VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. FORM OF PURCHASE AGREEMENT FOR PREFERRED STOCK
EXHIBIT 1.2
FORM OF PURCHASE AGREEMENT FOR PREFERRED STOCK
Verizon Communications Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and
sell to the several Purchasers named in Schedule A attached hereto (the “Purchasers”), ___
shares designated as ___(the “Firm Securities”) of its preferred stock, par value $0.10 per
share (the “Preferred Stock”), and at the election of the Purchasers, up to an additional ___
shares (the “Optional Securities”) subject to the option described below (the Firm Securities and
the Optional Securities are herein collectively called the “Securities”). The Company hereby
agrees, subject to all the terms and conditions set forth herein, to issue and sell to the
Purchasers and, upon the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company
herein contained and subject to all the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Purchasers
severally agree to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of $ per share, the Firm
Securities in the amount set forth opposite each Purchaser’s name in Schedule A hereto.
All
the provisions contained in the Company’s Standard Purchase
Agreement Provisions (June
2007 Edition) (the “Standard Purchase Agreement
Provisions”) in the form annexed hereto shall be deemed to be
a part of this Purchase Agreement to the same extent as if such provisions had been set forth in
full herein.
TERMS OF THE PREFERRED STOCK:
[Insert terms of Preferred Stock]
CLOSING:
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth or incorporated by reference herein, the
Purchasers severally agree to pay for the Firm Securities by wire transfer in same day funds to an
account designated by the Company upon delivery of such Firm Securities at ___:___a.m. (New York
City time) on ___, 200___(the “First Closing Date”), or at such other time, not later than the
seventh full business day thereafter, as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Purchasers or
the firm or firms designated as the representative or representatives, as the case may be, of the
Purchasers (the “Representative”).
In addition, upon written notice from the Purchasers given to the Company from time to time
not more than ___days subsequent to the First Closing Date, the Purchasers severally may purchase
all or less than all of the Optional Securities (but collectively not more than all) at the
purchase price of $ ____ per share. The Company agrees, subject to all the terms and conditions
set forth herein, to issue and sell to the Purchasers the number of Optional Securities specified
in such notice and the Purchasers severally agree to purchase such Optional Securities in
proportion to the number of Firm Securities set forth opposite the name of such Purchasers in
Schedule A hereto. No Optional Securities shall be sold or delivered unless the Firm Securities
previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered. The right to purchase the Optional
Securities or any portion thereof may be exercised from time to time and to the extent not
previously exercised may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon notice by the Purchasers to
the Company. Each time for the delivery of and payment for the Optional Securities, being herein
referred to as the “Optional Closing Date,” which may be the First Closing Date (each of the First
Closing Date and any Optional Closing Date being sometimes referred to as the “Closing Date”),
shall be determined by the Purchasers but shall not be later than the seventh full business day
after written notice of election to purchase Optional Securities is given. Payment of the purchase
price for such Optional Securities, shall be made at the above-mentioned offices of the Company on
the relevant Optional Closing Date as specified in the notice from the Purchaser to the Company.
DENOMINATION OF THE SECURITIES:
Certificates for the Securities to be purchased hereunder shall be registered in such names
and in such denominations as you shall request prior to ___A.M., New York City time, on the second
business day preceding the applicable Closing Date. The certificates evidencing the Securities to
be purchased hereunder shall be delivered to you on the applicable Closing Date, against payment of
the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of immediately available funds.
RESALE:
[The Purchasers represent that they intend to resell the Securities and therefore the
provisions applicable to Reselling Purchasers in the Standard Purchase Agreement Provisions will be
applicable.]
OR
[In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the
Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), each Purchaser represents to and agrees
that, with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in
that Relevant Member State (the “Relevant Implementation Date”), it has not made and will not make
an offer of Securities to the public in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a
prospectus in relation to the Securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that
Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified
to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus
Directive, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date,
make an offer of Securities to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time:
(a) to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial
markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest
in securities;
(b) to any legal entity which has two or more of (1) an average of at least 250
employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more than
€43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more than €50,000,000, as shown in
its last annual or consolidated accounts;
(c) to investors with the minimum total consideration per investor of €50,000;
or
(d) in any other circumstances which do not require the publication by the issuer of
a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of Securities to the public” in
relation to any Securities in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by
any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the Securities to be offered so
as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the Securities, as the same may be
varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that
Relevant Member State and the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC and
includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.
Each Purchaser represents to and agrees that:
(a) (i) it is a person whose ordinary activities involve it in acquiring, holding,
managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of its
business and (ii) it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell the Securities other
than to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or
disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their businesses or who
it is reasonable to expect will acquire, hold, manage or dispose of investments (as
principal or agent) for the purposes of their businesses where the issue of the Securities
would otherwise constitute a contravention of Section 19 of the Financial Services and
Markets Act (the “FSMA”) by the Company;
(b) it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate
or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity
(within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) received by it in connection with the issue
or sale of the Securities in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply
to the Company; and
(c) it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with
respect to anything done by it in relation to the Securities in, from or otherwise involving
the United Kingdom.
Each of the Purchasers also represents to and agrees with us that it has not offered, sold or
delivered and that it will not offer, sell or deliver, directly or indirectly, any of the
Securities or distribute the Prospectus or any other material relating to the Securities, in or
from any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will, to the best of its knowledge and
belief, result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations thereof.]
ISSUER FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES:
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Any Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus (as such term is defined in the Standard
Purchase Agreement Provisions) relating to the offering of the Securities is identified in Schedule
B attached hereto and any Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus (as such term is defined in
the Standard Purchase Agreement Provisions) relating to the offering of the Securities is
identified in Schedule C attached hereto.
APPLICABLE TIME:
The “Applicable Time” for purposes of this Purchase Agreement shall be ___:00[a/p]m (Eastern
time) on the date of this Purchase Agreement.
In witness whereof, the parties have executed this Purchase Agreement this ___day of
___, ___.
[Names of Purchasers or Representative] |
||||
By: | ||||
Title: | ||||
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. |
||||
By: | ||||
Title: | ||||
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SCHEDULE A
Name | Number of Initial Securities | |||
000,000 | ||||
Total |
000,000 | |||
SCHEDULE B
ISSUER GENERAL USE FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES
[Specify Each Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus or if none so state]
SCHEDULE C
ISSUER LIMITED USE FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES
[Specify Each Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus or if none so state]
Verizon Communications Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), may enter into one or
more purchase agreements providing for the sale of Securities to the purchaser or purchasers named
therein (the “Purchasers”). The standard provisions set forth herein will be incorporated by
reference in any such purchase agreement (“Purchase Agreement”). The Purchase Agreement, including
these Standard Purchase Agreement Provisions incorporated therein by reference, is hereinafter
referred to as “this Agreement.” Unless otherwise defined herein, terms used in this Agreement that
are defined in the Purchase Agreement have the meanings set forth therein.
I. SALE OF THE SECURITIES
The Company proposes to issue the Securities pursuant to a resolution of the Board of
Directors of the Company authorizing the Securities.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), the Registration Statement No. 333-___relating
to certain securities including up to $8,000,000,000 of the Company’s Preferred Stock, par value
$0.10 per share (the “Preferred Stock”), registered thereunder (the amount remaining unsold under
such registration statement, from
time to time, is hereinafter referred to as the “Registered Securities”), including a prospectus
which relates to the Registered Securities, and has filed with, or transmitted for filing to, the
Commission (or will promptly after the sale so file or transmit for filing) a prospectus supplement
specifically relating to the particular issuance of Registered Securities to which this Agreement
relates (such particular issuance being hereinafter referred to as the “Securities”) pursuant to
Rule 424(b) under the Act (“Rule 424(b)”). The various parts of Registration Statement No.
333-___, including all exhibits and any schedules thereto and including any prospectus
supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of
Rule 430B to be part thereof, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement
became effective, are referred to collectively as the “Registration Statement”; the base prospectus
filed as part of the Registration Statement, in the form in which it has been most recently filed
with the Commission on or prior to the time identified in the Purchase Agreement as the “Applicable
Time” (the “Applicable Time”) is referred to as the “Basic Prospectus”; the Basic Prospectus, as it
may be amended and supplemented (including as amended or supplemented by any preliminary prospectus
supplement) prior to the Applicable Time is referred to as the “Pricing Prospectus”; and the form
of the final prospectus relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(b) under the Act is referred to as the “Prospectus”. As used herein, the terms “Registration
Statement”, “Basic Prospectus”, “Pricing Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include in each case
the material, if any, incorporated by reference therein.
II. PURCHASERS’ REPRESENTATIONS AND RESALE
Each Purchaser severally and not jointly represents and warrants that information furnished in
writing to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the
Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as defined in
Article VII hereof, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact and will not omit any
material fact in connection with such information necessary to make such information not
misleading.
If the Purchasers advise the Company in the Purchase Agreement that they intend to resell the
Securities, the Company will assist the Purchasers as hereinafter provided. The terms of any such
resale will be set forth in the Prospectus. The provisions of Paragraphs C, D, E and F of Article
VI and Articles VIII, IX, X and XIII of this Agreement apply only to Purchasers that have advised
the Company of their intention to resell the Securities (“Reselling Purchasers”). All other
provisions apply to any Purchaser including a Reselling Purchaser.
Each Purchaser represents that it has not and agrees that it will not make any offer relating
to the Securities by means of a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act,
required to be filed with the Commission, unless (i) listed in Schedule B or Schedule C to the
Purchase Agreement, (ii) the information contained in the free writing prospectus is immaterial to
the offering of the Securities, or (iii) the consent of the Company is obtained. Each Reselling
Purchaser agrees to advise each person to whom it initially resells the Securities, prior to such
resale, of the availability of the Pricing Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
referred to in Schedule B to the Purchase Agreement.
III. CLOSING
The
closing will be held at the office of the Company, Xxx Xxxxxxx Xxx,
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000, on the applicable Closing Date. Concurrent with the delivery of
the Securities to the Purchasers or to the
Representative for the account of each Purchaser, payment of the full purchase price of the
Securities shall be made by wire transfer in same day funds to an account designated by the
Company.
IV. CONDITIONS TO PURCHASERS’ OBLIGATIONS
The respective obligations of the Purchasers hereunder are subject to the following
conditions:
(A) The Registration Statement shall have become effective and no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose
shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; since the latest date as of which
information is given in the Pricing Prospectus, there shall have been no material adverse change in
the business, business prospects, properties, financial condition or results of operations of the
Company; and the Purchasers or the Representative shall have received on the Closing Date the
customary form of compliance certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by the President or a
Vice President of the Company, including the foregoing. The officer executing such certificate may
rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings pending or threatened.
(B) The Purchasers or the Representative shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of
the General Counsel of the Company, or other counsel to the Company satisfactory to the Purchasers
and counsel to the Purchasers, dated the Closing Date, substantially in the form set forth in
Exhibit A hereto.
(C) The Purchasers or the Representative shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of
Milbank, Tweed, Xxxxxx & XxXxxx LLP, counsel for the Purchasers, dated the Closing Date,
substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B hereto.
(D) The Purchasers or the Representative shall have received on the Closing Date a letter from
Ernst & Young LLP, independent public accountants for the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to
the effect set forth in Exhibit C hereto.
If any condition specified in this Article IV shall not have been fulfilled when and as
required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Purchasers by notice to the
Company and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as
provided in Articles VI and VII hereof.
V.
CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANY’S OBLIGATIONS
The obligations of the Company hereunder are subject to the following conditions:
(A) The Registration Statement shall have become effective and no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose
shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission.
(B) The Company shall have received on the applicable Closing Date the full purchase price of
the Securities purchased hereunder.
VI. COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
In further consideration of the agreements contained herein of the Purchasers, the Company
covenants to the several Purchasers as follows:
(A) To furnish to the Purchasers or the Representative a copy of the Registration Statement
including materials, if any, incorporated by reference therein, to timely file with the Commission
any Prospectus relating to the offering of the Securities required to be filed by the Company
pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, and, during the period mentioned in (D) below, to supply as
many copies of the Prospectus, any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements
and amendments thereto as the Purchasers or the Representative may reasonably request. The terms
“supplement” and “amendment” or “amend” as used in this Agreement shall include all documents filed
by the Company with the Commission subsequent to the effective date of the Registration Statement,
or the date of the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be,
pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which are deemed
to be incorporated by reference therein.
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(B) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the
Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus with respect to the Securities, to furnish to any Purchaser or
the Representative, and to counsel for the Purchasers, a copy of each such proposed amendment or
supplement.
The covenants in Paragraphs (C), (D), (E) and (F) apply only to Reselling Purchasers:
(C) The Company will notify the Reselling Purchasers promptly, at any time prior to completion
of the resale of the Securities by the Reselling Purchasers, and confirm the notice in writing, (i)
of the delivery to the Commission for filing any document to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act
which will be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, (ii) of any request by the
Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, to any document
incorporated by reference therein or for any additional information, (iii) of the issuance by the
Commission of any order directed to the Registration Statement or any document incorporated therein
by reference or the initiation or threat of any challenge by the Commission to the accuracy or
adequacy of any document incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and (iv) of
receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of
the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threat of any proceeding for that
purpose.
(D) If, at any time prior to the completion of the resale of the Securities during which, in
the opinion of counsel for the Reselling Purchasers, the Prospectus (or, in lieu thereof, the
notice referred to in Rule 173 under the Act) is required by law to be delivered, any event shall occur as a result of which it is
necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make a statement therein, in light of
the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a subsequent purchaser, not materially
misleading, or if it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with
law, forthwith to prepare and furnish, at its own expense (unless such amendment shall relate to
information furnished by the Purchasers or the Representative by or on behalf of the Purchasers in
writing expressly for use in the Prospectus), to the Reselling Purchasers, the number of copies
requested by the Reselling Purchasers or the Representative of either amendments or supplements to
the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in
light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a subsequent purchaser, be
misleading or so that the Prospectus will comply with law.
(E) The Company represents that it has not and agrees that it will not make any offer relating
to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule
433(h)(1) under the Act, unless (i) listed in Schedule B or Schedule C to the Purchase Agreement,
(ii) the information contained in the issuer free writing prospectus is immaterial to the offering
of the Securities, or (iii) the consent of the Purchasers is obtained. Any free writing prospectus
consented to by the Purchasers under this paragraph, as well as any other “free writing prospectus”
as defined in Rule 405 under the Act, required to be filed with the Commission and consented to by
the Company under Article II hereof, is referred to in this Agreement as a “Permitted Free Writing
Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule
433(h)(1) under the Act, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433
applicable to such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission
where required, legending and record keeping.
(F) To use its best efforts to qualify the Securities for offer and sale under the securities
or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Purchasers or the Representative shall reasonably
request and to pay all expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel) in connection
therewith; provided, however, that the Company, in complying with the foregoing provisions of this
paragraph, shall not be required to qualify as a foreign company or to register or qualify as a
broker or dealer in securities in any jurisdiction or to consent to service of process in any
jurisdiction other than with respect to claims arising out of the offering or sale of the
Securities, and provided further that the Company shall not be required to continue the
qualification of the Securities beyond one year from the date of the sale of the Securities.
(G) Except as stated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus, the Company has not taken, nor
will it take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might reasonably be expected
to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Preferred Stock to
facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
VII. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
The
Company represents and warrants to the several Purchasers that (i)
the Company is a “well-known seasoned issuer” (as defined
in
Rule 405 under the Act), the Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) and the Company has not received any notice from the Commission objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement form, (ii) each document, if any, filed or to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus complied or will comply when so filed in all material respects with the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, (iii) each part of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission pursuant to the Act relating to the Securities, when such part became effective (including each deemed effective date pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2)), did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
Rule 405 under the Act), the Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) and the Company has not received any notice from the Commission objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement form, (ii) each document, if any, filed or to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus complied or will comply when so filed in all material respects with the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, (iii) each part of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission pursuant to the Act relating to the Securities, when such part became effective (including each deemed effective date pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2)), did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
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make the
statements therein not misleading, (iv) on the effective date of the Registration
Statement (including each deemed effective date pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2)), the date of the Basic
Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and at all times subsequent to and including
the Closing Date, the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the
Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, complied or will comply in all material
respects with the Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder, (v) on the effective
date of the Registration Statement (including each deemed effective date pursuant to Rule
430B(f)(2)), the Registration Statement did not contain, and as amended or supplemented, if
applicable, will not contain, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, and on the date of the
Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, and on the Closing Date, the Prospectus will
not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made,
not misleading; except that these representations and warranties do not apply to statements or
omissions in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus based upon information furnished to the
Company by any Purchaser or the Representative by or on behalf of any Purchaser in writing
expressly for use therein, (vi) as of the Applicable Time, neither (a) any Issuer General Use Free
Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time (all of which
are identified in Schedule B to the Purchase Agreement) and the
Pricing Prospectus, all considered together
(collectively the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (b) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free
Writing Prospectus (as defined below) (all of which are identified in Schedule C to the Purchase
Agreement), when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; except
that these representations and warranties do not apply to statements or omissions in any Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus or the Pricing Prospectus based upon information furnished to the Company
by any Purchaser or the Representative by or on behalf of any Purchaser in writing expressly for
use therein, (vii) each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent
times through the completion of the public offer of the Securities did not, does not and will not
include any information conflicting with the information contained in the Registration Statement,
(viii) at the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or
another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the
Act) of the Securities and at the date of the Purchase Agreement the Company was not and is not an
“ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the
Act, (ix) there are no legal or governmental
proceedings required to be described in the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the
Prospectus which are not described as required, (x) the consummation of any transaction herein
contemplated will not result in a breach of, default under or creation of any lien, charge or
encumbrance upon any material property or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant
to the terms of any agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or any statute or any
order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body by which the Company is
bound, (xi) there are no preemptive rights or other rights similar to preemptive rights in respect
of any shares of the Company’s capital stock, including the Securities when issued, and no
restrictions upon the transfer of the Securities when issued, pursuant to the Company’s certificate
of incorporation, bylaws or other governing documents or any agreement or other instrument to which
the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it may
be bound, (xii) the Securities
have been duly authorized by the Company and, upon issuance and delivery and payment therefor in
the manner described herein, will be validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable and (xiii) neither
the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Securities as contemplated
by this Agreement gives rise to any rights, other than those which have been waived or satisfied,
for or relating to the registration of any shares of the Company’s capital stock.
As used in this section and elsewhere in this Agreement:
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in
Rule 433(h)(1) under the Act relating to the Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the
Commission by the Company, (ii) is a “road show for an offering that is a written communication”
within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) under the Act, whether or not required to be filed with the
Commission, or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) under the Act because it
contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms,
in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission, or, if not required to
be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the Act.
“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is
intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in
Schedule B to the Purchase Agreement.
“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is
not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.
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VIII. INDEMNIFICATION
The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Reselling Purchaser and each person, if
any, who controls such Reselling Purchaser within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Act or
Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and
liabilities based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, and Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (if used within the period set forth in Paragraph (D) of
Article VI hereof, and as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any
amendments or supplements thereto), or based upon any omission or alleged omission to state therein
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are based upon any such
untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission based upon information
furnished to the Company by any Reselling Purchaser or the Representative by or on behalf of any
Reselling Purchaser in writing expressly for use therein.
Each Reselling Purchaser severally and not jointly agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the
Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and any person controlling
the Company to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to each Reselling
Purchaser, but only with reference to information relating to said Reselling Purchaser furnished to
the Company in writing by the Reselling Purchaser or the Representative by or on behalf of said
Reselling Purchaser expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the
Pricing Prospectus, and Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus.
In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted
involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to either of the two
preceding paragraphs, such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person or
persons against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing and the
indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably
satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the
indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding (provided, however, that if such indemnified
party shall object to the selection of counsel after having been advised by such counsel that there
may be one or more legal defenses available to the indemnified party which are different from or
additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party shall designate
other counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party) and the indemnifying party shall
pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding,
any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of
such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless the indemnifying party and
the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel. The indemnifying
party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent
but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the
indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability
by reason of such settlement or judgment.
If the indemnification provided for in this Article VIII is unavailable to an indemnified
party under the first or second paragraph hereof or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims,
damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying
such indemnified party shall severally contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified
party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the
Reselling Purchasers on the other from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation
provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the
relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Reselling Purchasers on the other in
connection with the statement or omission that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received
by the Company on the one hand and the Reselling Purchasers on the other in connection with the
offering of the Securities shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds
from the offering of the Securities received by the Company bear to the total commissions, if any,
received by all of the Reselling Purchasers in respect thereof. If there are no commissions allowed
or paid by the Company to the Reselling Purchasers in respect of the Securities, the relative
benefits received by the Reselling Purchasers in the preceding sentence shall be the difference
between the price received by such Reselling Purchasers upon resale of the Securities and the price
paid for the Securities pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. The relative fault of the Company on
the one hand and of the Reselling Purchasers on the other shall be determined by reference to,
among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the
omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the
Company or by the Reselling Purchasers and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to
information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages
and liabilities referred to in this Article VIII shall be deemed to include, subject to the
limitations set forth above, any legal or other
-5-
expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or
defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article VIII, no
Reselling Purchaser shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the
total price at which the Securities purchased by it under this Agreement and resold as contemplated
herein and in the Prospectus exceeds the amount of any damages which such Reselling Purchaser has
otherwise paid or becomes liable to pay by reason of any untrue or alleged untrue statement or
omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning
of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty
of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Reselling Purchasers’ obligations to contribute as
provided in this Article VIII are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations
and not joint.
IX. SURVIVAL
The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Article VIII and the representations
and warranties of the Company contained in Article VII of this Agreement shall remain operative and
in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any
investigation made by any Reselling Purchaser or on behalf of any Reselling Purchaser or any
persons controlling any Reselling Purchaser and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the
Securities.
X. TERMINATION BY RESELLING PURCHASERS
At any time prior to the Closing Date this Agreement shall be subject to termination in the
absolute discretion of the Reselling Purchasers, by notice given to the Company, if (i) trading in
securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been suspended or materially
limited, (ii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities in New York shall have been
declared by either Federal or New York State authorities, (iii) minimum prices shall have been
established on the New York Stock Exchange by Federal or New York State authorities or (iv) any
outbreak or material escalation of hostilities involving the United States or declaration by the
United States of a national emergency or war or other calamity or crisis shall have occurred, the
effect of any of which is such as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the
delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner
contemplated by the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
XI. TERMINATION BY PURCHASERS
If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Purchasers because of any failure or refusal on
the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this
Agreement, or if for any reason (other than those set forth in Article V) the Company shall be
unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Purchasers
for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of counsel) reasonably
incurred by such Purchasers in connection with the Securities. Except as provided herein, the
Purchasers shall bear all of their expenses, including the fees and disbursements of counsel.
XII. SUBSTITUTION OF PURCHASERS
If for any reason any Purchaser shall not purchase the Securities it has agreed to purchase
hereunder, the remaining Purchasers shall have the right within 24 hours to make arrangements
satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Securities hereunder. If they fail to do so,
the amounts of Securities that the remaining Purchasers are obligated, severally, to purchase under
this Agreement shall be increased in the proportions which the total amount of Securities which
they have respectively agreed to purchase bears to the total amount of Securities which all
non-defaulting Purchasers have so agreed to purchase, or in such other proportions as the
Purchasers may specify to absorb such unpurchased Securities, provided that such aggregate
increases shall not exceed 10% of the total amount of the Securities set forth in Schedule A to the
Purchase Agreement. If any unpurchased Securities still remain, the Company shall have the right
either to elect to consummate the sale except as to any such unpurchased Securities so remaining
or, within the next succeeding 24 hours, to make arrangements satisfactory to the remaining
Purchasers for the purchase of such Securities. In any such cases, either the Purchasers or the
Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for not more than
seven business days to a mutually acceptable date. If the Company shall not elect to so consummate
the sale and any unpurchased Securities remain for which no satisfactory substitute Purchaser is
obtained in accordance with the above provisions, then this Agreement shall terminate without
liability on the part of any non-defaulting Purchaser or the Company for the purchase or sale of
any Securities under this Agreement. No provision in this paragraph shall relieve any defaulting
Purchaser of liability to the Company for damages occasioned by such default.
XIII. NO ADVISORY OR FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIP
The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant
to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Securities and
any related discounts and commissions, is an
-6-
arm’s length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several
Purchasers, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the
process leading to such transaction each Purchaser is and has been acting solely as a principal and
is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, creditors, employees or any
other party, (c) no Purchaser has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in
favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading
thereto (irrespective of whether such Purchaser has advised or is currently advising the Company on
other matters) and no Purchaser has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering
contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the
Purchasers and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that
involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Purchasers have not provided
any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby
and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent
deemed by it to be appropriate.
XIV. MISCELLANEOUS
This Agreement may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an
original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same
instrument.
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of
the State of New York.
-7-
EXHIBIT A
[Letterhead of General Counsel of Verizon Communications Inc.]
and the other several Purchasers referred to in the Purchase
Agreement dated , among such Purchasers and Verizon Communications Inc.
Re: | Verizon Communications Inc. ___ Shares of Preferred Stock, par value $0.10 per share |
Dear Sirs:
I have been requested by Verizon Communications Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”),
as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Company to furnish you with my opinion
pursuant to a Purchase Agreement dated ___ (the
“Agreement”), among the Company and you,
relating to the purchase and sale of ___shares (the “Securities”) of the Company’s preferred
stock, $0.10 par value per share (the “Preferred Stock”).
In
this connection, I, or attorneys under my direction, have examined among other things:
(a) The certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Company, each as presently in effect;
(b) The Securities;
(c) The certificate of designation relating to the Preferred Stock;
(d) The Agreement;
(e) The records of the corporate proceedings of the Company relating to the Agreement and the
Securities;
(f) The
records of all proceedings taken by the Company relating to the registration of the
Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”);
(g) The Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus, as each such term is defined in the Agreement, including all documents filed by the
Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which are
incorporated therein by (the “Incorporated Documents”).
On the basis of my examination of the foregoing and of such other documents and matters as I
have deemed necessary as the basis for the opinions hereinafter expressed, I am of the opinion
that:
1. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under
the laws of the State of Delaware, is a duly licensed and qualified foreign corporation in good
standing under the laws of those jurisdictions in which the Company’s ownership of its property or
the conduct of its business requires such qualification (except where the failure to so qualify
would not have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects, properties, financial
condition or results of operations of the Company), and has adequate corporate power to own and
operate its properties and to carry on the business in which it is now engaged.
2. All legal proceedings necessary to the authorization, issue and sale of the Securities have
been taken by the Company.
3. The Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
4. The Securities conform as to legal matters with the statements concerning them in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully
paid and nonassessable.
5. Except as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of certain jurisdictions, no
authorization, approval or consent of any governmental regulatory authority is required for the
issuance and sale of the Securities.
6. There are (A) no preemptive rights or other rights similar to preemptive rights in respect
of any shares of the Company’s Preferred Stock, including the Securities when issued, and (B) no
restrictions upon the transfer of the Securities when issued, pursuant to the Company’s certificate
of incorporation, bylaws, or any agreement or other instrument filed by
the Company as an exhibit with the Commission. Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor
the offering or sale of the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights,
other than those which have been waived or satisfied, for or relating to the registration of any
shares of the Company’s Preferred Stock under the Company’s certificate of incorporation, bylaws or
any agreement or other instrument binding on the Company filed as an exhibit with the Commission.
7. The execution and delivery of the Agreement and the consummation of the transactions
contemplated therein will not result in a violation of or conflict with the provisions of the
certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company or any law, statute, order, decree, rule or
regulation known to me of any court or governmental agency having jurisdiction over the Company or
its property.
8. To my knowledge there is no litigation or governmental proceeding pending or threatened
against the Company or its subsidiaries which would affect the subject matter of the Agreement.
9. The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description
thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
10. The Registration Statement became effective under the Act and, to the best of my
knowledge, no proceedings under Section 8 of the Act looking toward the possible issuance of a stop
order with respect thereto are pending or threatened and the Registration Statement remains in
effect on the date hereof. The Registration Statement as of its effective date (including each
deemed effective date pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2)), the Pricing Prospectus as of the Applicable
Time, as such term is defined in the Agreement, and the Prospectus as of the date thereof complied
as to form in all material respects with the relevant provisions of the Act and of the Exchange Act
as to the Incorporated Documents and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission thereunder, except that I express no opinion as to the financial statements or
other financial data contained therein. The Prospectus is lawful for use for the purposes specified
in the Act in connection with the offer for sale and sale of the Securities in the manner therein
specified. I have no reason to believe (A) that the Registration Statement and the Incorporated
Documents, considered as a whole on the effective date of the Registration Statement (including
each deemed effective date pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2)), contained any untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in
order to make the statements therein not misleading, (B) that the General Disclosure Package and
the Incorporated Documents, considered as a whole as of the Applicable Time, contained any untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
or (C) that the Prospectus and the Incorporated Documents, considered as a whole as of the date of
the Prospectus and on the date hereof, contained or contain any untrue statement of a material fact
or omitted or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that in each case
I express no opinion as to the financial statements or other financial data contained therein.
Without my prior written consent, this opinion may not be relied upon by any person or entity
other than the addressees, quoted in whole or in part, or otherwise referred to in any report or
document, or furnished to any other person or entity, except that Milbank, Tweed, Xxxxxx & XxXxxx
LLP may rely upon this opinion as if this opinion were separately addressed to them.
Very truly yours, |
||||
cc: Milbank, Tweed, Xxxxxx & XxXxxx LLP
-2-
EXHIBIT B
MILBANK, TWEED, XXXXXX & XxXXXX LLP
1 Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
1 Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
___Shares of Preferred Stock, $0.10 par value per Share and the other several Purchasers
referred to in the Purchase Agreement dated , among such Purchasers and Verizon
Communications Inc.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have been designated by Verizon Communications Inc. (the “Company”) as counsel for the
purchasers of ___shares (the “Securities”) of its preferred stock, $0.10 par value per share.
Pursuant to such designation and the terms of a Purchase Agreement dated ___, relating to the
Securities (the “Purchase Agreement”), entered into by you with the Company, we have acted as your
counsel in connection with your several purchases this day from the Company of the Securities.
We have reviewed originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction, of such corporate records
of the Company, agreements, indentures and other instruments, certificates of public officials and
of officers and representatives of the Company, and other documents, as we have deemed necessary as
a basis for the opinions hereinafter expressed. In such examination we have assumed the genuineness
of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity
with the original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies, and the authenticity of the
originals of such latter documents. As to various questions of fact material to such opinions, we
have, when relevant facts were not independently established, relied upon certifications by
officers of the Company and statements contained in the Registration Statement hereinafter
mentioned.
In
addition, we attended the closing held today at the offices of the
Company, located at One Verizon
Way, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, at which the Company caused the Securities to be delivered to your
representatives for your several accounts, against payment therefor.
On the basis of the foregoing and having regard to legal considerations which we deem
relevant, we are of the opinion that:
1. The Company is a validly existing corporation, in good standing, under the laws of the
State of Delaware.
2. The Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by and on behalf of
the Company.
3. The Securities have been duly authorized and conform as to legal matters in all substantial
respects to the description thereof contained in the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as such terms are defined in the
Purchase Agreement. The Securities are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
4. On the basis of information received by the Company from the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the “Commission”), the Registration Statement, as such term is defined in the Purchase
Agreement, filed with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Act”), is effective under the Act. The Prospectus is lawful for use for the purposes specified in
the Act, in connection with the offer for sale and sale of the Securities in the manner therein
specified, subject to compliance with the provisions of securities or Blue Sky laws of certain
States in connection with the offer for sale or sale of the Securities in such States. To the best
of our knowledge, the Registration Statement remains in effect at this date.
5. The Registration Statement, as of its effective date (including each deemed effective date
pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2)), the Pricing Prospectus, as of the Applicable Time (as such term is
defined in the Purchase Agreement) and the Prospectus, as of the date thereof, together with the
documents incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”) (except any financial
statements or other financial data included in, or omitted from, or incorporated by reference in,
the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or such Incorporated Documents, as to which no opinion
is expressed) appear on their face to be appropriately responsive, in all material respects
relevant to the offering of the Securities, to the requirements of the Act and the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as applicable, and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder.
None of the Registration Statement that was filed on Form S-3 under the Act, the Pricing
Prospectus or the Prospectus necessarily contain a current description of the Company’s business
and affairs, since Form S-3 provides for the incorporation by reference of certain documents filed
with the Commission which contain descriptions as of various dates. We participated in conferences
with counsel for, and representatives of, the Company in connection with the preparation of the
Registration Statement the Pricing Prospectus[,] [and] the Prospectus [and each Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus identified in Schedule B to the Purchase Agreement which constitutes part of the General
Disclosure Package] and we have reviewed the
Incorporated Documents. In connection with our participation in the preparation of the Registration
Statement, the Pricing Prospectus[,] [and] the Prospectus [and such Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus[es]] we have not independently verified the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the
statements contained therein or in the Incorporated Documents, and the limitations inherent in the
review made by us and the knowledge available to us are such that we are unable to assume, and we
do not assume, any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements
contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus[,] [and] the Prospectus [and such
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus[es]] or the Incorporated Documents, except as otherwise specifically
stated herein. None of the foregoing disclosed to us any information which gave us reason to
believe that the Registration Statement and the Incorporated Documents, considered as a whole on
the effective date of the Registration Statement (including each deemed effective date pursuant to
Rule 430B(f)(2)), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not
misleading or that the General Disclosure Package and the Incorporated Documents, considered as a
whole as of the Applicable Time, as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement, or the
Prospectus and the Incorporated Documents, considered as a whole on the date thereof and on the
date hereof, contained or contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omit to
state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. We express no opinion as to any document
filed by the Company under the Exchange Act, whether prior or subsequent to such effective date,
except to the extent that such documents are Incorporated Documents read together with the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and considered as a whole,
nor do we express any opinion as to the financial statements or other financial data included in or
omitted from, or incorporated by reference, in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package, the Prospectus or the Incorporated Documents.
We express no opinion as to matters governed by any laws other than the laws of the State of
New York, the Federal laws of the United States of America, the corporate laws of the State of
Delaware and, to the extent the foregoing opinions involve laws other than the laws of the State of
New York, the Federal laws of the United States of America or the corporate laws of the State of
Delaware, in reliance upon the opinion of even date herewith of the General Counsel of the Company,
such other laws.
The opinions contained herein are rendered to you and are solely for your benefit and the
benefit of the Purchasers represented by you in connection with the transaction contemplated by the
Purchase Agreement. These opinions may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose, or
furnished to, quoted or relied upon by any other person, firm or corporation for any purpose,
without our prior written consent.
Very truly yours, MILBANK, TWEED, XXXXXX & XxXXXX LLP |
||||
-2-
EXHIBIT C
LETTER OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
The letter of independent public accountants to be delivered pursuant to Article IV, paragraph
(D) of the document entitled Standard Purchase Agreement
Provisions (June 2007 Edition) shall be
to the effect that:
At the closing, the Purchasers shall have received such number of copies as are necessary to
provide one for each Purchaser of a letter satisfactory to the
Purchasers or the Representative and counsel to the Purchasers, dated as of the Closing Date and
encompassing the performance of certain procedures described in the letter as of a date not more
than five business days prior to the Closing Date (the “Cutoff Date”), from Ernst & Young LLP
confirming that they are independent public accountants with respect
to Verizon Communications Inc. (the “Company”) within the
meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) and the applicable published rules
and regulations of the Commission thereunder, specifically Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X, and stating
in effect (1) that in their opinion, the financial statements and schedules audited by them and
incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus comply as to form in all
material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act, and the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended the (“Exchange Act”) and the published rules and regulations
thereunder, (2) that although they have not audited any financial statements of the Company as of
any date or for any period subsequent to the prior-year audit, and although they have conducted an
audit for that period, the purpose (and therefore the scope) of the audit was to enable them to
express their opinion on the financial statements as of that date and for the year then ended, but
not on the financial statements for any interim period within that year; therefore, they are unable
to and do not express any opinion on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of the
latest available interim date, and the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income,
reinvested earnings, and cash flows for the latest available interim period subsequent to that
prior-year audit which are included in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and for the
comparable period of the preceding year; they have performed the procedures specified by the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for a review of interim financial information as
described in SAS No. 71, Interim Financial Information, on the latest available unaudited interim
condensed consolidated financial statements prepared by the Company, inquired of certain officials
of the Company responsible for financial and accounting matters, and read the minutes of the Board
of Directors and shareholders of the Company, all of which procedures have been agreed to by the
Purchasers, nothing has come to their attention which caused them to believe that: (a) any
unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements incorporated by reference in the
Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus (i) do not comply as to form in all material respects with
the applicable accounting requirements of the Exchange Act as it applies to Form 10-Q and the
related published rules and regulations thereunder or (ii) have not been presented in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a basis substantially consistent with that
of the audited financial statements incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the
Prospectus; or (b) (i) as of the date of the latest available unaudited condensed consolidated
interim financial statement prepared by the Company, there have been any changes in the capital
stock or any increase in the short-term indebtedness or long-term debt of the Company or any
decrease in net assets, in each case as compared with the amounts shown on the latest balance sheet
incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, (ii) for the period from
the date of the latest financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing
Prospectus and the Prospectus to the specified date referred to in the preceding clause (i), there
were any decreases in operating revenues, net operating income, net income or the Company’s ratio
to earnings to fixed charges, in each case as compared with the comparable period of the preceding
year, or (iii) as of the Cutoff Date there have been any material changes in the capital stock or
any material increase in the debt of the Company, or any material decreases in net assets, in each
case as compared with amounts shown in the latest balance sheet included or incorporated by
reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, and (iv) for the period from the date of
the latest available interim financial statement referred to in clause (b)(i) above to the Cutoff
Date, there were any material decreases in operating revenues, net operating income or net income,
in each case as compared with the comparable period of the preceding year, except in all instances
for changes or decreases which the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or as disclosed
in such letter and except for changes occasioned by the declaration and payment of dividends on the
stock of Company or occasioned by sinking fund payments made on the debt securities of the Company,
and (3) that they have performed the following additional procedures with respect to the ratios of
earnings to fixed charges included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the
Prospectus: (i) compared the amounts used in the computation of such ratios with the amounts
included in the financial statements incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the
Prospectus and noted agreement in all material respects, and (ii) recomputed the ratios and noted
agreement in all material respects.