustee's certificate of
authentication shall be substantially in the form annexed hereto as Exhibit A
with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations
as are required or permitted by this Indenture. The Notes may have notations,
legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange agreements to which the
Company is subject or usage. The Company shall approve the form of the Notes and
any notation, legend or endorsement on the Notes. Each Note shall be dated the
date of its authentication.
The terms and provisions contained in the form of the Notes annexed hereto
as Exhibit A shall constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part of this
Indenture. To the extent applicable, the Company and the Trustee, by their
execution and delivery of this Indenture, expressly agree to such terms and
provisions and to be bound thereby.
Notes offered and sold in reliance on Rule 144A shall be issued initially
in the form of one or more permanent global Notes in registered form,
substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A (the "U.S. Global Notes"),
registered in the name of the nominee of the Depositary, deposited with the
Trustee, as custodian for the Depositary, duly executed by the Company and
authenticated by the Trustee as hereinafter provided. The aggregate principal
amount of the U.S. Global Notes may from time to time be increased or decreased
by adjustments made on the records of the Trustee, as custodian for the
Depositary or its nominee, in accordance with the instructions given by the
Holder thereof, as hereinafter provided.
Notes offered and sold in offshore transactions in reliance on Regulation
S shall be issued initially in the form of one or more permanent global Notes in
registered form, substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A (the "Offshore
Global Notes"), registered in the name of the nominee of the Depositary,
deposited with the Trustee, as custodian for the Depositary, duly executed by
the Company and authenticated by the Trustee as hereinafter provided. The
aggregate principal amount of the Offshore Global Notes may from time to time be
increased or decreased by adjustments made on the records of the Trustee, as
custodian for the Depositary or its nominee, as hereinafter provided.
Notes offered and sold in reliance on Regulation D under the Securities
Act shall be issued in the form of permanent certificated Notes in registered
form in substantially the form set forth in Exhibit A (the "U.S. Physical
Notes"). Notes issued pursuant to Section 2.07 in exchange for interests in the
Offshore Global Notes shall be in the form of permanent certificated Notes in
registered form substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A (the "Offshore
Physical Notes").
The Offshore Physical Notes and U.S. Physical Notes are sometimes
collectively herein referred to as the "Physical Notes." The U.S. Global
Notes and the Offshore Global Notes are sometimes referred to herein as the
"Global Notes."
The definitive Notes shall be typed, printed, lithographed or engraved or
produced by any combination of these methods or may be produced in any other
manner permitted by the rules of any securities exchange on which the Notes may
be listed, all as determined by the Officers executing such Notes, as evidenced
by their execution of such Notes.
SECTION 2.02. Restrictive Legends. Unless and until a Note is exchanged
for an Exchange Note in connection with an effective Registration Statement
pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, (i) each U.S. Global Note and
each U.S. Physical Note shall bear the legend set forth below on the face
thereof and (ii) each
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Offshore Physical Note and each Offshore Global Note shall bear the legend set
forth below on the face thereof until at least the 41st day after the Closing
Date and receipt by the Company and the Trustee of a certificate substantially
in the form of Exhibit B hereto.
THIS NOTE HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933,
AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR
SOLD WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OR TO, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OR BENEFIT OF,
U.S. PERSONS EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE. BY ITS
ACQUISITION HEREOF, THE HOLDER (1) REPRESENTS THAT (A) IT IS A "QUALIFIED
INSTITUTIONAL BUYER" (AS DEFINED IN RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) OR
(B) IT IS AN INSTITUTIONAL "ACCREDITED INVESTOR" (AS DEFINED IN RULE
501(a)(1), (2), (3) OR (7) OF REGULATION D UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) (AN
"INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR") OR (C) IT IS NOT A U.S. PERSON AND IS
ACQUIRING THIS NOTE IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN COMPLIANCE WITH
REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (2) AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT, WITHIN
THE TIME PERIOD REFERRED TO UNDER RULE 144(k) UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AS
IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF THE TRANSFER OF THIS NOTE, RESELL OR OTHERWISE
TRANSFER THIS NOTE EXCEPT (A) TO THE COMPANY OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF,
(B) TO A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 144A UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) INSIDE THE UNITED STATES TO AN INSTITUTIONAL
ACCREDITED INVESTOR THAT, PRIOR TO SUCH TRANSFER, FURNISHES TO THE TRUSTEE
A SIGNED LETTER CONTAINING CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS AND AGREEMENTS RELATING
TO THE RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER OF THIS NOTE (THE FORM OF WHICH LETTER CAN
BE OBTAINED FROM THE TRUSTEE) AND IF SUCH TRANSFER IS IN RESPECT OF AN
AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOTES OF LESS THAN $100,000, AN OPINION OF
COUNSEL ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH TRANSFER IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH
THE SECURITIES ACT, (D) OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN AN OFFSHORE
TRANSACTION IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 904 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E)
PURSUANT TO THE EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION PROVIDED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT (IF AVAILABLE) OR (F) PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND (3) AGREES THAT IT WILL DELIVER TO
EACH PERSON TO WHOM THIS NOTE IS TRANSFERRED A NOTICE SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE
EFFECT OF THIS LEGEND. IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSFER OF THIS NOTE WITHIN
THE TIME PERIOD REFERRED TO ABOVE, THE HOLDER MUST CHECK THE APPROPRIATE
BOX SET FORTH ON THE REVERSE HEREOF RELATING TO THE MANNER OF SUCH
TRANSFER AND SUBMIT THIS CERTIFICATE TO THE TRUSTEE. IF THE PROPOSED
TRANSFEREE IS AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, THE HOLDER MUST, PRIOR
TO SUCH TRANSFER, FURNISH TO THE TRUSTEE AND THE COMPANY SUCH
CERTIFICATIONS, LEGAL OPINIONS OR OTHER INFORMATION AS EITHER OF THEM MAY
REASONABLY REQUIRE TO CONFIRM THAT SUCH TRANSFER IS BEING MADE PURSUANT TO
AN EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION
REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT. AS USED HEREIN, THE TERMS "OFFSHORE
TRANSACTION", "UNITED STATES" AND "U.S. PERSON" HAVE THE MEANINGS GIVEN TO
THEM BY REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. THE INDENTURE CONTAINS A
PROVISION REQUIRING THE TRUSTEE TO REFUSE TO REGISTER ANY TRANSFER OF THIS
NOTE IN VIOLATION OF THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
Each Global Note, whether or not an Exchange Note, shall also bear the
following legend on the face thereof:
19
UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF
THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION
OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED
IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY OR SUCH OTHER
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY OR SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS
REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY
(AND ANY PAYMENT HEREON IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS
IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST
COMPANY), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE
BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL SINCE THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE &
CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.
TRANSFERS OF THIS GLOBAL NOTE SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS IN WHOLE, BUT
NOT IN PART, TO NOMINEES OF CEDE & CO. OR TO A SUCCESSOR THEREOF OR SUCH
SUCCESSOR'S NOMINEE AND TRANSFERS OF PORTIONS OF THIS GLOBAL NOTE SHALL BE
LIMITED TO TRANSFERS MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH IN
SECTION 2.08 OF THE INDENTURE.
SECTION 2.03. Execution, Authentication and Denominations. Subject to
Article Four, the aggregate principal amount of Notes which may be authenticated
and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Notes shall be executed by
two Officers of the Company. The signature of these Officers on the Notes may be
by facsimile or manual signature in the name and on behalf of the Company.
If an Officer whose signature is on a Note no longer holds that office at
the time the Trustee or authenticating agent authenticates the Note, the Note
shall be valid nevertheless.
A Note shall not be valid until the Trustee or authenticating agent
manually signs the certificate of authentication on the Note. The signature
shall be conclusive evidence that the Note has been authenticated under this
Indenture.
At any time and from time to time after the execution of this Indenture,
the Trustee or an authenticating agent shall upon receipt of a Company Order
authenticate for original issue Notes in the aggregate principal amount
specified in such Company Order; provided that the Trustee shall be entitled to
receive an Officers' Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel of the Company in
connection with such authentication of Notes. Such Company Order shall specify
the amount of Notes to be authenticated and the date on which the original issue
of Notes is to be authenticated and in case of an issuance of Notes pursuant to
Section 2.15, shall certify that such issuance is in compliance with Article
Four.
The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent to authenticate Notes. An
authenticating agent may authenticate Notes whenever the Trustee may do so. Each
reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes
authentication by such authenticating agent. An authenticating agent has the
same rights as an Agent to deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company.
The Trustee shall not be liable for the misconduct or negligence of any
authenticating agent appointed with due care.
The Notes shall be issuable only in registered form without coupons and
only in denominations of $1,000 in principal amount and any integral multiple of
$1,000 in excess thereof.
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SECTION 2.04. Registrar and Paying Agent. The Company shall maintain an
office or agency where Notes may be presented for registration of transfer or
for exchange (the "Registrar"), an office or agency where Notes may be presented
for payment (the "Paying Agent") and an office or agency where notices and
demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Notes and this Indenture may be
served, which shall be in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York. The
Company shall cause the Registrar to keep a register of the Notes and of their
transfer and exchange (the "Security Register"). The Company may have one or
more co-Registrars and one or more additional Paying Agents.
The Company shall enter into an appropriate agency agreement with any
Agent not a party to this Indenture. The agreement shall implement the
provisions of this Indenture that relate to such Agent. The Company shall give
prompt written notice to the Trustee of the name and address of any such Agent
and any change in the address of such Agent. If the Company fails to maintain a
Registrar, Paying Agent and/or agent for service of notices and demands, the
Trustee shall act as such Registrar, Paying Agent and/or agent for service of
notices and demands. The Company may remove any Agent upon written notice to
such Agent and the Trustee; provided that no such removal shall become effective
until (i) the acceptance of an appointment by a successor Agent to such Agent as
evidenced by an appropriate agency agreement entered into by the Company and
such successor Agent and delivered to the Trustee or (ii) notification to the
Trustee that the Trustee shall serve as such Agent until the appointment of a
successor Agent in accordance with clause (i) of this proviso. The Company, any
Subsidiary of the Company, or any Affiliate of any of them may act as Paying
Agent, Registrar or co-Registrar, and/or agent for service of notice and
demands.
The Company initially appoints the Trustee as Registrar, Paying Agent,
authenticating agent and agent for service of notice and demands. The Trustee
shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent
list available to it of the names and addresses of Holders and shall otherwise
comply with TIA ss. 312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company
shall furnish to the Trustee as of each Regular Record Date and at such other
times as the Trustee may request in writing a list in such form and as of such
date as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of
Holders, including the aggregate principal amount of Notes held by each Holder.
SECTION 2.05. Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust. Not later than 11:00
a.m. (New York City time) each due date of the principal, premium, if any, and
interest on any Notes, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money in
immediately available funds sufficient to pay such principal, premium, if any,
and interest so becoming due. The Company shall require each Paying Agent other
than the Trustee to agree in writing that such Paying Agent shall hold in trust
for the benefit of the Holders or the Trustee all money held by the Paying Agent
for the payment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes
(whether such money has been paid to it by the Company or any other obligor on
the Notes), and such Paying Agent shall promptly notify the Trustee of any
default by the Company (or any other obligor on the Notes) in making any such
payment. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money
held by it to the Trustee and account for any funds disbursed, and the Trustee
may at any time during the continuance of any payment default, upon written
request to a Paying Agent, require such Paying Agent to pay all money held by it
to the Trustee and to account for any funds disbursed. Upon doing so, the Paying
Agent shall have no further liability for the money so paid over to the Trustee.
If the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or any Affiliate of any of them
acts as Paying Agent, it will, on or before each due date of any principal of,
premium, if any, or interest on the Notes, segregate and hold in a separate
trust fund for the benefit of the Holders a sum of money sufficient to pay such
principal, premium, if any, or interest so becoming due until such sum of money
shall be paid to such Holders or otherwise disposed of as provided in this
Indenture, and will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure to act.
SECTION 2.06. Transfer and Exchange. The Notes are issuable only in
registered form. A Holder may transfer a Note only by written application to the
Registrar stating the name of the proposed transferee and otherwise complying
with the terms of this Indenture. No such transfer shall be effected until, and
such transferee shall succeed
21
to the rights of a Holder only upon, final acceptance and registration of the
transfer by the Registrar in the Security Register. Prior to the registration of
any transfer by a Holder as provided herein, the Company, the Trustee, and any
agent of the Company shall treat the person in whose name the Note is registered
as the owner thereof for all purposes whether or not the Note shall be overdue,
and neither the Company, the Trustee, nor any such agent shall be affected by
notice to the contrary. Furthermore, any Holder of a Global Note shall, by
acceptance of such Global Note, agree that transfers of beneficial interests in
such Global Note may be effected only through a book entry system maintained by
the Holder of such Global Note (or its agent) and that ownership of a beneficial
interest in the Note shall be required to be reflected in a book entry. When
Notes are presented to the Registrar or a co-Registrar with a request to
register the transfer or to exchange them for an equal principal amount of Notes
of other authorized denominations (including an exchange of Notes for Exchange
Notes), the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange as
requested if its requirements for such transactions are met (including that such
Notes are duly endorsed or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in
form satisfactory to the Trustee and Registrar duly executed by the Holder
thereof or by an attorney who is authorized in writing to act on behalf of the
Holder); provided that no exchanges of Notes for Exchange Notes shall occur
until a Registration Statement shall have been declared effective by the
Commission and that any Notes that are exchanged for Exchange Notes shall be
cancelled by the Trustee. To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges,
the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate Notes at the
Registrar's request. No service charge shall be made for any registration of
transfer or exchange or redemption of the Notes, but the Company may require
payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental
charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer taxes or
other similar governmental charge payable upon exchanges pursuant to Section
2.11, 3.08 or 9.04).
The Registrar shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of
or exchange any Note during a period beginning at the opening of business 15
days before the day of the mailing of a notice of redemption of Notes selected
for redemption under Section 3.03 and ending at the close of business on the day
of such mailing, or (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Note so
selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of
any Note being redeemed in part.
SECTION 2.07. Book-Entry Provisions for Global Notes. (a) The U.S. Global
Notes and Offshore Global Notes initially shall (i) be registered in the name of
the Depositary for such Global Notes or the nominee of such Depositary, (ii) be
delivered to the Trustee as custodian for such Depositary and (iii) bear legends
as set forth in Section 2.02.
Members of, or participants in, the Depositary ("Agent Members") shall
have no rights under this Indenture with respect to any Global Note held on
their behalf by the Depositary, or the Trustee as its custodian, or under the
Global Note, and the Depositary may be treated by the Company, the Trustee and
any agent of the Company or the Trustee as the absolute owner of such Global
Note for all purposes whatsoever. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein
shall prevent the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the
Trustee, from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other
authorization furnished by the Depositary or impair, as between the Depositary
and its Agent Members, the operation of customary practices governing the
exercise of the rights of a holder of any Note. Neither the Company nor the
Trustee shall be liable for any delay by the Depositary in identifying the
beneficial owners of the Notes and the Company and the Trustee may conclusively
rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, instructions from the Depositary
for all purposes (including with respect to the registration and delivery, and
the respective principal amounts, of any Notes to be issued).
(b) Transfers of a Global Note shall be limited to transfers of such
Global Note in whole, but not in part, to the Depositary, its successors or
their respective nominees. Interests of beneficial owners in a Global Note may
be transferred in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Depositary and
the provisions of Section 2.08. In addition, U.S. Physical Notes and Offshore
Physical Notes shall be transferred to all beneficial owners in exchange for
their beneficial interests in the U.S. Global Notes or the Offshore Global
Notes, respectively, if (i) the
22
Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as
Depositary for the U.S. Global Notes or the Offshore Global Notes, as the case
may be, and a successor depositary is not appointed by the Company within 90
days of such notice, (ii) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and
the Registrar has received a request from the Depositary or (iii) in accordance
with the rules and procedures of the Depositary and the provisions of Section
2.08.
(c) Any beneficial interest in one of the Global Notes that is transferred
to a person who takes delivery in the form of an interest in the other Global
Note will, upon transfer, cease to be an interest in such Global Note and become
an interest in the other Global Note and, accordingly, will thereafter be
subject to all transfer restrictions, if any, and other procedures applicable to
beneficial interests in such other Global Note for as long as it remains such an
interest.
(d) In connection with any transfer of a portion of the beneficial
interests in the U.S. Global Notes to beneficial owners pursuant to paragraph
(b) of this Section 2.07, the Registrar shall reflect on its books and records
the date and a decrease in the principal amount of the U.S. Global Notes in an
amount equal to the principal amount of the beneficial interest in the U.S.
Global Notes to be transferred, and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee
shall authenticate and deliver, one or more U.S. Physical Notes of like tenor
and amount.
(e) In connection with the transfer of the entire U.S. Global Note or
Offshore Global Note to beneficial owners pursuant to paragraph (b) of this
Section 2.07, the U.S. Global Note or Offshore Global Note, as the case may be,
shall be deemed to be surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation, and the
Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, to each
beneficial owner identified by the Depositary in exchange for its beneficial
interest in the U.S. Global Note or Offshore Global Note, as the case may be, an
equal aggregate principal amount of U.S. Physical Notes or Offshore Physical
Notes, as the case may be, of authorized denominations.
(f) Any U.S. Physical Note delivered in exchange for an interest in the
U.S. Global Note pursuant to paragraph (b) or (d) of this Section 2.07 shall,
except as otherwise provided by paragraph (f) of Section 2.08, bear the legend
regarding transfer restrictions applicable to the U.S. Physical Note set forth
in Section 2.02.
(g) Any Offshore Physical Note delivered in exchange for an interest in
the Offshore Global Note pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section 2.07 shall,
except as otherwise provided by paragraph (f) of Section 2.08, bear the legend
regarding transfer restrictions applicable to the Offshore Physical Note set
forth in Section 2.02.
(h) The registered holder of a Global Note may grant proxies and otherwise
authorize any person, including Agent Members and persons that may hold
interests through Agent Members, to take any action which a Holder is entitled
to take under this Indenture or the Notes.
SECTION 2.08. Special Transfer Provisions. Unless and until a Note is
exchanged for an Exchange Note in connection with an effective Registration
Statement pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the following
provisions shall apply:
(a) Transfers to Non-QIB Institutional Accredited Investors. The following
provisions shall apply with respect to the registration of any proposed transfer
of a Note to any Institutional Accredited Investor which is not a QIB (excluding
Non-U.S. Persons):
(i) The Registrar shall register the transfer of any Note, whether
or not such Note bears the Private Placement Legend, if (x) the requested
transfer is after the time period referred to in Rule 144(k) under the
Securities Act or (y) the proposed transferee has delivered to the
Registrar (A) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto
and (B) if the aggregate principal amount of the Notes being
23
transferred is less than $100,000, an opinion of counsel acceptable to the
Company that such transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act.
(ii) If the proposed transferor is an Agent Member holding a
beneficial interest in the U.S. Global Note, upon receipt by the Registrar
of (x) the documents, if any, required by paragraph (i) and (y)
instructions given in accordance with the Depositary's and the Registrar's
procedures, the Registrar shall reflect on its books and records the date
and a decrease in the principal amount of the U.S. Global Note in an amount
equal to the principal amount of the beneficial interest in the U.S. Global
Note to be transferred, and the Company shall execute, and the Trustee
shall authenticate and deliver, one or more U.S. Physical Notes of like
tenor and amount.
(b) Transfers to QIBs. The following provisions shall apply with respect to
the registration of any proposed transfer of a U.S. Physical Note or an interest
in the U.S. Global Note to a QIB (excluding Non-U.S. Persons):
(i) If the Note to be transferred consists of (x) U.S. Physical Notes,
the Registrar shall register the transfer if such transfer is being made by
a proposed transferor who has checked the box provided for on the form of
Note stating, or has otherwise advised the Company and the Registrar in
writing, that the sale has been made in compliance with the provisions of
Rule 144A to a transferee who has signed the certification provided for on
the form of Note stating, or has otherwise advised the Company and the
Registrar in writing, that it is purchasing the Note for its own account or
an account with respect to which it exercises sole investment discretion
and that it and any such account is a QIB within the meaning of Rule 144A,
and is aware that the sale to it is being made in reliance on Rule 144A and
acknowledges that it has received such information regarding the Company as
it has requested pursuant to Rule 144A or has determined not to request
such information and that it is aware that the transferor is relying upon
its foregoing representations in order to claim the exemption from
registration provided by Rule 144A or (y) an interest in the U.S. Global
Note, the transfer of such interest may be effected only through the book
entry system maintained by the Depositary.
(ii) If the proposed transferee is an Agent Member, and the Note to be
transferred consists of U.S. Physical Notes, upon receipt by the Registrar
of the documents referred to in clause (i) and instructions given in
accordance with the Depositary's and the Registrar's procedures, the
Registrar shall reflect on its books and records the date and an increase
in the principal amount of the U.S. Global Note in an amount equal to the
principal amount of the U.S. Physical Notes to be transferred, and the
Trustee shall cancel the U.S. Physical Note so transferred.
(c) Transfers of Interests in the Offshore Global Note or Offshore Physical
Notes to U.S. Persons. The following provisions shall apply with respect to any
transfer of interests in the Offshore Global Note or Offshore Physical Notes:
(i) prior to the removal of the Private Placement Legend from an
Offshore Global Note or Offshore Physical Note pursuant to Section 2.02,
the Registrar shall refuse to register such transfer unless such transfer
complies with Section 2.08(b) or Section 2.08(d), as the case may be; and
(ii) after such removal, the Registrar shall register the transfer of
any such Note without requiring any additional certification.
(d) Transfers to Non-U.S. Persons at Any Time. The following provisions
shall apply with respect to any transfer of a Note to a Non-U.S. Person:
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(i) The Registrar shall register any proposed transfer to any
Non-U.S. Person if the Note to be transferred is a U.S. Physical Note or
an interest in the U.S. Global Note, upon receipt of a certificate
substantially in the form of Exhibit D hereto from the proposed
transferor.
(ii) (a) If the proposed transferor is an Agent Member holding a
beneficial interest in the U.S. Global Note, upon receipt by the Registrar
of (x) the documents, if any, required by paragraph (ii) and (y)
instructions in accordance with the Depositary's and the Registrar's
procedures, the Registrar shall reflect on its books and records the date
and a decrease in the principal amount of the U.S. Global Note in an
amount equal to the principal amount of the beneficial interest in the
U.S. Global Note to be transferred, and (b) if the proposed transferee is
an Agent Member, upon receipt by the Registrar of instructions given in
accordance with the Depositary's and the Registrar's procedures, the
Registrar shall reflect on its books and records the date and an increase
in the principal amount of the Offshore Global Note in an amount equal to
the principal amount of the U.S. Physical Notes or the U.S. Global Note,
as the case may be, to be transferred, and the Trustee shall cancel the
Physical Note, if any, so transferred or decrease the amount of the U.S.
Global Note.
(e) Private Placement Legend. Upon the transfer, exchange or replacement
of Notes not bearing the Private Placement Legend, the Registrar shall deliver
Notes that do not bear the Private Placement Legend. Upon the transfer, exchange
or replacement of Notes bearing the Private Placement Legend, the Registrar
shall deliver only Notes that bear the Private Placement Legend unless either
(i) the circumstances contemplated by the fourth paragraph of Section 2.01 or
paragraph (a)(i)(x) or (d)(ii) of this Section 2.08 exist or (ii) there is
delivered to the Registrar an Opinion of Counsel reasonably satisfactory to the
Company and the Trustee to the effect that neither such legend nor the related
restrictions on transfer are required in order to maintain compliance with the
provisions of the Securities Act.
(f) General. By its acceptance of any Note bearing the Private Placement
Legend, each Holder of such a Note acknowledges the restrictions on transfer of
such Note set forth in this Indenture and in the Private Placement Legend and
agrees that it will transfer such Note only as provided in this Indenture. The
Registrar shall not register a transfer of any Note unless such transfer
complies with the restrictions on transfer of such Note set forth in this
Indenture. In connection with any transfer of Notes, each Holder agrees by its
acceptance of the Notes to furnish the Registrar or the Company such
certifications, legal opinions or other information as either of them may
reasonably require to confirm that such transfer is being made pursuant to an
exemption from, or a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements
of the Securities Act; provided that the Registrar shall not be required to
determine (but may rely on a determination made by the Company with respect to)
the sufficiency of any such certifications, legal opinions or other information.
The Registrar shall retain copies of all letters, notices and other
written communications received pursuant to Section 2.07 or this Section 2.08.
The Company shall have the right to inspect and make copies of all such letters,
notices or other written communications at any reasonable time upon the giving
of reasonable written notice to the Registrar.
SECTION 2.09. Replacement Notes. If a mutilated Note is surrendered to the
Trustee or if the Holder claims that the Note has been lost, destroyed or
wrongfully taken, the Company shall issue and the Trustee shall authenticate a
replacement Note of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not
contemporaneously outstanding; provided that the requirements of the second
paragraph of Section 2.10 are met. If required by the Trustee or the Company, an
indemnity bond must be furnished that is sufficient in the judgment of both the
Trustee and the Company to protect the Company, the Trustee or any Agent from
any loss that any of them may suffer if a Note is replaced. The Company may
charge such Holder for its expenses and the expenses of the Trustee in
25
replacing a Note. In case any such mutilated, lost, destroyed or wrongfully
taken Note has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its
discretion may pay such Note instead of issuing a new Note in replacement
thereof.
Every replacement Note is an additional obligation of the Company and
shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.
SECTION 2.10. Outstanding Notes. Notes outstanding at any time are all
Notes that have been authenticated by the Trustee except for those cancelled by
it, those delivered to it for cancellation and those described in this Section
2.10 as not outstanding.
If a Note is replaced pursuant to Section 2.09, it ceases to be
outstanding unless and until the Trustee and the Company receive proof
satisfactory to them that the replaced Note is held by a bona fide purchaser.
If the Paying Agent (other than the Company or an Affiliate of the
Company) holds on the maturity date money sufficient to pay Notes payable on
that date, then on and after that date such Notes cease to be outstanding and
interest on them shall cease to accrue.
A Note does not cease to be outstanding because the Company or one of its
Affiliates holds such Note, provided, however, that in determining whether the
Holders of the requisite principal amount of the outstanding Notes have given
any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver
hereunder, Notes owned by the Company or any other obligor upon the Notes or any
Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor shall be disregarded and
deemed not to be outstanding, except that, in determining whether the Trustee
shall be protected in relying upon any such request, demand, authorization,
direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Notes which a Responsible Officer of
the Trustee knows to be so owned shall be so disregarded. Notes so owned which
have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as outstanding if the pledgee
establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee's right so to act
with respect to such Notes and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other
obligor upon the Notes or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor.
SECTION 2.11. Temporary Notes. Until definitive Notes are ready for
delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate temporary
Notes. Temporary Notes shall be substantially in the form of definitive Notes
but may have insertions, substitutions, omissions and other variations
determined to be appropriate by the Officers executing the temporary Notes, as
evidenced by their execution of such temporary Notes. If temporary Notes are
issued, the Company will cause definitive Notes to be prepared without
unreasonable delay. After the preparation of definitive Notes, the temporary
Notes shall be exchangeable for definitive Notes upon surrender of the temporary
Notes at the office or agency of the Company designated for such purpose
pursuant to Section 4.02, without charge to the Holder. Upon surrender for
cancellation of any one or more temporary Notes, the Company shall execute and
the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like principal
amount of definitive Notes of authorized denominations. Until so exchanged, the
temporary Notes shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as
definitive Notes.
SECTION 2.12. Cancellation. The Company at any time may deliver to the
Trustee for cancellation any Notes previously authenticated and delivered
hereunder which the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and may
deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Notes previously authenticated
hereunder which the Company has not issued and sold. The Registrar and the
Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any Notes surrendered to them for
transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee shall cancel all Notes surrendered
for transfer, exchange, payment or cancellation and shall destroy them in
accordance with its normal procedure. Except as expressly permitted by this
Indenture, the Company may not issue new Notes to replace Notes it has paid in
full or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
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SECTION 2.13. CUSIP Numbers. The Company in issuing the Notes may use
"CUSIP", "CINS" or "ISIN" numbers (if then generally in use), and the Trustee
shall use CUSIP, CINS or ISIN numbers, as the case may be, in notices of
redemption or exchange as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such
notice shall state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such
numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any notice of
redemption or exchange and that reliance may be placed only on the other
identification numbers printed on the Notes. The Company will promptly notify
the Trustee of any change in "CUSIP", "CINS" or "ISIN" numbers for the Notes.
SECTION 2.14. Defaulted Interest. If the Company defaults in a payment of
interest on the Notes, it shall pay, or shall deposit with the Paying Agent
money in immediately available funds sufficient to pay, the defaulted interest,
plus (to the extent lawful) any interest payable on the defaulted interest, to
the Persons who are Holders on a subsequent special record date. A special
record date, as used in this Section 2.14 with respect to the payment of any
defaulted interest, shall mean the 15th day next preceding the date fixed by the
Company for the payment of defaulted interest, whether or not such day is a
Business Day. At least 15 days before the subsequent special record date, the
Company shall mail to each Holder and to the Trustee a notice that states the
subsequent special record date, the payment date and the amount of defaulted
interest to be paid.
SECTION 2.15. Issuance of Additional Notes. The Company may, subject to
Article Four of this Indenture, issue additional Notes under this Indenture. The
Notes issued on the Closing Date and any additional Notes subsequently issued
shall be treated as a single class for all purposes under this Indenture.
ARTICLE THREE
REDEMPTION
SECTION 3.01. Right of Redemption; Mandatory Redemption. (a) The Notes
will be redeemable, at the Company's option, in whole or in part, at any time or
from time to time, on or after March 1, 2003 and prior to maturity, upon not
less than 30 nor more than 60 days' prior notice mailed by first-class mail to
each Holder's last address, as it appears in the Security Register, at the
following Redemption Prices (expressed in percentages of principal amount), plus
accrued and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date (subject to the right of
Holders of record on the relevant Regular Record Date that is prior to the
Redemption Date to receive interest due on an Interest Payment Date), if
redeemed during the 12-month period commencing March 1 of the years set forth
below:
Year Redemption Price
---- ----------------
2003 ..................... 104.4375%
2004 ..................... 102.9583
2005 ..................... 101.4792
2006 and thereafter ...... 100.0000
(b) At any time prior to March 1, 2001, the Company may redeem up to 35%
of the principal amount of the Notes with the proceeds of one or more Public
Equity Offerings, at any time or from time to time in part, at a Redemption
Price (expressed as a percentage of principal amount) of 108.875%, plus accrued
and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date (subject to the rights of Holders of
record on the relevant Regular Record Date that is prior to the Redemption Date
to receive interest due on an Interest Payment Date); provided that at least
$104.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes remains outstanding after
each such redemption.
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SECTION 3.02. Notices to Trustee. If the Company elects to redeem Notes
pursuant to Section 3.01, it shall notify the Trustee in writing of the
Redemption Date and the principal amount of Notes to be redeemed.
The Company shall give each notice provided for in this Section 3.02 in an
Officers' Certificate at least 45 days before the Redemption Date (unless a
shorter period shall be satisfactory to the Trustee).
SECTION 3.03. Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed. If less than all of the
Notes are to be redeemed at any time, the Trustee shall select the Notes to be
redeemed in compliance with the requirements, as certified to it by the Company,
of the principal national securities exchange, if any, on which the Notes are
listed or, if the Notes are not listed on a national securities exchange, on a
pro rata basis, by lot or by such other method as the Trustee in its sole
discretion shall deem fair and appropriate; provided that no Notes of $1,000 in
principal amount or less shall be redeemed in part.
The Trustee shall make the selection from the Notes outstanding and not
previously called for redemption. Notes in denominations of $1,000 in principal
amount may only be redeemed in whole. The Trustee may select for redemption
portions (equal to $1,000 in principal amount or any integral multiple thereof)
of Notes that have denominations larger than $1,000 in principal amount.
Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Notes called for redemption also
apply to portions of Notes called for redemption. The Trustee shall notify the
Company and the Registrar promptly in writing of the Notes or portions of Notes
to be called for redemption.
SECTION 3.04. Notice of Redemption. With respect to any redemption of
Notes pursuant to Section 3.01, at least 30 days but not more than 60 days
before a Redemption Date, the Company shall mail a notice of redemption by
first-class mail to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed.
The notice shall identify the Notes to be redeemed and shall state:
(i) the Redemption Date;
(ii) the Redemption Price;
(iii) the name and address of the Paying Agent;
(iv) that Notes called for redemption must be surrendered to the
Paying Agent in order to collect the Redemption Price;
(v) that, unless the Company defaults in making the redemption
payment, interest on Notes called for redemption ceases to accrue on and
after the Redemption Date and the only remaining right of the Holders is
to receive payment of the Redemption Price plus accrued interest to the
Redemption Date upon surrender of the Notes to the Paying Agent;
(vi) that, if any Note is being redeemed in part, the portion of
the principal amount (equal to $1,000 in principal amount or any integral
multiple thereof) of such Note to be redeemed and that, on and after the
Redemption Date, upon surrender of such Note, a new Note or Notes in
principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be reissued;
and
(vii) that, if any Note contains a CUSIP, CINS or ISIN number as
provided in Section 2.13, no representation is being made as to the
correctness of the CUSIP, CINS or ISIN number either as printed on
28
the Notes or as contained in the notice of redemption and that reliance may
be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Notes.
At the Company's request (which request may be revoked by the Company at
any time prior to the time at which the Trustee shall have given such notice to
the Holders), made in writing to the Trustee at least 45 days (or such shorter
period as shall be satisfactory to the Trustee) before a Redemption Date, the
Trustee shall give the notice of redemption pursuant to Section 3.01(a) or (b)
in the name and at the expense of the Company. If, however, the Company gives
such notice to the Holders, the Company shall concurrently deliver to the
Trustee an Officers' Certificate stating that such notice has been given.
SECTION 3.05. Effect of Notice of Redemption. Once notice of redemption is
mailed, Notes called for redemption become due and payable on the Redemption
Date and at the Redemption Price. Upon surrender of any Notes to the Paying
Agent, such Notes shall be paid at the Redemption Price, plus accrued interest,
if any, to the Redemption Date.
Notice of redemption shall be deemed to be given when mailed, whether or
not the Holder receives the notice. In any event, failure to give such notice,
or any defect therein, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the
redemption of Notes held by Holders to whom such notice was properly given.
SECTION 3.06. Deposit of Redemption Price. On or prior to any Redemption
Date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent (or, if the Company is
acting as its own Paying Agent, shall segregate and hold in trust as provided in
Section 2.05) money sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of and accrued
interest on all Notes to be redeemed on that date other than Notes or portions
thereof called for redemption on that date that have been delivered by the
Company to the Trustee for cancellation.
SECTION 3.07. Payment of Notes Called for Redemption. If notice of
redemption has been given in the manner provided above, the Notes or portion of
Notes specified in such notice to be redeemed shall become due and payable on
the Redemption Date at the Redemption Price stated therein, together with
accrued interest to such Redemption Date, and on and after such date (unless the
Company shall default in the payment of such Notes at the Redemption Price and
accrued interest to the Redemption Date, in which case the principal, until
paid, shall bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate prescribed in the
Notes), such Notes shall cease to accrue interest. Upon surrender of any Note
for redemption in accordance with a notice of redemption, such Note shall be
paid and redeemed by the Company at the Redemption Price, together with accrued
interest, if any, to the Redemption Date; provided that installments of interest
whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable to
the Holders registered as such at the close of business on the relevant Regular
Record Date.
SECTION 3.08. Notes Redeemed in Part. Upon surrender of any Note that is
redeemed in part, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate
and deliver to the Holder a new Note equal in principal amount to the unredeemed
portion of such surrendered Note.
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ARTICLE FOUR
COVENANTS
SECTION 4.01. Payment of Notes. The Company shall pay the principal of,
premium, if any, and interest on the Notes on the dates and in the manner
provided in the Notes and this Indenture. An installment of principal, premium,
if any, or interest shall be considered paid on the date due if the Trustee or
Paying Agent (other than the Company, a Subsidiary of the Company, or any
Affiliate of any of them) holds on that date money designated for and sufficient
to pay the installment. If the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or any
Affiliate of any of them acts as Paying Agent, an installment of principal,
premium, if any, or interest shall be considered paid on the due date if the
entity acting as Paying Agent complies with the last sentence of Section 2.05.
As provided in Section 6.09, upon any bankruptcy or reorganization procedure
relative to the Company, the Trustee shall serve as the Paying Agent, if any,
for the Notes.
The Company shall pay interest on overdue principal, premium, if any, and
interest on overdue installments of interest, to the extent lawful, at the rate
per annum specified in the Notes.
SECTION 4.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency. The Company will maintain
in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, an office or agency where
Notes may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange or for
presentation for payment and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in
respect of the Notes and this Indenture may be served. The Company will give
prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the
location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to
maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee
with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands
may be made or served at the address of the Trustee set forth in Section 10.02.
The Company may also from time to time designate one or more other offices
or agencies where the Notes may be presented or surrendered for any or all such
purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided that no
such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its
obligation to maintain an office or agency in the Borough of Manhattan, The City
of New York for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to
the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the
location of any such other office or agency.
The Company hereby initially designates the Corporate Trust Office of the
Trustee as such office of the Company in accordance with Section 2.04.
SECTION 4.03. Limitation on Indebtedness. (a) The Company will not, and
will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, Incur any Indebtedness
(other than the Notes and Indebtedness existing on the Closing Date); provided
that the Company may Incur Indebtedness if, after giving effect to the
Incurrence of such Indebtedness and the receipt and application of the proceeds
thereof, the Consolidated Leverage Ratio would be less than or equal to 7 to 1,
for Indebtedness Incurred on or prior to June 30, 1998, or less than or equal to
5 to 1, for Indebtedness Incurred thereafter.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company, and (except as specified
below) any Restricted Subsidiary, may Incur each and all of the following: (i)
Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount outstanding or available at any
time not to exceed the sum of (A) $150 million, plus (B) $100 million, if after
giving effect to the Incurrence of such Indebtedness and application of the
proceeds thereof the Consolidated Secured Indebtedness Leverage Ratio would be
less than or equal to 2.25 to 1, less (C) any amount of such Indebtedness
permanently repaid as provided under Section 4.10; (ii) Indebtedness owed (A) to
the Company and evidenced by an unsubordinated promissory note or (B) to any
Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that any event which results in any such
Restricted Subsidiary ceasing
30
to be a Restricted Subsidiary or any subsequent transfer of such Indebtedness
(other than to the Company or another Restricted Subsidiary) shall be deemed, in
each case, to constitute an Incurrence of such Indebtedness not permitted by
this clause (ii); (iii) Indebtedness issued in exchange for, or the net proceeds
of which are used to refinance or refund, then outstanding Indebtedness (other
than Indebtedness Incurred under clause (i), (ii), (iv), (vi) or (ix) of this
paragraph) and any refinancings of such new Indebtedness in an amount not to
exceed the amount so refinanced or refunded (plus premiums, accrued interest,
fees and expenses); provided that Indebtedness the proceeds of which are used to
refinance or refund the Notes or Indebtedness that is pari passu in right of
payment with, or subordinated in right of payment to, the Notes shall only be
permitted under this clause (iii) if (A) in case the Notes are refinanced in
part or the Indebtedness to be refinanced is pari passu in right of payment with
the Notes, such new Indebtedness, by its terms or by the terms of any agreement
or instrument pursuant to which such new Indebtedness is outstanding, is
expressly made pari passu in right of payment with, or subordinate in right of
payment to, the remaining Notes, (B) in case the Indebtedness to be refinanced
is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes, such new Indebtedness, by its
terms or by the terms of any agreement or instrument pursuant to which such new
Indebtedness is issued or remains outstanding, is expressly made subordinate in
right of payment to the Notes at least to the extent that the Indebtedness to be
refinanced is subordinated to the Notes and (C) such new Indebtedness,
determined as of the date of Incurrence of such new Indebtedness, does not
mature prior to the Stated Maturity of the Indebtedness to be refinanced or
refunded, and the Average Life of such new Indebtedness is at least equal to the
remaining Average Life of the Indebtedness to be refinanced or refunded; and
provided further that in no event may Indebtedness of the Company be refinanced
by means of any Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to this
clause (iii); (iv) Indebtedness (A) in respect of performance, surety or appeal
bonds provided in the ordinary course of business, (B) under Currency Agreements
and Interest Rate Agreements; provided that such agreements (a) are designed
solely to protect the Company or its Subsidiaries against fluctuations in
foreign currency exchange rates or interest rates and (b) do not increase the
Indebtedness of the obligor outstanding at any time other than as a result of
fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates or interest rates or by reason
of fees, indemnities and compensation payable thereunder or (C) arising from
agreements providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price or
similar obligations, or from Guarantees or letters of credit, surety bonds or
performance bonds securing any obligations of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to such agreements, in each case Incurred in
connection with the disposition of any business, assets or Restricted Subsidiary
(other than Guarantees of Indebtedness Incurred by any Person acquiring all or
any portion of such business, assets or Restricted Subsidiary for the purpose of
financing such acquisition), in a principal amount not to exceed the gross
proceeds actually received by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in
connection with such disposition; (v) Indebtedness of the Company, to the extent
the net proceeds thereof are promptly (A) used to purchase Notes tendered in an
Offer to Purchase made as a result of a Change of Control or (B) deposited to
defease all of the Notes in accordance with Article Eight; (vi) Guarantees of
the Notes and Guarantees of Indebtedness of the Company by any Restricted
Subsidiary, provided the Guarantee of such Indebtedness is permitted by and made
in accordance with Section 4.07; (vii) Indebtedness (including Acquired
Indebtedness) Incurred to finance the cost (including the cost of design,
development, acquisition, construction, installation, improvement,
transportation or integration) for the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary to
acquire equipment, inventory or other assets (tangible or intangible) used or
useful in a Telecommunications Business after the Closing Date; (viii)
Indebtedness of the Company not to exceed, at any one time outstanding, two
times (A) the Net Cash Proceeds received by the Company after the Closing Date
as a capital contribution or from the issuance and sale of its Capital Stock
(other than Redeemable Stock) to a Person that is not a Subsidiary of the
Company, to the extent such Net Cash Proceeds have not been used pursuant to
clause (C)(2) of the first paragraph or clause (iii), (iv) or (vi) of the second
paragraph of Section 4.04 to make a Restricted Payment and (B) 80% of the fair
market value of property (other than cash and cash equivalents) received by the
Company after the Closing Date from a contribution of capital or the sale of its
Capital Stock (other than Redeemable Stock) to a Person that is not a Subsidiary
of the Company, to the extent such capital contribution or sale of Capital Stock
has not been used pursuant to clause (iii), (iv) or (ix) of the second paragraph
of Section 4.04 to make a Restricted Payment; provided that such Indebtedness
does not mature prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes and has an Average
Life longer than the Notes; and (ix) Strategic Subordinated Indebtedness.
31
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 4.03, the maximum
amount of Indebtedness that the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary may Incur
pursuant to this Section 4.03 shall not be deemed to be exceeded due solely to
the result of fluctuations in the exchange rates of currencies.
(c) For purposes of determining any particular amount of Indebtedness
under this Section 4.03, (1) Guarantees, Liens or obligations with respect to
letters of credit supporting Indebtedness otherwise included in the
determination of such particular amount shall not be included and (2) any Liens
granted pursuant to the equal and ratable provisions referred to in Section 4.09
shall not be treated as Indebtedness. For purposes of determining compliance
with this Section 4.03, in the event that an item of Indebtedness meets the
criteria of more than one of the types of Indebtedness described in the above
clauses, the Company, in its sole discretion, shall classify such item of
Indebtedness and only be required to include the amount and type of such
Indebtedness in one of such clauses.
SECTION 4.04. Limitation on Restricted Payments. The Company will not, and
will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, (i)
declare or pay any dividend or make any distribution on or with respect to its
Capital Stock (other than (x) dividends or distributions payable solely in
shares of its Capital Stock (other than Redeemable Stock) or in options,
warrants or other rights to acquire shares of such Capital Stock and (y) pro
rata dividends or distributions on Common Stock of Restricted Subsidiaries held
by minority stockholders, provided that such dividends do not in the aggregate
exceed the minority stockholders' pro rata share of such Restricted
Subsidiaries' net income from the first day of the fiscal quarter beginning
immediately following the Closing Date) held by Persons other than the Company
or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, (ii) purchase, redeem, retire or
otherwise acquire for value any shares of Capital Stock of (A) the Company or an
Unrestricted Subsidiary (including options, warrants or other rights to acquire
such shares of Capital Stock) held by any Person or (B) a Restricted Subsidiary
(including options, warrants or other rights to acquire such shares of Capital
Stock) held by any Affiliate of the Company (other than a Wholly Owned
Restricted Subsidiary) or any holder (or any Affiliate of such holder) of 5% or
more of the Capital Stock of the Company, (iii) make any voluntary or optional
principal payment, or voluntary or optional redemption, repurchase, defeasance,
or other acquisition or retirement for value, of Indebtedness of the Company
that is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes (other than, in each case,
the purchase, repurchase or acquisition of Indebtedness in anticipation of
satisfying a sinking fund obligation, principal installment or final maturity,
in any case due within one year after the date of such purchase, repurchase or
acquisition) or (iv) make any Investment, other than a Permitted Investment, in
any Person (such payments or any other actions described in clauses (i) through
(iv) above being collectively "Restricted Payments") if, at the time of, and
after giving effect to, the proposed Restricted Payment: (A) a Default or Event
of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (B) the Company could not
Incur at least $1.00 of Indebtedness under the first paragraph of Section
4.03(a) or (C) the aggregate amount of all Restricted Payments (the amount, if
other than in cash, to be determined in good faith by the Board of Directors,
whose determination shall be conclusive and evidenced by a Board Resolution)
made after the Closing Date shall exceed the sum of (1) 50% of the aggregate
amount of the Adjusted Consolidated Net Income (or, if the Adjusted Consolidated
Net Income is a loss, minus 100% of the amount of such loss) (excluding, for
purposes of such computation, income resulting from transfers of assets by the
Company or a Restricted Subsidiary to an Unrestricted Subsidiary) accrued on a
cumulative basis during the period (taken as one accounting period) beginning on
the first day of the fiscal quarter immediately following the Closing Date and
ending on the last day of the last fiscal quarter preceding the Transaction Date
for which reports have been filed with the Commission or provided to the Trustee
pursuant to Section 4.17 plus (2) the aggregate Net Cash Proceeds received by
the Company after the Closing Date from a capital contribution or the issuance
and sale permitted by this Indenture to a Person who is not a Subsidiary of the
Company of (a) its Capital Stock (other than Redeemable Stock), (b) any options,
warrants or other rights to acquire Capital Stock of the Company (in each case,
exclusive of any Redeemable Stock or any options, warrants or other rights that
are redeemable at the option of the holder, or are required to be redeemed,
prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes) and (c) Indebtedness of the Company
that has been exchanged for or converted into Capital Stock of the Company
(other than Redeemable Stock), in each case
32
except to the extent such Net Cash Proceeds are used to Incur Indebtedness
pursuant to clause (viii) of the second paragraph of Section 4.03(a), plus (3)
an amount equal to the net reduction in Investments (other than reductions in
Permitted Investments and reductions in Investments made pursuant to clause (vi)
of the second paragraph of this Section 4.04) in any Person resulting from
payments of interest on Indebtedness, dividends, repayments of loans or
advances, or other transfers of assets, in each case to the Company or any
Restricted Subsidiary or from the Net Cash Proceeds from the sale of any such
Investment (except, in each case, to the extent any such payment or proceeds is
included in the calculation of Adjusted Consolidated Net Income), or from
redesignations of Unrestricted Subsidiaries as Restricted Subsidiaries (valued
in each case as provided in the definition of "Investments"), not to exceed, in
each case, the amount of Investments previously made by the Company or any
Restricted Subsidiary in such Person or Unrestricted Subsidiary.
The foregoing provision shall not be violated by reason of: (i) the
payment of any dividend within 60 days after the date of declaration thereof if,
at such date of declaration, such payment would comply with the foregoing
paragraph; (ii) the redemption, repurchase, defeasance or other acquisition or
retirement for value of Indebtedness that is subordinated in right of payment to
the Notes, including premium, if any, and accrued and unpaid interest, with the
proceeds of, or in exchange for, Indebtedness Incurred under clause (iii) of the
second paragraph of Section 4.03(a); (iii) the repurchase, redemption or other
acquisition of Capital Stock of the Company (or options, warrants or other
rights to acquire such Capital Stock) in exchange for, or out of the proceeds of
a substantially concurrent offering of, shares of Capital Stock (other than
Redeemable Stock) of the Company (or options, warrants or other rights to
acquire such Capital Stock); (iv) the making of any principal payment or the
repurchase, redemption, retirement, defeasance or other acquisition for value of
Indebtedness of the Company which is subordinated in right of payment to the
Notes in exchange for, or out of the proceeds of, a substantially concurrent
offering of shares of the Capital Stock (other than Redeemable Stock) of the
Company (or options, warrants or other rights to acquire such Capital Stock);
(v) payments or distributions to dissenting stockholders pursuant to applicable
law in connection with a consolidation, merger or transfer of assets that
complies with the provisions of Article Five; (vi) Investments in any Person the
primary business of which is related, ancillary or complementary to the business
of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of such Investments;
provided that the aggregate amount of Investments made pursuant to this clause
(vi) does not exceed the sum of (x) $25 million plus (y) the amount of Net Cash
Proceeds received by the Company after the Closing Date as a capital
contribution or from the sale of its Capital Stock (other than Redeemable Stock)
to a Person who is not a Subsidiary of the Company, except to the extent such
Net Cash Proceeds are used to Incur Indebtedness pursuant to clause (viii) of
the second paragraph of Section 4.03(a) or to make Restricted Payments pursuant
to clause (C)(2) of the first paragraph, or clause (iii) or (iv) of this
paragraph, of this Section 4.04, plus (z) the net reduction in Investments made
pursuant to this clause (vi) resulting from distributions on or repayments of
such Investments or from the Net Cash Proceeds from the sale of any such
Investment (except in each case to the extent any such payment or proceeds is
included in the calculation of Adjusted Consolidated Net Income) or from such
Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary (valued in each case as provided in the
definition of "Investments"), provided that the net reduction in any Investment
shall not exceed the amount of such Investment; (vii) the purchase, redemption,
acquisition, cancellation or other retirement for value of shares of Capital
Stock of the Company to the extent necessary, in the judgment of the Board of
Directors, to prevent the loss or secure the renewal or reinstatement of any
license or franchise held by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary from any
governmental agency; (viii) the purchase, redemption, retirement or other
acquisition for value of shares of Capital Stock of the Company, or options to
purchase such shares, held by directors, employees, or former directors or
employees of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (or their estates or
beneficiaries under their estates) upon their death, disability, retirement,
termination of employment or pursuant to the terms of any agreement under which
such shares of Capital Stock or options were issued; provided that the aggregate
consideration paid for such purchase, redemption, retirement or other
acquisition for value of such shares of Capital Stock or options after the
Closing Date does not exceed $2 million in any calendar year, or $5 million in
the aggregate; or (ix) Investments acquired as a capital contribution to the
Company or in exchange for Capital Stock (other than Redeemable Stock) of the
Company; provided that, except in the case of clauses (i), (iii) and (iv), no
Default or
33
Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, or occur as a
consequence of the actions or payments set forth therein.
Each Restricted Payment permitted pursuant to the preceding paragraph
(other than the Restricted Payment referred to in clause (ii) thereof, an
exchange of Capital Stock for Capital Stock or Indebtedness referred to in
clause (iii) or (iv) thereof and an Investment referred to in clause (ix)
thereof), and the Net Cash Proceeds from any issuance of Capital Stock referred
to in clauses (iii), (iv) and (vi) thereof, shall be included in calculating
whether the conditions of clause (C) of the first paragraph of this Section 4.04
have been met with respect to any subsequent Restricted Payments. In the event
the proceeds of an issuance of Capital Stock of the Company are used for the
redemption, repurchase or other acquisition of the Notes, or Indebtedness that
is pari passu in right of payment with the Notes, then the Net Cash Proceeds of
such issuance shall be included in clause (C) of the first paragraph of this
Section 4.04 only to the extent such proceeds are not used for such redemption,
repurchase or other acquisition of Indebtedness.
SECTION 4.05. Limitation on Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions
Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries. The Company will not, and will not permit any
Restricted Subsidiary to, create or otherwise cause or suffer to exist or become
effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction of any kind on the ability
of any Restricted Subsidiary to (i) pay dividends or make any other
distributions permitted by applicable law on any Capital Stock of such
Restricted Subsidiary owned by the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary,
(ii) pay any Indebtedness owed to the Company or any other Restricted
Subsidiary, (iii) make loans or advances to the Company or any other Restricted
Subsidiary or (iv) transfer any of its property or assets to the Company or any
other Restricted Subsidiary.
The foregoing provisions shall not restrict any encumbrances or
restrictions: (i) existing on the Closing Date in this Indenture or any other
agreements in effect on the Closing Date, and any extensions, refinancings,
renewals or replacements of such agreements; provided that the encumbrances and
restrictions in any such extensions, refinancings, renewals or replacements are
no less favorable in any material respect to the Holders than those encumbrances
or restrictions that are then in effect and that are being extended, refinanced,
renewed or replaced; (ii) existing under or by reason of applicable law; (iii)
existing with respect to any Person or the property or assets of such Person
acquired by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary and existing at the time of
such acquisition and not incurred in contemplation thereof, which encumbrances
or restrictions are not applicable to any Person or the property or assets of
any Person other than such Person or the property or assets of such Person so
acquired; (iv) in the case of clause (iv) of the first paragraph of this Section
4.05, (A) that restrict in a customary manner the subletting, assignment or
transfer of any property or asset that is a lease, license, conveyance or
contract or similar property or asset, (B) existing by virtue of any transfer
of, agreement to transfer, option or right with respect to, or Lien on, any
property or assets of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary not otherwise
prohibited by this Indenture or (C) arising or agreed to in the ordinary course
of business, not relating to any Indebtedness, and that do not, individually or
in the aggregate, detract from the value of property or assets of the Company or
any Restricted Subsidiary in any manner material to the Company or any
Restricted Subsidiary; (v) with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary and imposed
pursuant to an agreement that has been entered into for the sale or disposition
of all or substantially all of the Capital Stock of, or property and assets of,
such Restricted Subsidiary; or (vi) contained in the terms of any Indebtedness
or any agreement pursuant to which such Indebtedness was issued if (A) the
encumbrance or restriction applies only in the event of a payment default or a
default with respect to a financial covenant contained in such Indebtedness or
agreement; provided that in the case of the Credit Agreement the encumbrance or
restriction may apply if an event of default (other than an event of default
resulting solely from the breach of a representation or warranty) occurs and is
continuing under the Credit Agreement; provided that, with respect to any event
of default (other than a payment default, a bankruptcy event with respect to the
Company, Interstate FiberNet, Inc. or any Significant Subsidiary or the loss of
a material license or fiber network) under the Credit Agreement, such
encumbrance or restriction may not prohibit dividends to the Company to pay
scheduled interest on the Notes for more than 180 days in any consecutive
360-day period, (B) the encumbrance or restriction is not materially more
34
disadvantageous to the Holders of the Notes than is customary in comparable
financings (as determined by the Company) and (C) the Company determines that
any such encumbrance or restriction will not materially affect the Company's
ability to make principal or interest payments on the Notes.
Nothing contained in this Section 4.05 shall prevent the Company or any
Restricted Subsidiary from (1) creating, incurring, assuming or suffering to
exist any Liens otherwise permitted in Section 4.09 or (2) restricting the sale
or other disposition of property or assets of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries that secure Indebtedness of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries.
SECTION 4.06. Limitation on the Issuance and Sale of Capital Stock of
Restricted Subsidiaries. The Company will not sell, and will not permit any
Restricted Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, to issue or sell, any shares of
Capital Stock of a Restricted Subsidiary (including options, warrants or other
rights to purchase shares of such Capital Stock) except (i) to the Company or a
Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary, (ii) issuances of director's qualifying
shares, or sales to foreign nationals of shares of Capital Stock of foreign
Restricted Subsidiaries, to the extent required by applicable law, (iii) if,
immediately after giving effect to such issuance or sale, such Restricted
Subsidiary would no longer constitute a Restricted Subsidiary and any Investment
in such Person remaining after giving effect to such issuance or sale would have
been permitted to be made under Section 4.04 if made on the date of such
issuance or sale or (iv) issuances or sales of Common Stock of a Restricted
Subsidiary, provided that the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary applies the
Net Cash Proceeds, if any, of any such sale in accordance with clause (A) or (B)
of the first paragraph of Section 4.10.
SECTION 4.07. Limitation on Issuances of Guarantees by Restricted
Subsidiaries. The Company will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary, directly or
indirectly, to Guarantee any Indebtedness of the Company which is pari passu in
right of payment with, or subordinate in right of payment to, the Notes
("Guaranteed Indebtedness"), unless (i) such Restricted Subsidiary
simultaneously executes and delivers a supplemental indenture to this Indenture
providing for a Guarantee (a "Subsidiary Guarantee") of payment of the Notes by
such Restricted Subsidiary and (ii) such Restricted Subsidiary waives, and will
not in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any
rights of reimbursement, indemnity or subrogation or any other rights against
the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary as a result of any payment by
such Restricted Subsidiary under its Subsidiary Guarantee; provided that this
paragraph shall not be applicable to (x) any Guarantee of any Restricted
Subsidiary that existed at the time such Person became a Restricted Subsidiary
and was not Incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such Person
becoming a Restricted Subsidiary or (y) any Guarantee of any Restricted
Subsidiary of Indebtedness Incurred (I) under Credit Facilities pursuant to
clause (i) of the second paragraph of Section 4.03(a) or (II) pursuant to clause
(vii) of the second paragraph of Section 4.03(a). If the Guaranteed Indebtedness
is (A) pari passu in right of payment with the Notes, then the Guarantee of such
Guaranteed Indebtedness shall be pari passu in right of payment with, or
subordinated in right of payment to, the Subsidiary Guarantee or (B)
subordinated in right of payment to the Notes, then the Guarantee of such
Guaranteed Indebtedness shall be subordinated in right of payment to the
Subsidiary Guarantee at least to the extent that the Guaranteed Indebtedness is
subordinated in right of payment to the Notes.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Subsidiary Guarantee by a Restricted
Subsidiary may provide by its terms that it shall be automatically and
unconditionally released and discharged upon (i) any sale, exchange or transfer,
to any Person not an Affiliate of the Company, of all of the Company's and each
Restricted Subsidiary's Capital Stock in, or all or substantially all the assets
of, such Restricted Subsidiary (which sale, exchange or transfer is not
prohibited by this Indenture) or (ii) the release or discharge of the Guarantee
which resulted in the creation of such Subsidiary Guarantee, except a discharge
or release by or as a result of payment under such Guarantee.
SECTION 4.08. Limitation on Transactions with Stockholders and Affiliates.
The Company will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly
or indirectly, enter into, renew or extend any transaction
35
(including, without limitation, the purchase, sale, lease or exchange of
property or assets, or the rendering of any service) with any holder (or any
Affiliate of such holder) of 5% or more of any class of Capital Stock of the
Company or with any Affiliate of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary,
except upon fair and reasonable terms no less favorable in any material respect
to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary than could be obtained, at the time
of such transaction or, if such transaction is pursuant to a written agreement,
at the time of the execution of the agreement providing therefor, in a
comparable arm's-length transaction with a Person that is not such a holder or
an Affiliate.
The foregoing limitation does not limit, and shall not apply to: (i)
transactions (A) approved by a majority of the disinterested members of the
Board of Directors or (B) for which the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary
delivers to the Trustee a written opinion of a nationally recognized investment
banking firm stating that the transaction is fair to the Company or such
Restricted Subsidiary from a financial point of view; (ii) any transaction
solely between the Company and any of its Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiaries
or solely between Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiaries; (iii) the payment of
reasonable and customary regular fees to directors of the Company who are not
employees of the Company; (iv) any payments or other transactions pursuant to
any tax-sharing agreement between the Company and any other Person with which
the Company files a consolidated tax return or with which the Company is part of
a consolidated group for tax purposes; or (v) any Restricted Payments not
prohibited by Section 4.04. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any transaction
covered by the first paragraph of this Section 4.08 and not covered by clauses
(ii) through (v) of this paragraph, the aggregate amount of which exceeds $5
million in value, must be approved or determined to be fair in the manner
provided for in clause (i)(A) or (B) above.
SECTION 4.09. Limitation on Liens. The Company will not, and will not
permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist
any Lien on any of its assets or properties of any character, or any shares of
Capital Stock or Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, without making
effective provision for all of the Notes and all other amounts due under this
Indenture to be directly secured equally and ratably with (or, if the obligation
or liability to be secured by such Lien is subordinated in right of payment to
the Notes, prior to) the obligation or liability secured by such Lien.
The foregoing limitation does not apply to: (i) Liens existing on the
Closing Date; (ii) Liens granted after the Closing Date on any assets or Capital
Stock of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries created in favor of the
Holders; (iii) Liens with respect to the assets of a Restricted Subsidiary
granted by such Restricted Subsidiary to the Company or a Wholly Owned
Restricted Subsidiary to secure Indebtedness owing to the Company or such other
Restricted Subsidiary; (iv) Liens securing Indebtedness which is Incurred to
refinance secured Indebtedness which is permitted to be Incurred under clause
(iii) of the second paragraph of Section 4.03(a); provided that such Liens do
not extend to or cover any property or assets of the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary other than the property or assets securing the Indebtedness being
refinanced; (v) Liens securing obligations under Credit Facilities Incurred
under clause (i) of the second paragraph of Section 4.03(a); or (vi) Permitted
Liens.
SECTION 4.10. Limitation on Asset Sales. The Company will not, and will
not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, consummate any Asset Sale, unless (i)
the consideration received by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary is at
least equal to the fair market value of the assets sold or disposed of and (ii)
at least 75% of the consideration received consists of cash or Temporary Cash
Investments. In the event and to the extent that the Net Cash Proceeds received
by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from one or more Asset
Sales occurring on or after the Closing Date in any period of 12 consecutive
months exceed 10% of Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined as of
the date closest to the commencement of such 12-month period for which a
consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries has been filed
with the Commission or provided to the Trustee pursuant to Section 4.17), then
the Company shall or shall cause the relevant Restricted Subsidiary to (i)
within 12 months after the date Net Cash Proceeds so received exceed 10% of
Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (A) apply an amount equal to such
excess Net Cash Proceeds to permanently repay unsubordinated
36
Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary providing a Subsidiary
Guarantee pursuant to Section 4.07 or Indebtedness of any other Restricted
Subsidiary, in each case owing to a Person other than the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, or (B) invest an amount equal to such excess Net Cash Proceeds, or
the amount of such Net Cash Proceeds not so applied pursuant to clause (A) (or
enter into a definitive agreement committing to so invest within 12 months after
the date of such agreement), in capital assets of a nature or type or that are
used in a business (or in a Person having capital assets of a nature or type, or
engaged in a business) similar or related to the nature or type of the property
and assets of, or the business of, the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries
existing on the date of such investment (as determined in good faith by the
Board of Directors, whose determination shall be conclusive and evidenced by a
Board Resolution) and (ii) apply (no later than the end of the 12-month period
referred to in clause (i)) such excess Net Cash Proceeds (to the extent not
applied pursuant to clause (i)) as provided in the following paragraph of this
Section 4.10. The amount of such excess Net Cash Proceeds required to be applied
(or to be committed to be applied) during such 12-month period as set forth in
clause (i) of the preceding sentence and not applied as so required by the end
of such period shall constitute "Excess Proceeds."
If, as of the first day of any calendar month, the aggregate amount of
Excess Proceeds not theretofore subject to an Offer to Purchase pursuant to this
Section 4.10 totals at least $5 million, the Company shall commence, not later
than the fifteenth Business Day of such month, and consummate an Offer to
Purchase from the Holders on a pro rata basis an aggregate principal amount of
Notes equal to the Excess Proceeds on such date, at a purchase price equal to
100% of the principal amount of the Notes plus, in each case, accrued interest
to the Payment Date.
SECTION 4.11. Repurchase of Notes upon a Change of Control. The Company
shall commence, within 30 days after the occurrence of a Change of Control, and
consummate an Offer to Purchase for all Notes then outstanding, at a purchase
price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued interest to
the Payment Date.
SECTION 4.12. Existence. Subject to Articles Four and Five of this
Indenture, the Company will do or cause to be done all things necessary to
preserve and keep in full force and effect its existence and the existence of
each of its Restricted Subsidiaries in accordance with the respective
organizational documents of the Company and each such Subsidiary and the rights
(whether pursuant to charter, partnership certificate, agreement, statute or
otherwise), material licenses and franchises of the Company and each such
Subsidiary; provided that the Company shall not be required to preserve any such
right, license or franchise, or the existence of any Restricted Subsidiary, if
the maintenance or preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of
the business of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
SECTION 4.13. Payment of Taxes and Other Claims. The Company will pay or
discharge and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to pay or discharge, or cause
to be paid or discharged, before the same shall become delinquent (i) all
material taxes, assessments and governmental charges levied or imposed upon (a)
the Company or any such Subsidiary, (b) the income or profits of any such
Subsidiary which is a corporation or (c) the property of the Company or any such
Subsidiary and (ii) all material lawful claims for labor, materials and supplies
that, if unpaid, might by law become a lien upon the property of the Company or
any such Subsidiary; provided that the Company shall not be required to pay or
discharge, or cause to be paid or discharged, any such tax, assessment, charge
or claim the amount, applicability or validity of which is being contested in
good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been
established.
SECTION 4.14. Maintenance of Properties and Insurance. The Company will
cause all properties used or useful in the conduct of its business or the
business of any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to be maintained and kept in good
condition, repair and working order and supplied with all necessary equipment
and will cause to be made all necessary repairs, renewals, replacements,
betterments and improvements thereof, all as in the judgment of the Company may
be necessary so that the business carried on in connection therewith may be
properly and
37
advantageously conducted at all times; provided that nothing in this Section
4.14 shall prevent the Company or any such Subsidiary from discontinuing the
use, operation or maintenance of any of such properties or disposing of any of
them, if such discontinuance or disposal is, in the judgment of the Company,
desirable in the conduct of the business of the Company or such Subsidiary.
The Company will provide or cause to be provided, for itself and its
Restricted Subsidiaries, insurance (including appropriate self-insurance)
against loss or damage of the kinds customarily insured against by corporations
similarly situated and owning like properties, including, but not limited to,
products liability insurance and public liability insurance, with reputable
insurers or with the government of the United States of America, or an agency or
instrumentality thereof, in such amounts, with such deductibles and by such
methods as shall be customary for corporations similarly situated in the
industry in which the Company or any such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may
be, is then conducting business.
SECTION 4.15. Notice of Defaults. In the event that the Company becomes
aware of any Default or Event of Default, the Company, promptly after it becomes
aware thereof, will give written notice thereof to the Trustee.
SECTION 4.16. Compliance Certificates. (a) The Company shall deliver to
the Trustee, within 45 days after the end of each fiscal quarter (90 days after
the end of the last fiscal quarter of each year), an Officers' Certificate
stating whether or not the signers know of any Default or Event of Default that
occurred during such fiscal quarter. In the case of the Officers' Certificate
delivered within 90 days after the end of the Company's fiscal year, such
certificate shall contain a certification from the principal executive officer,
principal financial officer or principal accounting officer of the Company that
a review has been conducted of the activities of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries and the Company's and its Restricted Subsidiaries' performance
under this Indenture and that the Company has complied with all conditions and
covenants under this Indenture. For purposes of this Section 4.16, such
compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or
requirement of notice provided under this Indenture. If the officers of the
Company signing such certificate do know of such a Default or Event of Default,
the certificate shall describe any such Default or Event of Default and its
status. The first certificate to be delivered pursuant to this Section 4.16(a)
shall be for the first fiscal quarter beginning after the execution of this
Indenture.
(b) The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 90 days after the end
of the Company's fiscal year, beginning with the fiscal year in which this
Indenture was executed, a certificate signed by the Company's independent
certified public accountants stating (i) that their audit examination has
included a review of the terms of this Indenture and the Notes as they relate to
accounting matters, (ii) that they have read the most recent Officers'
Certificate delivered to the Trustee pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section
4.16 and (iii) whether, in connection with their audit examination, anything
came to their attention that caused them to believe that the Company was not in
compliance with any of the terms, covenants, provisions or conditions of Article
Four and Section 5.01 of this Indenture as they pertain to accounting matters
and, if any Default or Event of Default has come to their attention, specifying
the nature and period of existence thereof; provided that such independent
certified public accountants shall not be liable in respect of such statement by
reason of any failure to obtain knowledge of any such Default or Event of
Default that would not be disclosed in the course of an audit examination
conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards in effect at
the date of such examination.
SECTION 4.17. Commission Reports and Reports to Holders. The Company shall
file with the Commission the annual, quarterly and other reports and other
information required by Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, regardless
of whether such sections of the Exchange Act are applicable to the Company
(unless the Commission will not accept such a filing). The Company shall mail or
cause to be mailed copies of such reports and information to Holders and the
Trustee within 15 days after the date it files such reports and information with
the Commission or after the date it would have been required to file such
reports and information with the Commission had it been subject to such sections
of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that the copies of such reports and
38
information mailed to Holders may omit exhibits, which the Company will supply
to any Holder at such Holder's request.
SECTION 4.18. Waiver of Stay, Extension or Usury Laws. The Company
covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any
time insist upon, or plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the
benefit or advantage of, any stay or extension law or any usury law or other law
that would prohibit or forgive the Company from paying all or any portion of the
principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes as contemplated herein,
wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, or that may affect the
covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and (to the extent that it may
lawfully do so) the Company hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of
any such law and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the
execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit
the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.
SECTION 4.19. Limitation on Sale-Leaseback Transactions. The Company will
not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any
sale-leaseback transaction involving any of its assets or properties whether now
owned or hereafter acquired, whereby the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary
sells or transfers such assets or properties and then or thereafter leases such
assets or properties or any part thereof or any other assets or properties which
the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, intends to use
for substantially the same purpose or purposes as the assets or properties sold
or transferred.
The foregoing restriction does not apply to any sale-leaseback transaction
if (i) the lease is for a period, including renewal rights, of not in excess of
three years; (ii) the lease secures or relates to industrial revenue or
pollution control bonds; (iii) the transaction is solely between the Company and
any Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary or solely between Wholly Owned Restricted
Subsidiaries; or (iv) the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, within 12
months after the sale or transfer of any assets or properties is completed,
applies an amount not less than the net proceeds received from such sale in
accordance with clause (A) or (B) of the first paragraph of Section 4.10.
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ARTICLE FIVE
SUCCESSOR CORPORATION
SECTION 5.01. When Company May Merge, Etc. The Company shall not
consolidate with, merge with or into, or sell, convey, transfer, lease or
otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its property and assets (as an
entirety or substantially an entirety in one transaction or a series of related
transactions) to, any Person or permit any Person to merge with or into the
Company unless: (i) the Company shall be the continuing Person, or the Person
(if other than the Company) formed by such consolidation or into which the
Company is merged or that acquired or leased such property and assets of the
Company shall be a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of
the United States of America or any jurisdiction thereof, and shall expressly
assume, by a supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee, all
of the obligations of the Company on all of the Notes and under this Indenture;
(ii) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of
Default shall have occurred and be continuing; (iii) immediately after giving
effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis, the Company or any Person
becoming the successor obligor of the Notes shall have a Consolidated Net Worth
equal to or greater than the Consolidated Net Worth of the Company immediately
prior to such transaction; (iv) immediately after giving effect to such
transaction on a pro forma basis, the Company, or any Person becoming the
successor obligor of the Notes, as the case may be, could Incur at least $1.00
of Indebtedness under the first paragraph of Section 4.03(a); provided, however,
that this clause (iv) shall not apply to a consolidation or merger with or into
a Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary with a positive net worth, provided that in
connection with any such merger or consolidation, no consideration (except
Capital Stock (other than Redeemable Stock) in the surviving Person or the
Company (or a Person that owns directly or indirectly all of the Capital Stock
of the surviving Person or the Company immediately following such transaction))
shall be issued or distributed to the stockholders of the Company; and (v) the
Company delivers to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate (attaching the
arithmetic computations to demonstrate compliance with clauses (iii) and (iv)
above) and an Opinion of Counsel, in each case stating that such consolidation,
merger or transfer and such supplemental indenture comply with this provision
and that all conditions precedent provided for herein relating to such
transaction have been complied with; provided, however, that clauses (iii) and
(iv) above do not apply if, in the good faith determination of the Board of
Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be evidenced by a Board
Resolution, the principal purpose of such transaction is to change the state of
incorporation of the Company and any such transaction shall not have as one of
its purposes the evasion of the foregoing limitations.
SECTION 5.02. Successor Substituted. Upon any consolidation or merger, or
any sale, conveyance, transfer, lease or other disposition of all or
substantially all of the property and assets of the Company in accordance with
Section 5.01 of this Indenture, the successor Person formed by such
consolidation or into which the Company is merged or to which such sale,
conveyance, transfer, lease or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and
be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under
this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named
as the Company herein; provided that the Company shall not be released from its
obligation to pay the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes in
the case of a lease of all or substantially all of its property and assets.
ARTICLE SIX
DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
SECTION 6.01. Events of Default. An "Event of Default" shall occur
with respect to the Notes if:
(a) the Company defaults in the payment of the principal of (or
premium, if any, on) any Note when the same becomes due and payable at
maturity, upon acceleration, redemption or otherwise;
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(b) the Company defaults in the payment of interest on any Note when
the same becomes due and payable, and such default continues for a period
of 30 days;
(c) the Company defaults in the performance of, or breaches the
provisions of, Article Five or fails to make or consummate an Offer to
Purchase in accordance with Section 4.10 or 4.11;
(d) the Company defaults in the performance of or breaches any
covenant or agreement of the Company in this Indenture or under the Notes
(other than a default specified in clause (a), (b) or (c) above), and such
default or breach continues for a period of 30 consecutive days after
written notice by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate
principal amount of the Notes then outstanding;
(e) there occurs with respect to any issue or issues of Indebtedness
of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary having an outstanding
principal amount of $5 million or more in the aggregate for all such
issues of all such Persons, whether such Indebtedness now exists or shall
hereafter be created, (I) an event of default that has caused the holder
thereof to declare such Indebtedness to be due and payable prior to its
Stated Maturity and such Indebtedness has not been discharged in full or
such acceleration has not been rescinded or annulled within 30 days of
such acceleration and/or (II) the failure to make a principal payment at
the final (but not any interim) fixed maturity and such defaulted payment
shall not have been made, waived or extended within 30 days of such
payment default;
(f) any final judgment or order (not covered by insurance) for the
payment of money in excess of $5 million in the aggregate for all such
final judgments or orders against all such Persons (treating any
deductibles, self-insurance or retention as not so covered) shall be
rendered against the Company or any Significant Subsidiary and shall not
be paid or discharged, and there shall be any period of 30 consecutive
days following entry of the final judgment or order that causes the
aggregate amount for all such final judgments or orders outstanding and
not paid or discharged against all such Persons to exceed $5 million
during which a stay of enforcement of such final judgment or order, by
reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, shall not be in effect;
(g) a court having jurisdiction in the premises enters a decree or
order for (A) relief in respect of the Company or any Significant
Subsidiary in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, (B)
appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee,
sequestrator or similar official of the Company or any Significant
Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the property and assets of
the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (C) the winding up or
liquidation of the affairs of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary
and, in each case, such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in
effect for a period of 60 consecutive days; or
(h) the Company or any Significant Subsidiary (A) commences a
voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other
similar law now or hereafter in effect, or consents to the entry of an
order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, (B) consents
to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator,
assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of the
Company or any Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of
the property and assets of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or
(C) effects any general assignment for the benefit of creditors.
SECTION 6.02. Acceleration. If an Event of Default (other than an Event of
Default specified in clause (g) or (h) of Section 6.01 that occurs with respect
to the Company) occurs and is continuing under this Indenture, the Trustee or
the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then
outstanding, by written notice to the Company (and to the Trustee if such notice
is given by the Holders), may, and the Trustee at the request of such Holders
shall, declare the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest on the
Notes to be immediately
41
due and payable. Upon a declaration of acceleration, such principal, premium, if
any, and accrued interest shall be immediately due and payable. In the event of
a declaration of acceleration because an Event of Default set forth in clause
(e) of Section 6.01 has occurred and is continuing, such declaration of
acceleration shall be automatically rescinded and annulled if the event of
default triggering such Event of Default pursuant to clause (e) shall be
remedied or cured by the Company or the relevant Significant Subsidiary or
waived by the holders of the relevant Indebtedness within 60 days after the
declaration of acceleration with respect thereto. If an Event of Default
specified in clause (g) or (h) of Section 6.01 occurs with respect to the
Company, the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest on the Notes
then outstanding shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable
without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder.
The Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding
Notes, by written notice to the Company and to the Trustee, may waive all past
defaults and rescind and annul a declaration of acceleration and its
consequences if (i) all existing Events of Default, other than the nonpayment of
the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes that have become
due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived and
(ii) the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of
competent jurisdiction.
SECTION 6.03. Other Remedies. If an Event of Default occurs and is
continuing, the Trustee may, and at the direction of the Holders of at least a
majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes shall, pursue any
available remedy by proceeding at law or in equity to collect the payment of
principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes or to enforce the
performance of any provision of the Notes or this Indenture.
The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of
the Notes or does not produce any of them in the proceeding.
SECTION 6.04. Waiver of Past Defaults. Subject to Sections 6.02, 6.07 and
9.02, the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding
Notes, by notice to the Trustee, may waive an existing Default or Event of
Default and its consequences, except a Default in the payment of principal of,
premium, if any, or interest on any Note as specified in clause (a) or (b) of
Section 6.01 or in respect of a covenant or provision of this Indenture which
cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each
outstanding Note affected. Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to
exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been
cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to
any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default or impair any right
consequent thereto.
SECTION 6.05. Control by Majority. The Holders of at least a majority in
aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Notes may direct the time, method
and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee
or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee. However, the Trustee
may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or this Indenture,
that may involve the Trustee in personal liability, or that the Trustee
determines in good faith may be unduly prejudicial to the rights of Holders of
Notes not joining in the giving of such direction and may take any other action
it deems proper that is not inconsistent with any such direction received from
Holders of Notes.
SECTION 6.06. Limitation on Suits. A Holder may not pursue any remedy
with respect to this Indenture or the Notes unless:
(i) the Holder gives the Trustee written notice of a continuing
Event of Default;
(ii) the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of
outstanding Notes make a written request to the Trustee to pursue the
remedy;
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(iii) such Holder or Holders offer (and if requested provide) the
Trustee indemnity satisfactory to the Trustee against any costs, liability
or expense;
(iv) the Trustee does not comply with the request within 60 days
after receipt of the request and the offer of indemnity; and
(v) during such 60-day period, the Holders of a majority in
aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Notes do not give the
Trustee a direction that is inconsistent with the request.
For purposes of Section 6.05 of this Indenture and this Section 6.06, the
Trustee shall comply with TIA Section 316(a) in making any determination of
whether the Holders of the required aggregate principal amount of outstanding
Notes have concurred in any request or direction of the Trustee to pursue any
remedy available to the Trustee or the Holders with respect to this Indenture or
the Notes or otherwise under the law.
A Holder may not use this Indenture to prejudice the rights of another
Holder or to obtain a preference or priority over such other Holder.
The limitations set forth in this Section 6.06 shall not apply to the
right of any Holder of a Note to receive payment of the principal of, premium,
if any, or interest on, such Note or to bring suit for the enforcement of any
such payment, on or after the due date expressed in the Notes, which right shall
not be impaired or affected without the consent of the Holder.
SECTION 6.07. Rights of Holders to Receive Payment. Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Indenture, the right of any Holder of a Note to receive
payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on, such Note or to
bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment, on or after the due date
expressed in the Notes, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of
such Holder.
SECTION 6.08. Collection Suit by Trustee. If an Event of Default in
payment of principal, premium or interest specified in clause (a), (b) or (c) of
Section 6.01 occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may recover judgment in its
own name and as trustee of an express trust against the Company or any other
obligor of the Notes for the whole amount of principal, premium, if any, and
accrued interest remaining unpaid, together with interest on overdue principal,
premium, if any, and, to the extent that payment of such interest is lawful,
interest on overdue installments of interest, in each case at the rate specified
in the Notes, and such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs
and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses,
disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.
SECTION 6.09. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim. The Trustee may file such
proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable
in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the
reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee,
its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section
7.07) and the Holders allowed in any judicial proceedings relative to the
Company (or any other obligor of the Notes), its creditors or its property and
shall be entitled and empowered to collect and receive any monies, securities or
other property payable or deliverable upon conversion or exchange of the Notes
or upon any such claims and to distribute the same, and any custodian, receiver,
assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any
such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such
payments to the Trustee and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the
making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any
amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and
advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the
Trustee under Section 7.07. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to empower
the Trustee to authorize or consent to, or accept or adopt on behalf of any
Holder, any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition
affecting the
43
Notes or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize the Trustee to vote
in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.
SECTION 6.10. Priorities. If the Trustee collects any money pursuant
to this Article Six, it shall pay out the money in the following order:
First: to the Trustee for all amounts due under Section 7.07;
Second: to Holders for amounts then due and unpaid for principal of,
premium, if any, and interest on the Notes in respect of which or for the
benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without
preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and
payable on such Notes for principal, premium, if any, and interest,
respectively; and
Third: to the Company or any other obligors of the Notes, as
their interests may appear, or as a court of competent jurisdiction may
direct.
The Trustee, upon prior written notice to the Company, may fix a record
date and payment date for any payment to Holders pursuant to this Section 6.10.
SECTION 6.11. Undertaking for Costs. In any suit for the enforcement of
any right or remedy under this Indenture or in any suit against the Trustee for
any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, a court may require any party
litigant in such suit to file an undertaking to pay the costs of the suit, and
the court may assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees,
against any party litigant in the suit having due regard to the merits and good
faith of the claims or defenses made by the party litigant. This Section 6.11
does not apply to a suit by the Trustee, a suit by a Holder pursuant to Section
6.07, or a suit by Holders of more than 10% in principal amount of the
outstanding Notes.
SECTION 6.12. Restoration of Rights and Remedies. If the Trustee or any
Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this
Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason,
or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then, and in
every such case, subject to any determination in such proceeding, the Company,
the Trustee and the Holders shall be restored severally and respectively to
their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the
Company, Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had
been instituted.
SECTION 6.13. Rights and Remedies Cumulative. Except as otherwise provided
with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or
wrongfully taken Notes in Section 2.09, no right or remedy herein conferred upon
or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders is intended to be exclusive of any
other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted
by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given
hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The
assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall
not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate
right or remedy.
SECTION 6.14. Delay or Omission Not Waiver. No delay or omission of the
Trustee or of any Holder to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event
of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any
such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given
by this Article Six or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised
from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by
the Holders, as the case may be.
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ARTICLE SEVEN
TRUSTEE
SECTION 7.01. General. The duties and responsibilities of the Trustee
shall be as provided by the TIA and as set forth herein. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, no provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or
risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance
of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or
powers, if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such
funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably
assured to it. Whether or not herein expressly so provided, every provision of
this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or
affording protection to the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this
Article Seven.
SECTION 7.02. Certain Rights of Trustee. Subject to TIA Sections
315(a) through (d):
(i) the Trustee may rely, and shall be protected in acting or
refraining from acting, upon any resolution, certificate, statement,
instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order,
bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or
document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented
by the proper person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter
stated in any such document;
(ii) before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require
an Officers' Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel, which shall conform to
Section 10.04. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or
omits to take in good faith in reliance on such certificate or opinion;
(iii) the Trustee may act through its attorneys and agents and shall
not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any attorney or
agent appointed with due care;
(iv) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the
rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or
direction of any of the Holders, unless such Holders shall have offered to
the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses
and liabilities that might be incurred by it in compliance with such
request or direction;
(v) the Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits
to take in good faith that it believes to be authorized or within its
rights or powers or for any action it takes or omits to take in accordance
with the written direction of the Holders of a majority in principal
amount of the outstanding Notes relating to the time, method and place of
conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or
exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this
Indenture;
(vi) whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee
shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to
taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless
other evidence be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of
bad faith on its part, rely upon an Officers' Certificate; and
(vii) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into
the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement,
instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order,
bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or
document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further
inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit,
and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or
investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and
premises of the Company personally or by agent or attorney.
45
SECTION 7.03. Individual Rights of Trustee. The Trustee, in its individual
or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Notes and may
otherwise deal with the Company or its Affiliates with the same rights it would
have if it were not the Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights.
However, the Trustee is subject to TIA Sections 310(b) and 311.
SECTION 7.04. Trustee's Disclaimer. The Trustee (i) makes no
representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Notes,
(ii) shall not be accountable for the Company's use or application of the
proceeds from the Notes and (iii) shall not be responsible for any statement in
the Notes other than its certificate of authentication.
SECTION 7.05. Notice of Default. If any Default or any Event of Default
occurs and is continuing and if such Default or Event of Default is known to a
Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall mail to each Holder in the
manner and to the extent provided in TIA Section 313(c) notice of the Default or
Event of Default within 45 days after it occurs, unless such Default or Event of
Default has been cured; provided, however, that, except in the case of a default
in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Note,
the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as the
board of directors, the executive committee or a trust committee of directors
and/or Responsible Officers of the Trustee in good faith determine that the
withholding of such notice is in the interest of the Holders.
SECTION 7.06. Reports by Trustee to Holders. Within 60 days after each May
15, beginning with May 15, 1998, the Trustee shall mail to each Holder as
provided in TIA Section 313(c) a brief report dated as of such May 15, if
required by TIA Section 313(a).
SECTION 7.07. Compensation and Indemnity. The Company shall pay to the
Trustee such compensation as shall be agreed upon in writing for its services.
The compensation of the Trustee shall not be limited by any law on compensation
of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee upon
request for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and advances incurred or made
by the Trustee. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation and
expenses of the Trustee's agents and counsel.
The Company shall indemnify the Trustee against any and all losses,
liabilities, obligations, damages, penalties, judgments, actions, suits,
proceedings, reasonable costs and expenses (including reasonable fees and
disbursements of counsel) of any kind whatsoever which may be incurred by the
Trustee in connection with any investigative, administrative or judicial
proceeding (whether or not such indemnified party is designated a party to such
proceeding) arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or
administration of its duties under this Indenture; provided, however, that the
Company need not reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss,
obligation, damage, penalty, judgment, action, suit, proceeding, reasonable cost
or expense (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) of any kind
whatsoever which may be incurred by the Trustee in connection with any
investigative, administrative or judicial proceeding (whether or not such
indemnified party is designated a party to such proceeding) in which it is
determined that the Trustee acted with negligence, bad faith or willful
misconduct. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which
it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not
relieve the Company of its obligations hereunder, unless the Company is
materially prejudiced thereby. The Company shall defend the claim and the
Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. Unless otherwise set forth herein, the
Trustee may have separate counsel and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees
and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made
without its consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
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To secure the Company's payment obligations in this Section 7.07, the
Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Notes on all money or property held or
collected by the Trustee, in its capacity as Trustee, except money or property
held in trust to pay principal of, premium, if any, and interest on particular
Notes.
If the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after the occurrence of
an Event of Default specified in clause (g) or (h) of Section 6.01, the expenses
and the compensation for the services will be intended to constitute expenses of
administration under Title 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code or any
applicable federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
SECTION 7.08. Replacement of Trustee. A resignation or removal of the
Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee shall become effective only upon
the successor Trustee's acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section
7.08.
The Trustee may resign at any time by so notifying the Company in writing
at least 30 days prior to the date of the proposed resignation. The Holders of a
majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may remove the Trustee by
so notifying the Trustee in writing and may appoint a successor Trustee with the
consent of the Company. The Company may remove the Trustee if: (i) the Trustee
is no longer eligible under Section 7.10; (ii) the Trustee is adjudged a
bankrupt or an insolvent; (iii) a receiver or other public officer takes charge
of the Trustee or its property; or (iv) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.
If the Trustee resigns or is removed, or if a vacancy exists in the office
of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor
Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders
of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may appoint a
successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If
the successor Trustee does not deliver its written acceptance required by the
next succeeding paragraph of this Section 7.08 within 30 days after the retiring
Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders
of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may petition any
court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.
A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment
to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Immediately after the delivery of
such written acceptance, subject to the lien provided in Section 7.07, (i) the
retiring Trustee shall transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the
successor Trustee, (ii) the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall
become effective and (iii) the successor Trustee shall have all the rights,
powers and duties of the Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee shall
mail notice of its succession to each Holder.
If the Trustee is no longer eligible under Section 7.10, any Holder who
satisfies the requirements of TIA Section 310(b) may petition any court of
competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a
successor Trustee.
The Company shall give notice of any resignation and any removal of the
Trustee and each appointment of a successor Trustee to all Holders. Each notice
shall include the name of the successor Trustee and the address of its Corporate
Trust Office.
Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.08,
the Company's obligation under Section 7.07 shall continue for the benefit of
the retiring Trustee.
SECTION 7.09. Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc. If the Trustee
consolidates with, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially
all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation or national banking
association, the resulting, surviving or transferee corporation or national
banking association without any further act shall be the successor Trustee with
the same effect as if the successor Trustee had been named as the Trustee
herein.
47
SECTION 7.10. Eligibility. This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who
satisfies the requirements of TIA Section 310(a)(1). The Trustee shall have a
combined capital and surplus of at least $25 million as set forth in its most
recent published annual report of condition.
SECTION 7.11. Money Held in Trust. The Trustee shall not be liable for
interest on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree with the
Company. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other
funds except to the extent required by law and except for money held in trust
under Article Eight of this Indenture.
SECTION 7.12. Withholding Taxes. The Trustee, as agent for the Company,
shall exclude and withhold from each payment of principal and interest and other
amounts due hereunder or under the Notes any and all withholding taxes
applicable thereto as required by law. The Trustee agrees to act as such
withholding agent and, in connection therewith, whenever any present or future
taxes or similar charges are required to be withheld with respect to any amounts
payable in respect of the Notes, to withhold such amounts and timely pay the
same to the appropriate authority in the name of and on behalf of the Holders of
the Notes, that it will file any necessary withholding tax returns or statements
when due, and that, as promptly as possible after the payment thereof, it will
deliver to each Holder of a Note appropriate documentation showing the payment
thereof, together with such additional documentary evidence as such Holders may
reasonably request from time to time.
ARTICLE EIGHT
DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE
SECTION 8.01. Termination of Company's Obligations. Except as
otherwise provided in this Section 8.01, the Company may terminate its
obligations under the Notes and this Indenture if:
(i) all Notes previously authenticated and delivered (other than
destroyed, lost or stolen Notes that have been replaced or Notes that are
paid pursuant to Section 4.01 or Notes for whose payment money or
securities have theretofore been held in trust and thereafter repaid to
the Company, as provided in Section 8.05) have been delivered to the
Trustee for cancellation and the Company has paid all sums payable by it
hereunder; or
(ii) (A) the Notes mature within one year or all of them are to be
called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to
the Trustee for giving the notice of redemption, (B) the Company
irrevocably deposits in trust with the Trustee during such one-year
period, under the terms of an irrevocable trust agreement in form and
substance satisfactory to the Trustee, as trust funds solely for the
benefit of the Holders for that purpose, money or U.S. Government
Obligations sufficient (in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of
independent public accountants expressed in a written certification
thereof delivered to the Trustee), without consideration of any
reinvestment of any interest thereon, to pay principal, premium, if, any,
and interest on the Notes to maturity or redemption, as the case may be,
and to pay all other sums payable by it hereunder, (C) no Default or Event
of Default with respect to the Notes shall have occurred and be continuing
on the date of such deposit, (D) such deposit will not result in a breach
or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any
other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which
it is bound and (E) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers'
Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, in each case stating that all
conditions precedent provided for herein relating to the satisfaction and
discharge of this Indenture have been complied with.
48
With respect to the foregoing clause (i), the Company's obligations under
Section 7.07 shall survive. With respect to the foregoing clause (ii), the
Company's obligations in Sections 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08,
2.09, 2.14, 4.01, 4.02, 7.07, 7.08, 8.04, 8.05 and 8.06 shall survive until the
Notes are no longer outstanding. Thereafter, only the Company's obligations in
Sections 7.07, 8.05 and 8.06 shall survive. After any such irrevocable deposit,
the Trustee upon request shall acknowledge in writing the discharge of the
Company's obligations under the Notes and this Indenture except for those
surviving obligations specified above.
SECTION 8.02. Defeasance and Discharge of Indenture. The Company will be
deemed to have paid and will be discharged from any and all obligations in
respect of the Notes on the 123rd day after the date of the deposit referred to
in clause (A) of this Section 8.02, and the provisions of this Indenture will no
longer be in effect with respect to the Notes, and the Trustee, at the expense
of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same, except
as to (i) rights of registration of transfer and exchange, (ii) substitution of
apparently mutilated, defaced, destroyed, lost or stolen Notes, (iii) rights of
Holders to receive payments of principal thereof and interest thereon, (iv) the
Company's obligations under Section 4.02, (v) the rights, obligations and
immunities of the Trustee hereunder and (vi) the rights of the Holders as
beneficiaries of this Indenture with respect to the property so deposited with
the Trustee payable to all or any of them; provided that the following
conditions shall have been satisfied:
(A) with reference to this Section 8.02, the Company has irrevocably
deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited with the Trustee (or
another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 7.10) and conveyed
all right, title and interest for the benefit of the Holders, under the
terms of an irrevocable trust agreement in form and substance satisfactory
to the Trustee as trust funds in trust, specifically pledged to the
Trustee for the benefit of the Holders as security for payment of the
principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the Notes, and
dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders, in and to (1) money in an
amount, (2) U.S. Government Obligations that, through the payment of
interest, premium, if any, and principal in respect thereof in accordance
with their terms, will provide, not later than one day before the due date
of any payment referred to in this clause (A), money in an amount or (3) a
combination thereof in an amount sufficient, in the opinion of a
nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in
a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and
discharge, without consideration of the reinvestment of such interest and
after payment of all federal, state and local taxes or other charges and
assessments in respect thereof payable by the Trustee, the principal of,
premium, if any, and accrued interest on the outstanding Notes at the
Stated Maturity of such principal or interest; provided that the Trustee
shall have been irrevocably instructed to apply such money or the proceeds
of such U.S. Government Obligations to the payment of such principal,
premium, if any, and interest with respect to the Notes;
(B) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or
constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or
instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;
(C) immediately after giving effect to such deposit on a pro forma
basis, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be
continuing on the date of such deposit or during the period ending on the
123rd day after such date of deposit;
(D) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee (1) either (x) a
ruling directed to the Trustee received from the Internal Revenue Service
to the effect that the Holders will not recognize income, gain or loss for
federal income tax purposes as a result of the Company's exercise of its
option under this Section 8.02 and will be subject to federal income tax
on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would
have been the case if such option had not been exercised or (y) an Opinion
of Counsel to the same effect as the ruling described in clause (x) above
accompanied by a ruling to that effect
49
published by the Internal Revenue Service, unless there has been a change
in the applicable federal income tax law since the date of this Indenture
such that a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service is no longer required
and (2) an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that (x) the creation of the
defeasance trust does not violate the Investment Company Act of 1940 and
(y) after the passage of 123 days following the deposit (except, with
respect to any trust funds for the account of any Holder who may be deemed
to be an "insider" for purposes of the United States Bankruptcy Code, after
one year following the deposit), the trust funds will not be subject to the
effect of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bankruptcy Code or Section 15 of
the New York Debtor and Creditor Law in a case commenced by or against the
Company under either such statute, and either (I) the trust funds will no
longer remain the property of the Company (and therefore will not be
subject to the effect of any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally) or
(II) if a court were to rule under any such law in any case or proceeding
that the trust funds remained property of the Company, (a) assuming such
trust funds remained in the possession of the Trustee prior to such court
ruling to the extent not paid to the Holders, the Trustee will hold, for
the benefit of the Holders, a valid and perfected security interest in such
trust funds that is not avoidable in bankruptcy or otherwise except for the
effect of Section 552(b) of the United States Bankruptcy Code on interest
on the trust funds accruing after the commencement of a case under such
statute and (b) the Holders will be entitled to receive adequate protection
of their interests in such trust funds if such trust funds are used in such
case or proceeding;
(E) if the Notes are then listed on a national securities exchange,
the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to
the effect that such deposit, defeasance and discharge will not cause the
Notes to be delisted; and
(F) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate
and an Opinion of Counsel, in each case stating that all conditions
precedent provided for herein relating to the defeasance contemplated by
this Section 8.02 have been complied with.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to the end of the 123-day (or one
year) period referred to in clause (D)(2)(y) of this Section 8.02, none of the
Company's obligations under this Indenture shall be discharged. Subsequent to
the end of such 123-day (or one year) period with respect to this Section 8.02,
the Company's obligations in Sections 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08,
2.09, 2.14, 4.01, 4.02, 7.07, 7.08, 8.05 and 8.06 shall survive until the Notes
are no longer outstanding. Thereafter, only the Company's obligations in
Sections 7.07, 8.05 and 8.06 shall survive. If and when a ruling from the
Internal Revenue Service or an Opinion of Counsel referred to in clause (D)(1)
of this Section 8.02 is able to be provided specifically without regard to, and
not in reliance upon, the continuance of the Company's obligations under Section
4.01, then the Company's obligations under such Section 4.01 shall cease upon
delivery to the Trustee of such ruling or Opinion of Counsel and compliance with
the other conditions precedent provided for herein relating to the defeasance
contemplated by this Section 8.02.
After any such irrevocable deposit, the Trustee upon request shall
acknowledge in writing the discharge of the Company's obligations under the
Notes and this Indenture except for those surviving obligations in the
immediately preceding paragraph.
SECTION 8.03. Defeasance of Certain Obligations. The Company may omit to
comply with any term, provision or condition set forth in clauses (iii) and (iv)
of Section 5.01 and Sections 4.03 through 4.17, Section 4.19 and clause (d) of
Section 6.01 with respect to clauses (iii) and (iv) of Section 5.01 and Sections
4.03 through 4.17, Section 4.19 and clauses (e) and (f) of Section 6.01 shall be
deemed not to be Events of Default, in each case with respect to the outstanding
Notes if:
50
(i) with reference to this Section 8.03, the Company has irrevocably
deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited with the Trustee (or
another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 7.10) and conveyed
all right, title and interest to the Trustee for the benefit of the
Holders, under the terms of an irrevocable trust agreement in form and
substance satisfactory to the Trustee as trust funds in trust,
specifically pledged to the Trustee for the benefit of the Holders as
security for payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest,
if any, on the Notes, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders,
in and to (A) money in an amount, (B) U.S. Government Obligations that,
through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in
accordance with their terms, will provide, not later than one day before
the due date of any payment referred to in this clause (i), money in an
amount or (C) a combination thereof in an amount sufficient, in the
opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants
expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to
pay and discharge, without consideration of the reinvestment of such
interest and after payment of all federal, state and local taxes or other
charges and assessments in respect thereof payable by the Trustee, the
principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the outstanding Notes on
the Stated Maturity of such principal or interest; provided that the
Trustee shall have been irrevocably instructed to apply such money or the
proceeds of such U.S. Government Obligations to the payment of such
principal, premium, if any, and interest with respect to the Notes;
(ii) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or
constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or
instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;
(iii) immediately after giving effect to such deposit on a pro forma
basis, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be
continuing on the date of such deposit or during the period ending on the
123rd day after such date of deposit;
(iv) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel
to the effect that (A) the creation of the defeasance trust does not
violate the Investment Company Act of 1940, (B) the Trustee, for the
benefit of the Holders, has a valid first-priority security interest in
the trust funds, (C) the Holders will not recognize income, gain or loss
for federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and defeasance
of certain obligations and will be subject to federal income tax on the
same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have
been the case if such deposit and defeasance had not occurred and (D)
after the passage of 123 days following the deposit (except, with respect
to any trust funds for the account of any Holder who may be deemed to be
an "insider" for purposes of the United States Bankruptcy Code, after one
year following the deposit), the trust funds will not be subject to the
effect of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Bankruptcy Code or Section 15
of the New York Debtor and Creditor Law in a case commenced by or against
the Company under either such statute, and either (1) the trust funds will
no longer remain the property of the Company (and therefore will not be
subject to the effect of any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally) or
(2) if a court were to rule under any such law in any case or proceeding
that the trust funds remained property of the Company, (x) assuming such
trust funds remained in the possession of the Trustee prior to such court
ruling to the extent not paid to the Holders, the Trustee will hold, for
the benefit of the Holders, a valid and perfected security interest in
such trust funds that is not avoidable in bankruptcy or otherwise (except
for the effect of Section 552(b) of the United States Bankruptcy Code on
interest on the trust funds accruing after the commencement of a case
under such statute) and (y) the Holders will be entitled to receive
adequate protection of their interests in such trust funds if such trust
funds are used in such case or proceeding;
(v) if the Notes are then listed on a national securities exchange,
the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to
the effect that such deposit defeasance and discharge will not cause the
Notes to be delisted; and
51
(vi) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officers'
Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, in each case stating that all
conditions precedent provided for herein relating to the defeasance
contemplated by this Section 8.03 have been complied with.
SECTION 8.04. Application of Trust Money. Subject to Section 8.06, the
Trustee or Paying Agent shall hold in trust money or U.S. Government Obligations
deposited with it pursuant to Section 8.01, 8.02 or 8.03, as the case may be,
and shall apply the deposited money and the money from U.S. Government
Obligations in accordance with the Notes and this Indenture to the payment of
principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes; but such money need
not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
SECTION 8.05. Repayment to Company. Subject to Sections 7.07, 8.01, 8.02
and 8.03, the Trustee and the Paying Agent shall promptly pay to the Company
upon request set forth in an Officers' Certificate any excess money held by them
at any time and thereupon shall be relieved from all liability with respect to
such money. The Trustee and the Paying Agent shall pay to the Company upon
request any money held by them for the payment of principal, premium, if any, or
interest that remains unclaimed for two years. After payment to the Company,
Holders entitled to such money must look to the Company for payment as general
creditors unless an applicable law designates another Person, and all liability
of the Trustee and such Paying Agent with respect to such money shall cease.
SECTION 8.06. Reinstatement. If the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to
apply any money or U.S. Government Obligations in accordance with Section 8.01,
8.02 or 8.03, as the case may be, by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason
of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining,
restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the Company's obligations
under this Indenture and the Notes shall be revived and reinstated as though no
deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.01, 8.02 or 8.03, as the case may be,
until such time as the Trustee or Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such
money or U.S. Government Obligations in accordance with Section 8.01, 8.02 or
8.03, as the case may be; provided that, if the Company has made any payment of
principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Notes because of the
reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights
of the Holders of such Notes to receive such payment from the money or U.S.
Government Obligations held by the Trustee or Paying Agent.
ARTICLE NINE
AMENDMENTS, SUPPLEMENTS AND WAIVERS
SECTION 9.01. Without Consent of Holders. The Company, when authorized by
a resolution of its Board of Directors (as evidenced by a Board Resolution
delivered to the Trustee), and the Trustee may amend or supplement this
Indenture or the Notes without notice to or the consent of any Holder:
(1) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in this
Indenture; provided that such amendments or supplements shall not, in the
good faith opinion of the Board of Directors as evidenced by a Board
Resolution, adversely affect the interests of the Holders in any material
respect;
(2) to comply with Article Five;
(3) to comply with any requirements of the Commission in connection
with the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA;
52
(4) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment
hereunder by a successor Trustee; or
(5) to make any change that, in the good faith opinion of the Board
of Directors as evidenced by a Board Resolution, does not materially and
adversely affect the rights of any Holder.
SECTION 9.02. With Consent of Holders. Subject to Sections 6.04 and 6.07
and without prior notice to the Holders, the Company, when authorized by its
Board of Directors (as evidenced by a Board Resolution delivered to the
Trustee), and the Trustee may amend this Indenture and the Notes with the
written consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes
then outstanding, and the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes
then outstanding by written notice to the Trustee may waive future compliance by
the Company with any provision of this Indenture and the Notes.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9.02, without the consent
of each Holder affected, an amendment or waiver, including a waiver pursuant to
Section 6.04, may not:
(i) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of, or any
installment of interest on, any Note, or reduce the principal amount
thereof or the rate of interest thereon or any premium payable upon the
redemption thereof, or adversely affect any right of repayment at the
option of any Holder of any Note, or change any place of payment where, or
the currency in which, any Note or any premium or the interest thereon is
payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any
such payment on or after the Stated Maturity thereof (or, in the case of
redemption, on or after the Redemption Date);
(ii) reduce the percentage in principal amount of outstanding Notes
the consent of whose Holders is required for any such supplemental
indenture, for any waiver of compliance with certain provisions of this
Indenture or certain Defaults and their consequences provided for in this
Indenture;
(iii) waive a default in the payment of principal of, premium, if
any, or interest on, any Note; or
(iv) modify any of the provisions of this Section 9.02, except to
increase any such percentage or to provide that certain other provisions
of this Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the
Holder of each outstanding Note affected thereby.
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders under this
Section 9.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment,
supplement or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the
substance thereof.
After an amendment, supplement or waiver under this Section 9.02 becomes
effective, the Company shall mail to the Holders affected thereby a notice
briefly describing the amendment, supplement or waiver. The Company will mail
supplemental indentures to Holders upon request. Any failure of the Company to
mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair
or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture or waiver.
SECTION 9.03. Revocation and Effect of Consent. Until an amendment or
waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder is a continuing consent by
the Holder and every subsequent Holder of a Note or portion of a Note that
evidences the same debt as the Note of the consenting Holder, even if notation
of the consent is not made on any Note. However, any such Holder or subsequent
Holder may revoke the consent as to its Note or portion of its Note. Such
revocation shall be effective only if the Trustee receives the notice of
revocation before the time the
53
amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective. An amendment, supplement or
waiver shall become effective on receipt by the Trustee of written consents from
the Holders of the requisite percentage in principal amount of the outstanding
Notes.
The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the
purpose of determining the Holders entitled to consent to any amendment,
supplement or waiver. If a record date is fixed, then, notwithstanding the last
two sentences of the immediately preceding paragraph, those persons who were
Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies) and only those
persons shall be entitled to consent to such amendment, supplement or waiver or
to revoke any consent previously given, whether or not such persons continue to
be Holders after such record date. No such consent shall be valid or effective
for more than 90 days after such record date.
After an amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective, it shall bind
every Holder unless it is of the type described in any of clauses (i) through
(v) of the second paragraph of Section 9.02. In case of an amendment or waiver
of the type described in clauses (i) through (v) of the second paragraph of
Section 9.02, the amendment or waiver shall bind each Holder who has consented
to it and every subsequent Holder of a Note that evidences the same indebtedness
as the Note of the consenting Holder.
SECTION 9.04. Notation on or Exchange of Notes. If an amendment,
supplement or waiver changes the terms of a Note, the Trustee may require the
Holder to deliver it to the Trustee. At the Company's expense, the Trustee may
place an appropriate notation on the Note about the changed terms and return it
to the Holder and the Trustee may place an appropriate notation on any Note
thereafter authenticated. Alternatively, if the Company or the Trustee so
determines, the Company in exchange for the Note shall issue and the Trustee
shall authenticate a new Note that reflects the changed terms. Failure to make
the appropriate notation, or issue a new Note, shall not affect the validity and
effect of such amendment, supplement or waiver.
SECTION 9.05. Trustee to Sign Amendments, Etc. The Trustee shall be
entitled to receive, and shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of
Counsel stating that the execution of any amendment, supplement or waiver
authorized pursuant to this Article Nine is authorized or permitted by this
Indenture and that it will be valid and binding upon the Company. Subject to the
preceding sentence, the Trustee shall sign such amendment, supplement or waiver
if the same does not adversely affect the rights, duties, liabilities or
immunities of the Trustee. The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to,
execute any such amendment, supplement or waiver that affects the Trustee's own
rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
SECTION 9.06. Conformity with Trust Indenture Act. Every supplemental
indenture executed pursuant to this Article Nine shall conform to the
requirements of the TIA as then in effect.
ARTICLE TEN
MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION 10.01. Trust Indenture Act of 1939. Prior to the effectiveness of
the Registration Statement, this Indenture shall incorporate and be governed by
the provisions of the TIA that are required to be part of and to govern
indentures qualified under the TIA. After the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement, this Indenture shall be subject to the provisions of the TIA that are
required to be a part of this Indenture and shall, to the extent applicable, be
governed by such provisions.
SECTION 10.02. Notices. Any notice or communication shall be
sufficiently given if in writing and delivered in person, mailed by
first-class mail or sent by telecopier transmission addressed as follows:
54
if to the Company:
ITC/\Deltacom, Inc.
▇▇▇▇ ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Telecopier No.: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
if to the Trustee:
United States Trust Company of New York
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Telecopier No.: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Attention: Corporate Trust Department
The Company or the Trustee by notice to the other may designate additional
or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.
Any notice or communication mailed to a Holder shall be mailed to it at
its address as it appears on the Security Register by first-class mail and shall
be sufficiently given to him if so mailed within the time prescribed. Copies of
any such communication or notice to a Holder shall also be mailed to the Trustee
and each Agent at the same time.
Failure to transmit a notice or communication to a Holder as provided
herein or any defect in any such notice shall not affect its sufficiency with
respect to other Holders. Except for a notice to the Trustee, which is deemed
given only when received, and except as otherwise provided in this Indenture, if
a notice or communication is mailed in the manner provided in this Section
10.02, it is duly given, whether or not the addressee receives it.
Where this Indenture provides for notice in any manner, such notice may be
waived in writing by the Person entitled to receive such notice, either before
or after the event, and such waiver shall be the equivalent of such notice.
Waivers of notice by Holders shall be filed with the Trustee, but such filing
shall not be a condition precedent to the validity of any action taken in
reliance upon such waiver.
In case by reason of the suspension of regular mail service or by reason
of any other cause it shall be impracticable to give such notice by mail, then
such notification as shall be made with the approval of the Trustee shall
constitute a sufficient notification for every purpose hereunder.
SECTION 10.03. Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent. Upon
any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action
under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee:
(i) an Officers' Certificate stating that, in the opinion of the
signers, all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture
relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and
(ii) an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such
Counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.
SECTION 10.04. Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion. Each
certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant
provided for in this Indenture shall include:
55
(i) a statement that each person signing such certificate or opinion
has read such covenant or condition and the definitions herein relating
thereto;
(ii) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination
or investigation upon which the statement or opinion contained in such
certificate or opinion is based;
(iii) a statement that, in the opinion of each such person, he has
made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to
express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or
condition has been complied with; and
(iv) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of each such
person, such condition or covenant has been complied with; provided,
however, that, with respect to matters of fact, an Opinion of Counsel may
rely on an Officers' Certificate or certificates of public officials.
SECTION 10.05. Rules by Trustee, Paying Agent or Registrar. The Trustee
may make reasonable rules for action by or at a meeting of Holders. The Paying
Agent or Registrar may make reasonable rules for its functions.
SECTION 10.06. Payment Date Other Than a Business Day. If an Interest
Payment Date, Redemption Date, Payment Date, Stated Maturity or date of maturity
of any Note shall not be a Business Day, then payment of principal of, premium,
if any, or interest on such Note, as the case may be, need not be made on such
date, but may be made on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force
and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date, Payment Date or Redemption
Date, or at the Stated Maturity or date of maturity of such Note; provided that
no interest shall accrue for the period from and after such Interest Payment
Date, Payment Date, Redemption Date, Stated Maturity or date of maturity, as the
case may be.
SECTION 10.07. Governing Law. The laws of the State of New York shall
govern this Indenture and the Notes. The Trustee, the Company and the Holders
agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York in
any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Indenture or the
Notes.
SECTION 10.08. No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements. This
Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan or debt agreement
of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company. Any such indenture, loan or
debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.
SECTION 10.09. No Recourse Against Others. No recourse for the payment of
the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Notes, or for any
claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or
upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company contained in this
Indenture, or in any of the Notes, or because of the creation of any
Indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator or
against any past, present or future partner, shareholder, other equityholder,
officer, director, employee or controlling person, as such, of the Company or of
any successor Person, either directly or through the Company or any successor
Person, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the
enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly
understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a
condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and
the issue of the Notes.
SECTION 10.10. Successors. All agreements of the Company in this
Indenture and the Notes shall bind its successors. All agreements of the
Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successor.
56
SECTION 10.11. Duplicate Originals. The parties may sign any number
of copies of this Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all
of them together represent the same agreement.
SECTION 10.12. Separability. In case any provision in this Indenture or in
the Notes shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and
enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or
impaired thereby.
SECTION 10.13. Table of Contents, Headings, Etc. The Table of Contents,
Cross-Reference Table and headings of the Articles and Sections of this
Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be
considered a part hereof and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms
and provisions hereof.
SIGNATURES
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be
duly executed, all as of the date first written above.
ITC/\DELTACOM, INC.
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
---------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Chief Executive Officer
UNITED STATES TRUST COMPANY
OF NEW YORK
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
---------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Vice President
EXHIBIT A
[FACE OF NOTE]
ITC/\DELTACOM, INC.
8-7/8% Senior Note due 2008
[CUSIP] [CINS] [__________]
No. $_________
ITC/\DELTACOM, INC., a Delaware corporation (the "Company", which term
includes any successor under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value
received, promises to pay to _____________, or its registered assigns, the
principal sum of ____________ ($____) on March 1, 2008.
Interest Payment Dates: March 1 and September 1, commencing September
1, 1998.
Regular Record Dates: February 15 and August 15.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Note set forth
on the reverse hereof, which further provisions shall for all purposes have the
same effect as if set forth at this place.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Note to be signed manually
or by facsimile by its duly authorized officers.
Date: ITC/\DELTACOM, INC.
By:
---------------------------
Name:
Title:
By:
---------------------------
Name:
Title:
(Trustee's Certificate of Authentication)
This is one of the 8-7/8% Senior Notes due 2008 described in the within-
mentioned Indenture.
UNITED STATES TRUST COMPANY OF
NEW YORK
as Trustee
By:
---------------------------
Authorized Signatory
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[REVERSE SIDE OF NOTE]
ITC/\DELTACOM, INC.
8-7/8% Senior Note due 2008
1. Principal and Interest.
The Company will pay the principal of this Note on March 1, 2008.
The Company promises to pay interest on the principal amount of this Note
on each Interest Payment Date, as set forth below, at the rate per annum shown
above.
Interest will be payable semiannually (to the holders of record of the
Notes at the close of business on the February 15 or August 15 immediately
preceding the Interest Payment Date) on each Interest Payment Date, commencing
September 1, 1998.
If an exchange offer (the "Exchange Offer") registered under the
Securities Act is not consummated and a shelf registration statement (the "Shelf
Registration Statement") under the Securities Act with respect to resales of the
Notes is not declared effective by the Commission, on or before September 3,
1998 in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement dated as
of March 3, 1998 between the Company and ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. Incorporated,
Salomon Brothers Inc and NationsBanc ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC, the annual
interest rate borne by the Notes shall be increased by 0.5% from the rate shown
above accruing from September 3, 1998, payable in cash semiannually, in arrears,
on each Interest Payment Date, commencing March 1, 1999 until the Exchange Offer
is consummated or the Shelf Registration Statement is declared effective. The
Holder of this Note is entitled to the benefits of such Registration Rights
Agreement.
Interest on the Notes will accrue from the most recent date to which
interest has been paid or, if no interest has been paid, from March 3, 1998;
provided that, if there is no existing default in the payment of interest and
this Note is authenticated between a Regular Record Date referred to on the face
hereof and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, interest shall accrue from
such Interest Payment Date. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day
year of twelve 30-day months.
The Company shall pay interest on overdue principal and premium, if any,
and interest on overdue installments of interest, to the extent lawful, at a
rate per annum that is 2% in excess of the rate otherwise payable.
2. Method of Payment.
The Company will pay interest (except defaulted interest) on the principal
amount of the Notes as provided above on each March 1 and September 1 commencing
September 1, 1998 to the persons who are Holders (as reflected in the Security
Register at the close of business on the February 15 or August 15 immediately
preceding the Interest Payment Date), in each case, even if the Note is
cancelled on registration of transfer or registration of exchange after such
record date; provided that, with respect to the payment of principal, the
Company will make payment to the Holder that surrenders this Note to a Paying
Agent on or after March 1, 2008.
The Company will pay principal, premium, if any, and as provided above,
interest in money of the United States that at the time of payment is legal
tender for payment of public and private debts. However, the Company
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may pay principal, premium, if any, and interest by its check payable in such
money. It may mail an interest check to a Holder's registered address (as
reflected in the Security Register). If a payment date is a date other than a
Business Day at a place of payment, payment may be made at that place on the
next succeeding day that is a Business Day and no interest shall accrue for the
intervening period.
3. Paying Agent and Registrar.
Initially, the Trustee will act as authenticating agent, Paying Agent and
Registrar. The Company may change any authenticating agent, Paying Agent or
Registrar without notice. The Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of
them may act as Paying Agent, Registrar or co-Registrar.
4. Indenture; Limitations.
The Company issued the Notes under an Indenture dated as of March 3, 1998
(the "Indenture"), between the Company and United States Trust Company of New
York, trustee (the "Trustee"). Capitalized terms herein are used as defined in
the Indenture unless otherwise indicated. The terms of the Notes include those
stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the
Trust Indenture Act. The Notes are subject to all such terms, and Holders are
referred to the Indenture and the Trust Indenture Act for a statement of all
such terms. To the extent permitted by applicable law, in the event of any
inconsistency between the terms of this Note and the terms of the Indenture, the
terms of the Indenture shall control.
The Notes are general obligations of the Company.
5. Optional Redemption.
The Notes will be redeemable, at the Company's option, in whole or in
part, at any time or from time to time, on or after March 1, 2003 and prior to
maturity, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days' prior notice mailed by
first class mail to each Holder's last address, as it appears in the Security
Register, at the following Redemption Prices (expressed in percentages of
principal amount), plus accrued and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date
(subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant Regular Record Date
that is prior to the Redemption Date to receive interest due on an Interest
Payment Date), if redeemed during the 12-month period commencing March 1 of the
years set forth below:
Year Redemption Price
---- ----------------
2003 ...................... 104.4375%
2004 ...................... 102.9583
2005 ...................... 101.4792
2006 and thereafter ....... 100.0000
At any time prior to March 1, 2001, the Company may redeem up to 35% of
the principal amount of the Notes with the proceeds of one or more Public Equity
Offerings, at any time or from time to time in part, at a Redemption Price
(expressed as a percentage of principal amount) of 108.875% plus accrued and
unpaid interest to the Redemption Date (subject to the rights of Holders of
record on the relevant Regular Record Date that is prior to the Redemption Date
to receive interest due on an Interest Payment Date); provided that at least
$104.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes remains outstanding after
each such redemption.
A-5
Notes in original denominations larger than $1,000 may be redeemed in
part. On and after the Redemption Date, interest ceases to accrue on Notes or
portions of Notes called for redemption, unless the Company defaults in the
payment of the Redemption Price.
6. Repurchase upon Change of Control.
Upon the occurrence of any Change of Control, each Holder shall have the
right to require the repurchase of its Notes by the Company in cash pursuant to
the offer described in the Indenture at a purchase price equal to 101% of the
principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date
of purchase (the "Payment Date").
A notice of such Change of Control will be mailed within 30 days after any
Change of Control occurs to each Holder at its last address as it appears in the
Security Register. Notes in original denominations larger than $1,000 may be
sold to the Company in part. On and after the Payment Date, interest ceases to
accrue on Notes or portions of Notes surrendered for purchase by the Company,
unless the Company defaults in the payment of the purchase price.
A-6
7. Denominations; Transfer; Exchange.
The Notes are in registered form without coupons in denominations of
$1,000 of principal amount and multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. A Holder
may register the transfer or exchange of Notes in accordance with the Indenture.
The Registrar may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate
endorsements and transfer documents and to pay any taxes and fees required by
law or permitted by the Indenture. The Registrar need not register the transfer
or exchange of any Notes selected for redemption. Also, it need not register the
transfer or exchange of any Notes for a period of 15 days before the day of
mailing of a notice of redemption of Notes selected for redemption.
8. Persons Deemed Owners.
A Holder shall be treated as the owner of a Note for all purposes.
9. Unclaimed Money.
If money for the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest
remains unclaimed for two years, the Trustee and the Paying Agent will pay the
money back to the Company at its request. After that, Holders entitled to the
money must look to the Company for payment, unless an abandoned property law
designates another Person, and all liability of the Trustee and such Paying
Agent with respect to such money shall cease.
10. Discharge Prior to Redemption or Maturity.
If the Company deposits with the Trustee money or U.S. Government
Obligations sufficient to pay the then outstanding principal of, premium, if
any, and accrued interest on the Notes (a) to redemption or maturity, the
Company will be discharged from the Indenture and the Notes, except in certain
circumstances for certain sections thereof, and (b) to the Stated Maturity, the
Company will be discharged from certain covenants set forth in the Indenture.
11. Amendment; Supplement; Waiver.
Subject to certain exceptions, the Indenture or the Notes may be amended
or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in
principal amount of the Notes then outstanding, and any existing default or
compliance with any provision may be waived with the consent of the Holders of
at least a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding. Without
notice to or the consent of any Holder, the parties thereto may amend or
supplement the Indenture or the Notes to, among other things, cure any
ambiguity, defect or inconsistency and make any change that does not materially
and adversely affect the rights of any Holder.
12. Restrictive Covenants.
The Indenture imposes certain limitations on the ability of the Company
and its Restricted Subsidiaries, among other things, to Incur additional
Indebtedness, make Restricted Payments, use the proceeds from Asset Sales,
engage in transactions with Affiliates or merge, consolidate or transfer
substantially all of its assets. Within 45 days after the end of each fiscal
quarter (90 days after the end of the last fiscal quarter of each year), the
Company must report to the Trustee on compliance with such limitations.
A-7
13. Successor Persons.
When a successor person or other entity assumes all the obligations of its
predecessor under the Notes and the Indenture, the predecessor person will be
released from those obligations.
14. Defaults and Remedies.
The following events constitute "Events of Default" under the Indenture:
(a) default in the payment of principal of (or premium, if any, on) any Note
when the same becomes due and payable at maturity, upon acceleration, redemption
or otherwise; (b) default in the payment of interest on any Note when the same
becomes due and payable, and such default continues for a period of 30 days; (c)
default in the performance or breach of Article Five of the Indenture or the
failure to make or consummate an Offer to Purchase in accordance with Section
4.10 or 4.11 of the Indenture; (d) default in the performance of or breach of
any covenant or agreement of the Company in the Indenture or under the Notes
(other than a default specified in clause (a), (b) or (c) above), and such
default or breach continues for a period of 30 consecutive days after written
notice by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal
amount of the Notes then outstanding; (e) there occurs with respect to any issue
or issues of Indebtedness of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary having an
outstanding principal amount of $5 million or more in the aggregate for all such
issues of all such Persons, whether such Indebtedness now exists or shall
hereafter be created, (I) an event of default that has caused the holder thereof
to declare such Indebtedness to be due and payable prior to its Stated Maturity
and such Indebtedness has not been discharged in full or such acceleration has
not been rescinded or annulled within 30 days of such acceleration and/or (II)
the failure to make a principal payment at the final (but not any interim) fixed
maturity and such defaulted payment shall not have been made, waived or extended
within 30 days of such payment default; (f) any final judgment or order (not
covered by insurance) for the payment of money in excess of $5 million in the
aggregate for all such final judgments or orders against all such Persons
(treating any deductibles, self-insurance or retention as not so covered) shall
be rendered against the Company or any Significant Subsidiary and shall not be
paid or discharged, and there shall be any period of 30 consecutive days
following entry of the final judgment or order that causes the aggregate amount
for all such final judgments or orders outstanding and not paid or discharged
against all such Persons to exceed $5 million during which a stay of enforcement
of such final judgment or order, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise,
shall not be in effect; (g) a court having jurisdiction in the premises enters a
decree or order for (A) relief in respect of the Company or any Significant
Subsidiary in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or
other similar law now or hereafter in effect, (B) appointment of a receiver,
liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of
the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the
property and assets of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (C) the
winding up or liquidation of the affairs of the Company or any Significant
Subsidiary and, in each case, such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in
effect for a period of 60 consecutive days; or (h) the Company or any
Significant Subsidiary (A) commences a voluntary case under any applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or
consents to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any
such law, (B) consents to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver,
liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of
the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the
property and assets of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (C) effects
any general assignment for the benefit of creditors.
If an Event of Default, as defined in the Indenture, occurs and is
continuing, the Trustee may, and at the direction of the Holders of at least 25%
in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding shall, declare all
the Notes to be due and payable. If a bankruptcy or insolvency default with
respect to the Company occurs and is continuing, the Notes automatically become
due and payable. Holders may not enforce the Indenture or the Notes except as
provided in the Indenture. The Trustee may require indemnity satisfactory to it
before it enforces the
A-8
Indenture or the Notes. Subject to certain limitations, Holders of at least a
majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding may direct the
Trustee in its exercise of any trust or power.
15. Trustee Dealings with Company.
The Trustee under the Indenture, in its individual or any other capacity,
may make loans to, accept deposits from and perform services for the Company or
its Affiliates and may otherwise deal with the Company or its Affiliates as if
it were not the Trustee.
16. No Recourse Against Others.
No incorporator or any past, present or future partner, stockholder, other
equity holder, officer, director, employee or controlling person as such, of the
Company or of any successor Person shall have any liability for any obligations
of the Company under the Notes or the Indenture or for any claim based on, in
respect of or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by
accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release
are part of the consideration for the issuance of the Notes.
17. Authentication.
This Note shall not be valid until the Trustee or authenticating agent
signs the certificate of authentication on the other side of this Note.
18. Abbreviations.
Customary abbreviations may be used in the name of a Holder or an
assignee, such as: TEN COM (= tenants in common), TEN ENT (= tenants by the
entireties), JT TEN (= joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as
tenants in common), CUST (= Custodian) and U/G/M/A (= Uniform Gifts to Minors
Act).
The Company will furnish a copy of the Indenture to any Holder upon
written request and without charge. Requests may be made to ITC DELTACOM,
Inc., ▇▇▇▇ ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇; Attention: Chief
Financial Officer.
A-9
[FORM OF TRANSFER NOTICE]
FOR VALUE RECEIVED the undersigned registered holder hereby sell(s),
assign(s) and transfer(s) unto
Insert Taxpayer Identification No.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Please print or typewrite name and address including zip code of assignee
_______________________________________________________________________________
the within Note and all rights thereunder, hereby irrevocably constituting
and appointing ________________________________________________________________
attorney to transfer said Note on the books of the Company with full power of
substitution in the premises.
[THE FOLLOWING PROVISION TO BE INCLUDED
ON ALL NOTES OTHER THAN EXCHANGE NOTES,
UNLEGENDED OFFSHORE GLOBAL NOTES AND
UNLEGENDED OFFSHORE PHYSICAL NOTES]
In connection with any transfer of this Note occurring prior to the date
which is the earlier of (i) the date the Shelf Registration Statement is
declared effective or (ii) the end of the period referred to in Rule 144(k)
under the Securities Act, the undersigned confirms that without utilizing any
general solicitation or general advertising that:
[Check One]
[_] (a) this Note is being transferred in compliance with the exemption
from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 provided by Rule
144A thereunder.
or
[_] (b) this Note is being transferred other than in accordance with (a)
above and documents are being furnished which comply with the
conditions of transfer set forth in this Note and the Indenture.
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If none of the foregoing boxes is checked, the Trustee or other Registrar shall
not be obligated to register this Note in the name of any Person other than the
Holder hereof unless and until the conditions to any such transfer of
registration set forth herein and in Section 2.08 of the Indenture shall have
been satisfied.
Date:__________________ _________________________________________________
NOTICE: The signature to this assignment must
correspond with the name as written upon the face
of the within-mentioned instrument in every
particular, without alteration or any change
whatsoever.
TO BE COMPLETED BY PURCHASER IF (a) ABOVE IS CHECKED.
The undersigned represents and warrants that it is purchasing this Note
for its own account or an account with respect to which it exercises sole
investment discretion and that it and any such account is a "qualified
institutional buyer" within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act of
1933 and is aware that the sale to it is being made in reliance on Rule 144A and
acknowledges that it has received such information regarding the Company as the
undersigned has requested pursuant to Rule 144A or has determined not to request
such information and that it is aware that the transferor is relying upon the
undersigned's foregoing representations in order to claim the exemption from
registration provided by Rule 144A.
Dated:__________________ _________________________________________________
NOTICE: To be executed by an executive officer
A-11
OPTION OF HOLDER TO ELECT PURCHASE
If you wish to have this Note purchased by the Company pursuant to
Section 4.10 or 4.11 of the Indenture, check the Box: |_|
If you wish to have a portion of this Note purchased by the Company
pursuant to Section 4.10 or 4.11 of the Indenture, state the amount: $_________.
Date: _____________
Your Signature:_________________________________________________________________
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Note)
Signature Guarantee:______________________________
EXHIBIT B
Form of Certificate
_________, __
United States Trust Company
of New York
▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Attention: Corporate Trust Department
Re: ITC/\DELTACOM, Inc. (the "Company")
8-7/8% Senior Notes due 2008 (the "Notes")
Dear Sirs:
This letter relates to U.S. $____________ principal amount of Notes
represented by a Note (the "Legended Note") which bears a legend outlining
restrictions upon transfer of such Legended Note. Pursuant to Section 2.01 of
the Indenture dated as of March 3, 1998 (the "Indenture") relating to the Notes,
we hereby certify that we are (or we will hold such securities on behalf of) a
person outside the United States to whom the Notes could be transferred in
accordance with Rule 904 of Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities
Act of 1933. Accordingly, you are hereby requested to exchange the legended
certificate for an unlegended certificate representing an identical principal
amount of Notes, all in the manner provided for in the Indenture.
You and the Company are entitled to rely upon this letter and are
irrevocably authorized to produce this letter or a copy hereof to any interested
party in any administrative or legal proceedings or official inquiry with
respect to the matters covered hereby. Terms used in this certificate have the
meanings set forth in Regulation S.
Very truly yours,
[Name of Holder]
By: _______________________________________
Authorized Signature
EXHIBIT C
Form of Certificate to Be
Delivered in Connection with
Transfers to Non-QIB Accredited Investors
_________, __
United States Trust Company
of New York
▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Attention: Corporate Trust Department
Re: ITC/\DELTACOM, Inc. (the "Company")
8-7/8% Senior Notes due 2008 (the "Notes")
Dear Sirs:
In connection with our proposed purchase of $_____________ aggregate
principal amount of the Notes, we confirm that:
1. We understand that any subsequent transfer of the Notes is subject to
certain restrictions and conditions set forth in the Indenture dated as of March
3, 1998 (the "Indenture"), relating to the Notes, and the undersigned agrees to
be bound by, and not to resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Notes except in
compliance with, such restrictions and conditions and the Securities Act of 1933
(the "Securities Act").
2. We understand that the offer and sale of the Notes have not been
registered under the Securities Act, and that the Notes may not be offered or
sold except as permitted in the following sentence. We agree, on our own behalf
and on behalf of any accounts for which we are acting as hereinafter stated,
that if we should sell any Notes, we will do so only (A) to the Company or any
subsidiary thereof, (B) in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act to
a "qualified institutional buyer" (as defined therein), (C) to an institutional
"accredited investor" (as defined below) that, prior to such transfer, furnishes
(or has furnished on its behalf by a U.S. broker-dealer) to you and to the
Company a signed letter substantially in the form of this letter, (D) outside
the United States in accordance with Rule 904 of Regulation S under the
Securities Act, (E) pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Rule
144 under the Securities Act (if available), or (F) pursuant to an effective
registration statement under the Securities Act, and we further agree to provide
to any person purchasing any of the Notes from us a notice advising such
purchaser that resales of the Notes are restricted as stated herein.
3. We understand that, on any proposed resale of any Notes, we will be
required to furnish to you and the Company such certifications, legal opinions
and other information as you and the Company may reasonably require to confirm
that the proposed sale complies with the foregoing restrictions. We further
understand that the Notes purchased by us will bear a legend to the foregoing
effect.
4. We are an institutional "accredited investor" (as defined in Rule
501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) of Regulation D under the Securities Act) and have
such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters as to be capable
of evaluating the merits and risks of our investment in the Notes, and we and
any accounts for which we are acting are each able to bear the economic risk of
our or its investment.
C-2
5. We are acquiring the Notes purchased by us for our own account or for
one or more accounts (each of which is an institutional "accredited investor")
as to each of which we exercise sole investment discretion.
You and the Company are entitled to rely upon this letter and are
irrevocably authorized to produce this letter or a copy hereof to any interested
party in any administrative or legal proceedings or official inquiry with
respect to the matters covered hereby.
Very truly yours,
[Name of Transferee]
By:_____________________
Authorized Signature
EXHIBIT D
Form of Certificate to Be Delivered in
Connection with Transfers Pursuant to Regulation S
_________, __
United States Trust Company
of New York
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Attention: Corporate Trust Department
Re: ITC/\DELTACOM, Inc. (the "Company")
8-7/8% Senior Notes due 2008 (the "Notes")
Dear Sirs:
In connection with our proposed sale of U.S.$____________ aggregate
principal amount of the Notes, we confirm that such sale has been effected
pursuant to and in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933
and, accordingly, we represent that:
(1) the offer of the Notes was not made to a person in the United States;
(2) at the time the buy order was originated, the transferee was outside
the United States or we and any person acting on our behalf reasonably believed
that the transferee was outside the United States;
(3) no directed selling efforts have been made by us in the United States
in contravention of the requirements of Rule 903(b) or Rule 904(b) of Regulation
S, as applicable; and
(4) the transaction is not part of a plan or scheme to evade the
registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933.
You and the Company are entitled to rely upon this letter and are
irrevocably authorized to produce this letter or a copy hereof to any interested
party in any administrative or legal proceedings or official inquiry with
respect to the matters covered hereby. Terms used in this certificate have the
meanings set forth in Regulation S.
Very truly yours,
[Name of Transferor]
By:_____________________
Authorized Signature