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EX-99.1 - EX-99.1 - Level 3 Parent, LLCa14-15513_1ex99d1.htm

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 8-K

 

Current Report

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 15, 2014

 


 

Level 3 Communications, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 


 

Delaware

 

0-15658

 

47-0210602

(State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation)

 

(Commission File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

1025 Eldorado Blvd.

Broomfield, Colorado 80021

(Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (720) 888-1000

 


 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

x          Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

o            Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

o            Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

o            Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 



 

Item 8.01.                                        Other Items.

 

On June 16, 2014, Level 3 Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and tw telecom, inc., a Delaware corporation (“tw telecom”), issued a joint press release announcing execution of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 15, 2014, by and among the Company, tw telecom, Saturn Merger Sub 1, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and Saturn Merger Sub 2, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, pursuant to which Saturn Merger Sub 1, LLC will be merged with and into tw telecom (the “Merger”) with tw telecom continuing as the surviving corporation and immediately following the Merger, the surviving corporation will merge with and into Saturn Merger Sub 2, LLC, with Saturn Merger Sub 2, LLC continuing as the surviving company. A copy of the press release is included as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated by reference herein.

 

Important Information For Investors And Stockholders

 

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. The proposed business combination of the Company and tw telecom will be submitted to the stockholders of the Company and the stockholders of tw telecom for their consideration. The Company will file a registration statement on Form S-4, and the Company and tw telecom will file a joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction with the SEC. The Company and tw telecom will each provide the final joint proxy statement/prospectus to its respective stockholders. Investors and security holders are urged to read the registration statement and the joint proxy statement/prospectus and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become available, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they will contain important information about the Company, tw telecom and the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain a free copy of the registration statement and joint proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about the Company and tw telecom free of charge at the SEC’s Web Site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the joint proxy statement/prospectus, the SEC filings that will be incorporated by reference in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and the other documents filed with the SEC by the Company may be obtained free of charge by directing such request to: Investor Relations, Level 3 Communications, Inc., 1025 Eldorado Boulevard, Broomfield, Colorado 80021 or from Level 3’s Investor Relations page on its corporate website at http://www.level3.com and the joint proxy statement/prospectus, the SEC filings that will be incorporated by reference in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and the other documents filed with the SEC by tw telecom be obtained free of charge by directing such request to: tw telecom by telephone at (303) 566-1000 or by submitting a written request to Legal Department, tw telecom inc., 10475 Park Meadows Drive, Littleton, Colorado 80124 or from tw telecom’s Investor Relations page on its corporate website at http://www.twtelecom.com.

 

The Company, tw telecom and their respective directors, executive officers, and certain other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in favor of the proposed transactions from the stockholders of the Company and from the stockholders of tw telecom, respectively. Information about the directors and executive officers of the Company is set forth in the proxy statement on Schedule 14A for Level 3’s 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 11, 2014 and information about the directors and executive officers of tw telecom is set forth in the proxy statement for tw telecom’s 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 28, 2014. Additional information regarding participants in the proxy solicitation may be obtained by reading the joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction when it becomes available.

 

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

This document, including the documents incorporated herein by reference, contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, (i) statements about the benefits of the acquisition of tw telecom by Level 3, including financial and operating results and synergy benefits that may be realized from the acquisition and the timeframe for realizing those benefits; (ii) Level 3’s and tw telecom’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions; (iii) other statements contained in this communication that are not historical facts; and (iv) other statements identified by words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “goal,” “strategy,” “future,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “will,” and words of similar meaning or similar references to future periods.

 

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance.  Instead, forward-looking statements are based only on current beliefs, assumptions, and expectations regarding the future of our business, including the effects of the proposed

 

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acquisition of tw telecom by Level 3, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions.  Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, risks, and contingencies, which may include third-party approvals, many of which are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. Therefore, readers of this communication are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.

 

The following factors, among others, could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Agreement and Plan of Merger among the Company, tw telecom, Saturn Merger Sub 1and Saturn Merger Sub 2 (the “Merger Agreement”); (2) the inability to complete the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement due to the failure to obtain the required stockholder approvals; (3) the inability to satisfy the other conditions specified in the Merger Agreement, including without limitation the receipt of necessary governmental or regulatory approvals required to complete the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement; (4) the inability to successfully integrate our business with tw telecom’s business or to integrate the businesses within the anticipated timeframe; (5) the risk that the proposed transactions disrupt current plans and operations, increase operating costs and the potential difficulties in customer loss and employee retention as a result of the announcement and consummation of such transactions; (6) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the combination of the Company and tw telecom, including the realization of revenue and cost synergy benefits and to recognize such benefits within the anticipated timeframe; (7) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Level 3, tw telecom or others following announcement of the Merger Agreement and transactions contemplated therein; and (8) the possibility that Level 3 or tw telecom may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors.

 

Other important factors that may affect our business or the combined business’ results of operations and financial condition include, but are not limited to: a discontinuation of the development and expansion of the Internet as a communications medium and marketplace for the distribution and consumption of data and video; continued uncertainty in the global financial markets and the global economy; disruptions in the financial markets that could affect our ability to obtain additional financing; and our ability to: increase revenue from the services we offer; successfully use new technology and information systems to support new and existing services; prevent process and system failures that significantly disrupt the availability and quality of the services that we provide; prevent our security measures from being breached, or our services from being degraded as a result of security breaches; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; effectively manage expansions to our operations; provide services that do not infringe the intellectual property and proprietary rights of others; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; and meet all of the terms and conditions of debt obligations.

 

Discussions of additional factors, risks, and uncertainties can be found within the Company’s and tw telecom’s respective filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this communication should be evaluated in light of these important factors, risks, and uncertainties. Any forward-looking statement made in this communication is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except for the ongoing obligation to disclose material information under the federal securities laws, neither the Company nor tw telecom undertake any obligation to, and each expressly disclaim any such obligation to, update, alter or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time to reflect new information, circumstances, events or otherwise that occur after the date such forward-looking statement is made unless required by law.

 

Item 9.01.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

(d) Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed herewith:

 

Exhibit #

 

Description

99.1

 

Press Release of the Company and tw telecom, dated June 16, 2014.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

Level 3 Communications, Inc.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John M. Ryan

 

 

John M. Ryan

 

 

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

 

 

 

Date: June 16, 2014

 

 

 

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