Filed by Frontier Communications Corporation
Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and Deemed Filed Pursuant to Rule 14a-12
Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: Frontier Communications Corporation
Commission File No. 001-11001
Welcome to the New Frontier
Maggie Wilderotter, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Donald Shassian, EVP & Chief Financial Officer
May, 2009
Frontier Communications
Barclays Capital - Worldwide Wireless and Wireline Conference
Safe Harbor Statement
3
Forward-Looking Language
This presentation contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements speak only as of the
date of this presentation and are made on the basis of managements views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance. Words such as believe, anticipate, expect and similar
expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements (including oral representations) involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially
from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties are based on a number of factors, including but not limited to: our ability to
complete the acquisition of access lines from Verizon; our ability to successfully integrate
the Verizon operations and to realize the synergies from the acquisition; failure to obtain, delays in obtaining or
adverse conditions contained in any required regulatory approvals for the merger; the failure to obtain our stockholders approval;
the receipt of an IRS ruing approving the tax-free status of the transaction;
reductions in the number of our access lines and high-speed internet subscribers; the effects of competition from cable, wireless and other wireline carriers (through voice over
internet protocol (VOIP) or
otherwise); reductions in switched access revenues as a result of regulation, competition and/or technology substitutions; the effects of greater than anticipated competition requiring new pricing, marketing
strategies or
new product offerings and the risk that we will not respond on a timely or profitable basis; the effects of changes in both general and local economic conditions on the markets we serve, which
can impact demand for our products and services, customer purchasing
decisions, collectability of revenue and required levels of capital expenditures related to new construction of residences and
businesses; our ability to effectively manage service quality; our ability to successfully introduce new product offerings, including
our ability to offer bundled service packages on terms that are both profitable
to us and attractive to our customers; our ability to sell enhanced and data services in order to offset ongoing declines in revenue from local services, switched access services
and subsidies; changes in
accounting policies or practices adopted voluntarily or as required by generally accepted accounting principles or regulators; the effects of ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry
as a result of federal
and state legislation and regulation, including potential changes in state rate of return limitations on our earnings, access charges and subsidy payments, and regulatory network
upgrade and reliability requirements; our ability to effectively manage our
operations, operating expenses and capital expenditures, to pay dividends and to reduce or refinance our debt; adverse changes in
the credit markets and/or in the ratings given to our debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations, which
could limit or restrict the availability, and/or increase the cost, of financing; the effects
of bankruptcies and home foreclosures, which could result in increased bad debts; the effects of technological changes and competition on our capital expenditures
and product and service offerings,
including the lack of assurance that our ongoing network improvements will be sufficient to meet or exceed the capabilities and quality of competing networks; the effects of increased medical, retiree and
pension expenses
and related funding requirements; changes in income tax rates, tax laws, regulations or rulings, and/or federal or state tax assessments; further declines in the value of our pension plan
assets, which could require us to make contributions to the pension
plan beginning in 2010, at the earliest; the effects of state regulatory cash management policies on our ability to transfer cash among our
subsidiaries and to the parent company; our ability to successfully renegotiate union contracts expiring in 2009
and thereafter; our ability to pay dividends in respect of our common shares, which may be
affected by our cash flow from operations, amount of capital expenditures, debt service requirements, cash paid for income taxes (which will increase in 2009) and
our liquidity; the effects of increased cash
taxes in 2009 and thereafter; the effects of any unfavorable outcome with respect to any of our current or future legal, governmental, or regulatory proceedings,
audits or disputes; the possible impact of
adverse changes in political or other external factors over which we have no control; and the effects of hurricanes, ice storms or other severe weather. These and other uncertainties related to our business
are described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. There also can be no assurance that the proposed
transaction will in fact be consummated. We
undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise unless required to do so by securities laws.
Additional Information and Where to Find it
This material is not a substitute for the prospectus/proxy statement the Company will file with the SEC. We urge investors to read the prospectus/proxy statement, which will contain important information,
including detailed risk factors, when it becomes available. The prospectus/proxy statement and other documents which will be filed by the Company with the SEC will be available free of charge at the SECs
website, www.sec.gov, or by
directing a request when such a filing is made to Frontier Communications Corporation, 3 High Ridge Park, Stamford, CT 06905-1390, Attention: Investor Relations.
This material shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would
be
unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in
connection
with the proposed transactions. Information about the directors and executive officers of the Company is set forth in the proxy statement for the Company's 2009 annual meeting of stockholders
filed with the SEC on April 6, 2009.
This material shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale
would be
unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section
10 of the Securities
Act.
4
Frontier Communications is
Frontier Communications Corporation (NYSE: FTR) is one of the nation's largest rural local
exchange carriers, offering local and long-distance telephone service, Internet access, wireless
Internet access,
DISH satellite TV and more
..
Key Metrics 1
States
24
Access Lines
2,254,333
High Speed Internet Subscribers
579,943
2008 Revenue ($ in 000s)
$2,237,018
2008 EBITDA2 ($ in 000s)
$1,213,967
2008 Free Cash Flow ($ in 000s)
$493,197
1.
Metrics are as of December 31, 2008
2.
Represents EBITDA (Operating Cash Flow), as adjusted
Geographic Footprint
5
Key Value Drivers
Unique Customer Experience
Robust Local & National Network
Consistent Execution of Operational Goals
Consistent Execution of Financial Goals
6
Customer
Value Added Services
Full High Speed Installation
Price Protection / Auto Renewal
Web Content and Services
Personalized Portal
Wireless Modems
Peace of Mind Services
Integrated Product Offers
Frontier Connections
Digital Phone, HSI, Video, Wireless Data:
Enhancement Upgrades
Business Offers:
Unlimited Long Distance
Metro Ethernet
Expanded Distribution Channels
Alternate Channels
In-Bound Call Centers
Internet Sales
Localized Offerings
Aspirational Gifts
Localized Messaging
Seasonal Promotions &
Targeted Incentives
Community Involvement
Local Presence
Events, Organization Membership
Educational Support
One-to-One Marketing
Anniversary Program
Loyalty Program
Retention Plans
Segmentation
Win Back
Customer Service
24/7 Local Technician Service
Customer Service 7 days/week
Internet Help Desk 24/7
2 Hour Appointment Windows
Electronic Bill Payment
Online Information and Ordering
Unique Customer Experience
Goals:
Retain Customers
Increase Customer Spending
Acquire New Customers
Win Back Lost Customers
Frontiers Local Go To Market Strategy
7
Robust Local & National Network
Diverse, High Capacity 10 Gig Data Backbone
12,060 Route Miles / Avg. 30% Utilized
Quality Enabled Network
That Provides Priority To
Voice And Data
Complete Redundancy In
Both Network Equipment
And Routes
250 Bilateral Peering
Agreements To Reduce
Cost
Deep Packet Inspection
Technology Implemented
8
Consistent Execution of Operational Goals
Customers Have Demonstrated a Willingness to Pay for Quality
Development and Delivery of New Products and Services Provides
Diversity for Our Revenue Stream
$222 M
$249 M
$248 M
$240 M
$241 M
$240 M
$237 M
$232 M
$230 M
$175 M
$195 M
$215 M
$235 M
$255 M
$275 M
1,250 K
1,300 K
1,350 K
1,400 K
1,450 K
1,500 K
1,550 K
1,600 K
1,650 K
1,700 K
1,750 K
Q1 '07
Q2 '07
Q3 '07
Q4 '07
Q1 '08
Q2 '08
Q3 '08
Q4 '08
Q1 '09
Residential Lines
Residential Revenues
9
Consistent Execution of Operational Goals
Frontier Provides Our Business Customers Multiple Options for Their
Communications Needs
Todays Business Customers Continue to Require Greater Bandwidth For
Their Operations
$195 M
$217 M
$215 M
$223 M
$220 M
$222 M
$222 M
$219 M
$217 M
$160 M
$170 M
$180 M
$190 M
$200 M
$210 M
$220 M
$230 M
$240 M
$250 M
$260 M
750 K
760 K
770 K
780 K
790 K
800 K
810 K
820 K
830 K
840 K
850 K
860 K
Q1 '07
Q2 '07
Q3 '07
Q4 '07
Q1 '08
Q2 '08
Q3 '08
Q4 '08
Q1 '09
Business Lines
Business Revenues
10
Consistent Execution of Financial Goals
Strong, Stable Free Cash Flow Generation
Maintaining Stable Revenues
Delivering Quality Products and Services our Customers Want
Driving Customer Revenues 1
Notes
1.
Customer revenue is defined as total revenue less access services. Access services include switched network access and subsidies.
2.
The reduction in Average monthly Customer Revenue / Average access line between Q1 07 and Q2 07 was due in part to the acquisition of Commonwealth Telephone
2
$222
$249
$248
$240
$241
$240
$237
$232
$230
$195
$217
$215
$223
$220
$222
$222
$219
$217
$63.37
$61.53
$62.14
$63.17
$63.88
$65.07
$65.89
$66.08
$66.78
$ M
$100 M
$200 M
$300 M
$400 M
$500 M
$600 M
$40.00
$45.00
$50.00
$55.00
$60.00
$65.00
$70.00
Q1 '07
Q2 '07
Q3 '07
Q4 '07
Q1 '08
Q2 '08
Q3 '08
Q4 '08
Q1 '09
Residential Revenues
Business Revenues
Avg. Mthly Cust. Rev / Avg. Access Line
The New Frontier .
Transaction Overview & Financial Highlights
The New Frontier .
TRANSFORMATIONAL TRANSACTION for Frontier
Frontier becomes the largest pure rural provider of voice,
broadband and video services with more than 7 million access lines
in 27 states
Delivers substantial long-term shareholder value
Improves balance sheet strength; increases financial
and operational flexibility
Creates a strong platform for continued growth and
improves the companys overall strategic position
12
Transaction Overview
13
Transaction Structure
Reverse Morris Trust
Simultaneous tax-free spin-off of SpinCo and merger with Frontier
Valuation
SpinCo Enterprise Value: $8.6B
Implied purchase multiple of 4.5x SpinCos FY 2008 EBITDA
Financing
Equity consideration based on Frontiers 30 day average share price at
time of close
Subject to a collar of $7.00 $8.50, 66% - 71% VZ stockholder ownership
Fixed number of shares outside the collar
$3,208M of debt to be raised prior to closing
Proceeds to be paid to Verizon
Governance
Maggie Wilderotter, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Frontier management leadership
12 member board (Verizon elects 3 new members to Frontier existing board)
Post Closing Dividend Policy
Annual dividend of $0.75 per share
Estimated Synergies
Revenue upside from broadband, long distance, video and bundles
$500M of cash OpEx savings (21% of 2008 SpinCo cash OpEx)
Required Approvals
Hart Scott Rodino
Frontier shareholder approval
Verizon IRS ruling
FCC and certain state and local regulatory approvals
Expected Closing
Approximately 12 months
Transaction Rationale
14
Rural Profile
SpinCo properties have an average of 37 households per sq. mile
70% of lines in rural areas
Less than 1% of lines in urban areas
Complementary Footprint
Frontier currently has operations in 11 of the 14 states in which SpinCo
operates
Attractive Demographics
Properties have a similar profile to Frontiers current footprint
Median income of $50.1K, 74% home ownership, average age of 48
Upside for Organic Growth
Ability to implement Frontiers proven go-to-market strategy
Local engagement model will improve customer loyalty and drive revenue
performance
Ability to Leverage Scale
Leverage scalability of common support functions (e.g. IS, Accounting)
Ability to achieve synergies from operating and capital expenditures
Reasonable Capital
Investment
Currently, broadband is only available to ~60% of households
Opportunity to expand broadband deployment
Free Cash Flow Accretive
The transaction drives significant free cash flow per share accretion in year 2
and beyond
Improves Dividend Payout
Ratio
$0.75 per share dividend after closing
Payout ratio declines based on new dividend policy and increased cash flow
Serving Rural America IS our business
Frontier becomes the largest pure rural communications provider
Transaction Summary
15
Verizon
Stockholders
Frontier
Stockholders
Verizon
Frontier
(FTR + 4.8M
SpinCo Lines)
32%
$3,333M
SpinCo pays Verizon
$3,333M in cash or
debt relief
Verizon distributes
100% of SpinCo to
Verizon shareholders
SpinCo merges with
Frontier; Frontier is
the surviving entity
Parameter
Frontier (a)
SpinCo
Total
Price/Share
$ 7.75
$ 7.75
$ 7.75
Shares Outstanding
312
677
989
Equity Value
$ 2,421
$ 5,247
$ 7,668
Net Debt
4,547
3,333
8,005 (b)
Firm Value
$ 6,968
$ 8,580
$ 15,673
2008 EBITDA (c)
$ 1,214
$ 1,918
$ 3,132
FV/'08 EBITDA
5.7x
4.5x
5.0x
Net Debt/'08 EBITDA
3.8x
1.7x
2.6x
Share price collar of
$7.00 $8.50 per
share; 617 750M
shares (66-71%)
Verizon stockholder
ownership
(a)
As of 3/31/09
(b)
Includes $125 million of financing for integration costs
(c)
FY 2008 Pro forma EBITDA, excludes synergies
16
The New Frontier .
What differentiates this transaction from previous RBOC
line purchases?
System Conversion Experience
13 states run on a separate billing platform that comes with SpinCo in
the acquisition; Only one state, representing 13% of SpinCo access
lines, required to be converted by closing
Deleveraging Transaction
This is a deleveraging transaction. FY 2008 pro forma combined
leverage of 2.6x approaching investment grade
Strong Rural Markets
Substantially the same rural profiles as Frontier has today.
Predominately rural markets (37 households / sq. mile); less than
1% of the footprint is urban
Track Record of Successful
Integrations
Frontier management successfully operates a 2M + access line
business, generating $2.2B of revenue in 24 states. We have
successfully integrated Rochester Telephone, Commonwealth
Telephone and Global
Valley Networks realizing greater than
anticipated synergies, and have consolidated 5 billing systems in the
past 5 years
Substantial Revenue & Cost Saving Opportunities
17
Revenue
Opportunity
Increased Broadband availability
Frontier market approach improves critical
customer metrics
Access line losses
HSI penetration
Long distance penetration
Video penetration
Synergies
Executive Management
Legal
Information Systems
Finance & Accounting
Increased purchasing power with vendors
~ $500M
Annually
Non-Recurring
Integration Costs
Branding
IT Development
Severance
CapEx ~ $126M
OpEx ~ $66M
Ongoing Value Creation
18
Our ability to migrate the acquired properties to Frontiers
performance metrics offers the potential for significant value
creation
Access Line Decline
Long Distances Penetration
HSI Penetration
Satellite TV Penetration
Note: Data is as of 12/31/08.
Key Financial Characteristics
19
(a)
Adjusted to exclude Severance and Early Retirement Costs and Legal Settlement Costs.
(b)
2008 audited financial statements adjusted for certain matters
(c)
Assuming Frontier issues share at the mid-point of the collar
2.6x
$1.44
$1,423
9
(701)
(364)
(653)
48.0%
3,132
$6,524
Sub-Total
2008 Statistics
Frontier
SpinCo (b)
Synergies
Total
Revenue
$2,237
$4,287
---
$6,524
EBITDA
1,214
1,918
$500
3,632
% EBITDA Margin
54.3%
44.7%
55.7%
Bridge to Free Cash Flow:
Interest Expense
(363)
(290)
0
(653)
Cash Taxes
(79)
(285)
(190)
(554)
Capital Expenditures
(288)
(413)
0
(701)
Other
9
0
0
9
Free Cash Flow
$493
$930
$310
$1,733
FCF/Share
$1.58
$1.37
N/A
$1.75 (c)
Net Debt / EBITDA
3.8x
1.7x
2.2x
Dividends ($0.75 / share)
---
---
---
$742 (c)
Dividend Payout Ratio
---
---
---
43% (c)
(a)
The New Frontier .
TRANSFORMATIONAL TRANSACTION for Frontier
Frontier becomes the largest pure rural provider of voice,
broadband and video services with more than 7 million access lines
in 27 states
Delivers substantial long-term shareholder value
Improves balance sheet strength; increases financial
and operational flexibility
Creates a strong platform for continued growth and
improves the companys overall strategic position
20
Appendix
Industry Leading Profile
22
2008 Revenue ($B) (a)
2008 EBITDA ($B) (a)
Total Access Lines (M)
Voice + Broadband Connections (M)
Source: Company filings and Wall Street research 2008 data.
(a) Reflects Embarq excluding Logistics and Qwest Wireline only.
2.3
3.0
7.0
7.7
11.6
0
5
10
15
Frontier
WIN
Frontier
Pro
Forma
CTL + EQ
Q
$2.2
$3.2
$6.5
$8.3
$13.0
$0
$5
$10
$15
$20
Frontier
WIN
Frontier
Pro
Forma
CTL + EQ
Q
2.8
4.0
8.6
9.7
14.4
0
5
10
15
20
Frontier
WIN
Frontier
Pro
Forma
CTL + EQ
Q
$1.2
$1.6
$3.1
$3.9
$6.9
$0
$2
$4
$6
$8
Frontier
WIN
Frontier
Pro
Forma
CTL + EQ
Q
FY 2008 Key Metrics
Frontier
Standalone
Frontier
Pro Forma
Combined Company Snapshot
23
* New State for Frontier
Frontier Properties
SpinCo Properties
Revenue:
$2.2B
$6.5B
EBITDA (a):
$1.2B
$3.1B
Ending Access Lines:
2.3M
7.0M
Number of States:
24
27
Pro Forma
% of
Footprint
Total
West Virginia
761
10.8%
Indiana
723
10.3%
New York
684
9.7%
Illinois
671
9.5%
Ohio
635
9.0%
Washington*
579
8.2%
Michigan
526
7.5%
Pennsylvania
427
6.1%
Wisconsin
343
4.9%
Oregon
323
4.6%
North Carolina*
263
3.7%
Minnesota
211
3.0%
California
168
2.4%
Arizona
152
2.2%
Idaho
133
1.9%
South Carolina*
128
1.8%
Tennessee
79
1.1%
Nevada
60
0.8%
Iowa
45
0.6%
Nebraska
43
0.6%
Alabama
26
0.4%
Utah
22
0.3%
Georgia
19
0.3%
New Mexico
8
0.1%
Montana
8
0.1%
Mississippi
5
0.1%
Florida
4
0.1%
Total
7,045
Pro Forma Access Lines By State
(a) Excludes synergies
Access Line Detail
24
As of 12/31/08
Frontier
SpinCo
Combined
West Virginia
143,982
617,036
761,018
Indiana
4,647
718,251
722,898
Illinois
97,461
573,321
670,782
Ohio
552
634,153
634,705
Michigan
19,102
507,462
526,564
Wisconsin
62,007
281,350
343,357
Oregon
12,626
309,904
322,530
California
143,871
24,205
168,076
Arizona
145,241
6,297
151,538
Idaho
20,035
113,002
133,037
Nevada
23,701
35,989
59,690
673,225
3,820,970
494,195
Washington
-
578,506
578,506
North Carolina
-
263,479
263,479
South Carolina
-
127,718
127,718
-
969,703
969,703
New York
683,880
-
683,880
Pennsylvania
427,489
-
427,489
Minnesota
210,983
-
210,983
Tennessee
79,014
-
79,014
Iowa
44,891
-
44,891
Nebraska
43,106
-
43,106
Alabama
25,980
-
25,980
Utah
21,718
-
21,718
Georgia
19,167
-
19,167
New Mexico
8,001
-
8,001
Montana
7,659
-
7,659
Mississippi
5,474
-
5,474
Florida
3,746
-
3,746
1,581,108
-
1,581,108
2,254,333
4,790,673
7,045,006