AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT OF NAVY, LLC DATED AS OF [_______], 201_
Exhibit
2.2
AMENDED
AND RESTATED
OF
NAVY,
LLC
DATED
AS OF [_______], 201_
THE
TRANSFER OF THE MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS IN THE COMPANY
DESCRIBED
IN THIS AGREEMENT IS RESTRICTED AS DESCRIBED HEREIN
Page
ARTICLE
1
DEFINITIONS
Section
1.01.
|
Defined
Terms
|
2
|
Section
1.02.
|
Other
Definitional and Interpretative Provisions
|
27
|
ARTICLE
2
ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section
2.01.
|
Formation
|
27
|
Section
2.02.
|
Name
|
28
|
Section
2.03.
|
Principal
Place of Business
|
28
|
Section
2.04.
|
Registered
Agent
|
29
|
Section
2.05.
|
Purpose
and Powers of the Company
|
29
|
Section
2.06.
|
Term
|
29
|
Section
2.07.
|
Filings;
Qualification in Other Jurisdictions
|
29
|
Section
2.08.
|
Company
Property
|
30
|
Section
2.09.
|
Transactions
with Members and Directors
|
30
|
Section
2.10.
|
Uncertificated
Membership Interests
|
30
|
ARTICLE
3
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND PREEMPTIVE RIGHTS
Section
3.01.
|
Initial
Capital Contributions
|
30
|
Section
3.02.
|
Additional
Capital Contributions
|
30
|
Section
3.03.
|
Issuance
of Membership Interests
|
31
|
Section
3.04.
|
Withdrawal
of Capital
|
31
|
Section
3.05.
|
Capital
Accounts.
|
32
|
Section
3.06.
|
No
Interest
|
32
|
Section
3.07.
|
Preemptive
Rights
|
33
|
ARTICLE
4
CERTAIN RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS
Section
4.01.
|
Members
|
35
|
Section
4.02.
|
No
Action on Behalf of the Company; No Dissent Rights
|
35
|
Section
4.03.
|
No
Right to Withdraw
|
35
|
Section
4.04.
|
Member
Meetings
|
35
|
Section
4.05.
|
Notice
of Meetings
|
36
|
Section
4.06.
|
Quorum;
Telephonic Meetings
|
36
|
Section
4.07.
|
Voting
|
36
|
Section
4.08.
|
Action
Without a Meeting
|
37
|
i
(continued)
Page
Section
4.09.
|
Record
Date
|
37
|
Section
4.10.
|
Member
Approval Rights
|
38
|
Section
4.11.
|
Reimbursements
|
40
|
Section
4.12.
|
Partition
|
40
|
Section
4.13.
|
Liability
|
40
|
ARTICLE
5
BOARD AND OFFICERS
Section
5.01.
|
Board
|
40
|
Section
5.02.
|
Required
Board Actions
|
43
|
Section
5.03.
|
Removal
and Resignation
|
46
|
Section
5.04.
|
Meetings
of the Board
|
46
|
Section
5.05.
|
Action
Without a Meeting
|
48
|
Section
5.06.
|
Chairman
of the Board
|
48
|
Section
5.07.
|
Committees
of the Board
|
49
|
Section
5.08.
|
Officers;
Designation and Election of Officers; Duties
|
49
|
Section
5.09.
|
Strategic
Plans
|
51
|
Section
5.10.
|
Controlled
Company
|
51
|
ARTICLE
6
DUTIES, EXCULPATION AND INDEMNIFICATION
Section
6.01.
|
Duties,
Exculpation and Indemnification
|
52
|
Section
6.02.
|
Other
Activities; Business Opportunities
|
54
|
ARTICLE
7
ACCOUNTING, TAX, FISCAL AND LEGAL MATTERS
Section
7.01.
|
Fiscal
Year
|
56
|
Section
7.02.
|
Bank
Accounts
|
56
|
Section
7.03.
|
Books
of Account and Other Information
|
56
|
Section
7.04.
|
Auditors
|
57
|
Section
7.05.
|
Certain
Tax Matters
|
57
|
ARTICLE
8
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Section
8.01.
|
Allocations.
|
59
|
Section
8.02.
|
Distributions.
|
62
|
ii
(continued)
Page
ARTICLE
9
|
TRANSFERS, REDEMPTION/PURCHASE RIGHTS AND ADDITIONAL MEMBERS
|
Section
9.01.
|
Restrictions
on Transfers
|
64
|
Section
9.02.
|
GE/HoldCo
Redemption Rights
|
65
|
Section
9.03.
|
Comcast
Purchase Rights
|
70
|
Section
9.04.
|
Redemption/Purchase
Transactions
|
74
|
Section
9.05.
|
Determination
of Fully Distributed Public Market Value
|
76
|
Section
9.06.
|
Comcast
Right of First Offer
|
78
|
Section
9.07.
|
Comcast
Right With Respect to Rule 144 Sales
|
81
|
Section
9.08.
|
Back-End
Transaction
|
82
|
Section
9.09.
|
HoldCo
Tag-Along Right
|
84
|
Section
9.10.
|
Comcast
Drag-Along Right
|
86
|
Section
9.11.
|
Additional
Members
|
87
|
Section
9.12.
|
Termination
of Member Status; Redemption or Xxxxxxxxxx
|
00
|
Section
9.13.
|
Void
Transfers
|
89
|
Section
9.14.
|
Transfer
Indemnification; Other Tax Matters
|
89
|
ARTICLE
10
COVENANTS
|
Section
10.01.
|
Confidentiality
|
91
|
Section
10.02.
|
Related
Party Transactions
|
93
|
Section
10.03.
|
Non-Competition
|
96
|
Section
10.04.
|
Structuring
of an IPO
|
98
|
Section
10.05.
|
Compliance
by Subsidiaries
|
98
|
Section
10.06.
|
Acquisition
of Company Principal Businesses
|
98
|
Section
10.07.
|
Weather
Channel
|
101
|
ARTICLE
11
FINANCIAL REPORTING
|
Section
11.01
|
Annual
Financial Information
|
102
|
Section
11.02.
|
Quarterly
Financial Information
|
104
|
Section
11.03.
|
Certain
Other Provisions Regarding Financial Reporting
|
105
|
Section
11.04.
|
GE
Annual Statements
|
106
|
Section
11.05.
|
Access
to Management Personnel and Information
|
107
|
Section
11.06.
|
GE
Public Filings
|
107
|
Section
11.07.
|
Compensation
for Providing Information
|
107
|
Section
11.08.
|
Liability
|
107
|
Section
11.09.
|
Other
Agreements Providing for Exchange of Information
|
108
|
iii
(continued)
|
Page
ARTICLE
12
DISSOLUTION, LIQUIDATION AND TERMINATION
|
Section
12.01.
|
No
Dissolution
|
108
|
Section
12.02.
|
Events
Causing Dissolution
|
108
|
Section
12.03.
|
Bankruptcy
of a Member
|
108
|
Section
12.04.
|
Winding
Up
|
108
|
Section
12.05.
|
Distribution
of Assets
|
109
|
Section
12.06.
|
Distributions
in Cash or in Kind
|
110
|
Section
12.07.
|
Claims
of the Members
|
111
|
ARTICLE
13
|
MISCELLANEOUS
|
Section
13.01.
|
Further
Assurances
|
111
|
|
Section
13.02.
|
Amendment
or Modification
|
111
|
|
Section
13.03.
|
Waiver;
Cumulative Remedies
|
112
|
|
Section
13.04.
|
Entire
Agreement
|
112
|
|
Section
13.05.
|
Third
Party Beneficiaries
|
112
|
|
Section
13.06.
|
Non-Assignability;
Binding Effect
|
113
|
|
Section
13.07.
|
Severability
|
114
|
|
Section
13.08.
|
Injunctive
Relief
|
114
|
|
Section
13.09.
|
Governing
Law
|
114
|
|
Section
13.10.
|
Submission
to Jurisdiction
|
115
|
|
Section
13.11.
|
Waiver
of Jury Trial
|
115
|
|
Section
13.12.
|
Notices
|
115
|
|
Section
13.13.
|
Counterparts
|
116
|
EXHIBITS
|
|||
Exhibit
A
|
-
|
Example
of Redemption Purchase Price Calculation
|
|
Exhibit
B
|
-
|
Strategic
Plan
|
|
Exhibit
C
|
-
|
Compliance
Plan
|
|
Exhibit
D
|
-
|
Registration
Rights
|
|
Exhibit
E-1
|
-
|
Description
of Back-End Transaction
|
|
Exhibit
E-2
|
-
|
Terms
of Company Preferred Interests
|
|
Exhibit
E-3
|
-
|
Terms
of New HoldCo Preferred Interests
|
|
Exhibit
F
|
-
|
Financial
Reporting Adjustments
|
|
SCHEDULES
|
|||
|
|
||
Schedule
4.01
|
-
|
Member
Information
|
|
Schedule 7.05 |
-
|
Company
Tax Principles
|
AMENDED
AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT
This
AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT of Navy, LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), is made as of [______], 201_, by and among [_________], [_________], [_________] (each, an “Initial Comcast Member”
and collectively,
the “Initial Comcast
Members”), Navy Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Initial GE Member” or “HoldCo”), each other Person
who at any time becomes a Member in accordance with the terms of this Agreement
and the Act, and Comcast Corporation, a Pennsylvania corporation (“Comcast”), and General
Electric Company, a New York corporation (“GE”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS,
the Company was formed on November 12, 2009, by the filing of a Certificate of
Formation (as amended or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Certificate of Formation”)
with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and the adoption of that
certain Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Company dated as of December
1, 2009 by Navy Holdings, Inc., as the initial sole member of the Company (the
“Original LLC Agreement”);
WHEREAS,
pursuant to a Master Agreement dated as of December 3, 2009 (as amended or
otherwise modified from time to time, the “Master Agreement”) by and among GE,
NBC Universal, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“NBCU”), Comcast and the
Company, Comcast and GE agreed to contribute (or cause to be contributed)
certain assets and liabilities to the Company;
WHEREAS,
pursuant to the Master Agreement, in consideration of their respective
contributions, the parties thereto agreed that the Company would issue
Membership Interests in the Company to the Initial Comcast Members and the
Initial GE Member;
WHEREAS,
pursuant to the Master Agreement, the parties thereto agreed that immediately
after the contributions referred to above are made, the Initial Comcast Members
would purchase from the Initial GE Member a number of Membership Interests such
that, upon the consummation of such purchase, the Comcast Members’ aggregate
Percentage Interests would equal 51% and GE’s Percentage Interest would equal
49%; and
WHEREAS,
concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Closing
contemplated by the Master Agreement has been consummated.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the agreements and obligations set forth herein
and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which
are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE
1
DEFINITIONS
Section
1.01. Defined Terms.
(a) In this Agreement, except where the context otherwise requires:
“Act” means the Delaware
Limited Liability Company Act, 6 Del. C. § 18-101, et seq., as amended from time
to time.
“Affiliate” means, with respect
to any specified Person, any other Person that, at the time of determination,
directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is
controlled by or is under common control with such specified Person. Unless
otherwise specifically stated, the term “Affiliate” does not include: (x) the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries when used with respect to Comcast, GE or
HoldCo or any of their respective Subsidiaries and (y) Comcast, GE or any of
their respective Subsidiaries when used with respect to the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries. “Affiliated” and “Affiliation” shall have
correlative meanings.
“Agreed Adjustments” shall have
the meaning, and be prepared in accordance with the provisions, set forth in
Exhibit F.
“Agreement” means this Amended
and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement, as it may be amended or
otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with Section
13.02.
“Annual Tax Distribution
Amount” means, with respect to a Tax Year, an amount equal to the product
of (x) the aggregate amount of net taxable income and gain allocated to the
Members pursuant to Section 8.01(d)(i) in respect of such Tax Year, reduced by the amount of any
deductions of Comcast during such Tax Year as a result of any tax basis
adjustments pursuant to Section 743(b) of the Code attributable to the
transaction set forth in Section 2.04 of the Master Agreement and (y) the
Applicable Tax Rate. For the avoidance of doubt, the Annual Tax Distribution
Amount shall be calculated without regard to any allocations pursuant to
Sections 8.01(d)(ii) and 8.01(d)(iii) in connection with the disposition of an
asset.
“Applicable Accounting Method”
means the applicable accounting method by which GE is required, in accordance
with GAAP, to account for its
investment
in the Company (namely, on a consolidated basis, under the equity method or
under the cost method).
“Applicable Tax Rate” means,
with respect to a Tax Year, the combined federal, state and local income tax
rate (giving effect to the deductibility of state and local income taxes for
federal income tax purposes) that would have applied to the Company during such
Tax Year if it were a corporation for U.S. federal income tax
purposes.
“Appraiser” means any
investment bank that, according to any nationally recognized data provider, was
one of the top ten underwriters of equity offerings by United States issuers in
the United States during the calendar year immediately preceding the year in
which the Appraiser is engaged.
“Available Cash” means all cash
and cash equivalents of the Company and its Subsidiaries in excess of $300
million.
“Back-End Trigger Condition” means HoldCo is a
member of GE’s federal income tax
purposes immediately prior to the consolidated group for U.S. exercise of a
Roll-Up Right.
“BBN Holdings” means BBN
Holdings, Inc. and any successors thereto.
“Board” means the board of
directors of the Company.
“Business” means (i) the
production, development, publication, distribution, licensing, exploitation and
aggregation of content (on any medium now known or hereafter devised),
including: (A) acquiring, producing, developing, distributing, licensing,
syndicating, marketing and selling content; (B) acquiring, producing,
developing, distributing, licensing, syndicating, marketing and selling news
(including weather), sports, information and all manner of entertainment
programming (including original programming) and other related content and
merchandising relating thereto, including out-of-the-home media platforms (e.g., taxicabs); (C)
acquiring, producing, developing, distributing, licensing, syndicating,
marketing and selling motion pictures in theatrical and non-theatrical, home
video/DVD, television, electronic sell-through, PPV, VOD and by any other means;
(D) acquiring, producing, developing, distributing, licensing, marketing and
selling musical compositions, including publishing and recorded music; (E)
providing network television services to affiliated broadcast television
stations; (F) owning, operating and/or investing in television broadcasting
stations including locally programmed cable channels for areas served by NBC
network television stations owned by the Company (other than KNTV and WMAQ); (G)
owning, operating and/or investing in cable/satellite programming networks
(including RSNs); (H) owning and/or operating film and television production
facilities; (I) acquiring, producing, developing, distributing,
3
licensing,
syndicating, marketing and publishing video games; (J) owning, operating,
developing and/or investing in internet websites in order to make content
available on such sites (and similar sites including sites for mobile access and
applications for the delivery of content digitally) and other digital businesses
related to any of the foregoing permitted under clauses (A) through (I) above;
(K) sale of national or local advertising which may include targeted/addressable
or interactive advertising; and (L) acquiring, producing, developing and
presenting live theatrical works; and (ii) the ownership or investment in and/or
operation of theme parks and resorts. “Business” shall include both
businesses conducted on the date hereof and as could reasonably be expected to
be conducted in the future, including any future businesses derived from or that
are successors to existing businesses (including as a result of technological
advances). It is acknowledged and understood that (x) certain elements of the
Business include and will in the future include functionalities such as social
networking and commerce that are ancillary to the Business (e.g., the sale of merchandise
and other media containing content acquired, produced, developed, published,
licensed or exploited by the Business), (y) the business of Xxxxxxxx.xxx
includes as a principal element e- commerce (i.e., the sale of tickets and
advertising) and (z) the Company may distribute its content on an ad-supported,
subscription or pay-per-use basis.
“Business Day” means a day
ending at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time), other than a Saturday, a Sunday or other
day on which commercial banks in New York, New York or Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania are authorized or obligated by Law to close.
“Capital Contributions” means
Initial Capital Contributions and Additional Capital Contributions.
“Capital Markets Activities”
means any activities undertaken in connection with efforts by any Person to
raise for or on behalf of any other Person capital from any public or private
source.
“Change in Tax Law” means any
change in applicable U.S. federal income tax Laws after the date of this
Agreement.
“Closing” has the meaning set
forth in the Master Agreement.
“Closing Date” means the date
of the Closing.
“Code” means the United States
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Comcast Blackout Period” means
(i) with respect to any fiscal quarter of Comcast, the blackout period
applicable to senior management of Comcast with respect to such fiscal quarter
and (ii) if Comcast furnishes to GE and the
4
Company a
written notice signed by an officer of Comcast stating that, as of the date of
such notice, Comcast has pending or in process a material transaction (including
a financing transaction or a material acquisition (whether such acquisition
occurs by way of stock purchase or exchange, asset purchase or exchange, merger,
consolidation or similar transaction) by Comcast or any of its Subsidiaries of
the business or a line of business of a Person that is not an Affiliate of
Comcast), the disclosure of which would, in the good faith judgment of Comcast’s
board of directors, materially and adversely affect Comcast, the period
commencing on the date on which such notice is given and ending on the earlier
of (A) the date that is 60 days after the date on which such notice was given
and (B) the date on which the material transaction that necessitated such notice
is abandoned or publicly disclosed.
“Comcast De Minimis Business”
means an equity interest in any Person engaged in the video programming network
business that is acquired by Comcast or any of its Subsidiaries (other than the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries) as consideration for commitments made in a
distribution agreement by Comcast’s multichannel video distribution business;
provided that the total
amount of Comcast’s and such Subsidiaries’ equity interests in any such Person
shall not exceed 25%.
“Comcast Member” means any
Initial Comcast Member as of the Closing and, thereafter, any of Comcast or any
of its direct or indirect wholly- owned Subsidiaries that then is a
Member.
“Comcast Permitted Business”
means: (I) (i) the multichannel video distribution business (e.g., the principal business
now conducted by Comcast’s Cable Division), by any distribution method (cable,
satellite, wireless, etc.) or technology (analog, digital, etc.) and to any type
of end-user equipment (television, computer, phone, etc.); (ii) Internet access
service (i.e., the
principal Internet business now conducted by Comcast’s Cable Division) and
Internet portal service (e.g., the principal business
now conducted by Comcast’s Comcast Interactive Media Division through
xxxxxxx.xxx), including applications and services provided or offered in
conjunction therewith (e.g., email, cross-platform
services, games, computer security, photo and file storage, etc.), by any
distribution method (cable, satellite, wireless, etc.) and to any type of
end-user equipment (television, computer, phone, etc.); (iii) Internet
businesses primarily focused on: (A) the aggregation, packaging and distribution
of content (e.g., the
principal business now conducted by Comcast’s Comcast Interactive Media Division
now known as xxxxxxx.xxx and the provision of authenticated programming), for
Comcast or others, including content downloading; (B) the sale of goods or
services through an Internet interface, including games (e.g., xxxxxx.xxx;
xxxxxxx.xxx; etc.); and (C) applications (e.g., maps, concierge
services, social networking, etc. (including the business of Plaxo, Inc.)); (iv)
webhosting and other Internet infrastructure services; (v) voice and data
services,
5
by any
distribution method (cable, satellite, wireless, etc.) and to any type of end-
user equipment (television, computer, phone, etc.); (vi) home and business
security services; (vii) the operation and management of sports teams and event
venues; (viii) the food services business; (ix) the ticketing business to events
other than movies, by any distribution method (online or physical); (x) the
production of advertising and the sale of advertising time (including
targeted/addressable and interactive advertising) for Comcast and others
(provided that this shall not include National Advertising), including through
Canoe Ventures, LLC (“Canoe”) and National Cable
Communications LLC (“NCC”); (xi) the provision of
content formatting, transmission and distribution services for video content and
advertising for Comcast and others (e.g., the business of
thePlatform, Inc. and National Digital Television Center, LLC (i.e., the Comcast
Media Center)); (xii) the provision of technical services, software, databases
and other technology (for Comcast or others) related to the businesses referred
to above, including hardware and software development and licensing (e.g., authentication and
other security services) and cross-platform services (e.g., xxxxxxx.xxx’s iPhone
application); (xiii) (A) the production and distribution of public access,
leased access and local origination programming and other programming required
under the terms of any cable television franchise agreement, (B) the production,
licensing and distribution of video-on-demand programming (e.g., Select on Demand) and
(C) the ownership and operation of locally programmed cable channels (e.g., Comcast Entertainment
Television, Comcast Hometown Network, CN100 and C2), in each case for carriage
on Comcast’s and other multichannel video distributors’ systems (other than
locally programmed cable channels for areas served by NBC network broadcast
television stations owned by the Company (other than KNTV and WMAQ)); (xiv) any
business or activity reasonably ancillary to any of the foregoing; and (xv) any
business or activity that represents an evolution over time of any of the
business referred to above; provided that neither clause (I)(xiv) nor (I)(xv)
shall include the ownership of any interest in, or the operation or management
of, any Company Principal Business; (II) the ownership of the following
interests: (A) Big Ten Network, LLC – 4.99% [profit participation]; (B) Canoe –
48.5%; (C) Current Media, LLC – 10%; (D) Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem
(DECE), LLC – membership interest; (E) Driver TV LLC – 6.5%; (F) MGM Holdings,
Inc. – 20%; (G) NHL Network US, L.P. – 15.6%; (H) Music Choice – 12.4%; (I)
Pittsburgh Cable News Channel LLC– 30%; and (J) The MLB Network, LLC – 8.34%;
(III) the ownership and operation of the following interests/businesses: (A)
XxxxXxxxXXX.xxx, L.L.C. – 100%; (B) Comcast Digital, LLC – 100%; (C) In Demand
L.L.C. – 53.9%; (D) NCC – 60%; (E) National Digital Television Center, LLC and
its subsidiaries – 100%; (F) Plaxo, Inc. – 100%; (G) thePlatform, Inc. and its
subsidiary – 97%; and (H) Vehix, Inc. – 100%; (IV) any changes in the ownership
of the entities listed in clauses (II)(A), (C), (E), (G), (H) and (J), provided
no such interest shall exceed 25%; (V) any increase in the ownership of the
entities listed in clauses (II)(B) and (I) and (III)(C), (D) and (G); (VI) the
ownership and operation of any assets
6
acquired
in accordance with Section 6.22; (VII) any Comcast De Minimis Business; (VIII)
acting as an affiliate of MyNetwork TV in the Ft. Xxxxx/Naples, Florida area;
(IX) the ownership and operation of websites relating to Comcast Corporation
(e.g., xxxxxxx.xxx, xxxxx.xxx and xxxxx.xxx); and (X) ownership of the following
investments of Comcast Interactive Capital, L.P. (Comcast’s internal venture
capital arm); provided
that the amount of any such investment shall not exceed 25%: Jingle Networks,
JiWire, Oberon Media and XX Xxxxxx.
“Comcast Transfer Date” means
the earlier to occur of (x) the date of the closing of the First HoldCo
Redemption Right, if exercised, and (y) the fourth anniversary of the Closing
Date; provided that if,
as of the fourth anniversary of the Closing Date, the First HoldCo Redemption
Right has been exercised but not consummated, the “Comcast Transfer Date” shall
be the earlier of (i) the date of the closing of the First HoldCo Redemption
Right and (ii) the date on which the First HoldCo Redemption Right is abandoned
because any required Governmental Approvals cannot be obtained or for any other
reason.
“Commission” means the
Securities and Exchange Commission or any other federal agency at the time
administering the Securities Act.
“Company Auditors” means the
independent certified public accountants of the Company, as may be engaged by
the Company from time to time.
“Company Group” means the
Company, each Subsidiary of the Company immediately after the Closing and each
other Person that is controlled directly or indirectly by the Company
immediately after the Closing.
“Company Principal Businesses”
means: (i) the National Broadcast Network business; (ii) the local broadcast
television business, including locally programmed cable channels for areas
serviced by NBC network television stations owned or operated by the Company
(other than KNTV and WMAQ); (iii) the theme park and resort businesses; (iv) the
video programming network business (including RSNs) (e.g., USA, E!, etc.) (it
being the parties intention that this clause (iv) include reference to a
non-linear network (such as FEARnet) which is intended to operate as a
stand-alone programming network with a business plan to operate at a profit
predicated principally on obtaining distribution from multichannel video
distribution providers including Comcast and others, but not include
video-on-demand programming (such as Select on Demand) which is intended to
operate principally as part of Comcast’s and/or others’ multichannel video
business); (v) the production, sale and distribution of television programming
(e.g., the principal
business now conducted by NBCU’s Universal Media Studios and Universal Cable
Productions and the related business of licensing or distributing television
programming); (vi) the production, sale and distribution of filmed entertainment
(i.e., motion pictures)
(it being the parties’ intention that the use of the terms “production, sale and
distribution” in clauses
7
(v) and
(vi) shall have the meanings customarily ascribed to them in the television
production and film production businesses, as opposed to the multichannel video
distribution business); (vii) the sale of tickets online and the sale of
advertising to support such business; and (viii) National Advertising. For the
avoidance of doubt, it is agreed that the parties intention is that the term
Company Principal Business does not, for the purposes of Section 10.03(a),
prevent, or for the purposes of Section 10.06, include, the conduct by any
Person covered thereby of any business that is a part of any of the enumerated
businesses in clauses (i) through (viii) above unless conducted as part of the
enumerated business itself (e.g., operating a website is
not covered by clause (iv) above unless the website is being operated as part of
conducting a video programming network business).
“Company Securities” means any
securities (including debt securities) issued by the Company.
“Control” means, as to any
Person, the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and
policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by
contract or otherwise. The terms “controlled by”, “controlled”, “under common control with” and
“controlling” shall
have correlative
meanings.
“Corporate Reporting Data”
means the data necessary to provide GE the ability to apply the equity method of
accounting (including consolidated trial balance data supporting balance sheet,
statement of operations, members equity, comprehensive income accounts and
reasonable mapping information with respect thereto) with respect to its
investment in the Company.
“Cushion Percentage” means (A)
with respect to the transaction occurring pursuant to Section 9.02(a), 20%, and
(B) with respect to any transaction not described in clause (A), (i) if such
transaction occurs on or after the three and one half year anniversary of the
Closing Date and before the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date, 15%, (ii) if
such transaction occurs on or after the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date
and before the sixth anniversary of the Closing Date, 12%, (iii) if such
transaction occurs on or after the sixth anniversary of the Closing Date and
before the seventh anniversary of the Closing Date, 7.5%, and (iv) if such
transaction occurs on or after the seventh anniversary of the Closing Date,
5%.
“Debt” of any Person means (i)
all debt of such Person for borrowed money or for the deferred purchase price of
property or services (other than trade payables and other similar obligations
incurred in the ordinary course of business), (ii) all obligations of such
Person which are evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or similar instruments,
(iii) all obligations of such Person that have been, or should be, in accordance
with GAAP, recorded as capital leases, (iv) all obligations of such Person that
have been, or should be, in accordance with
8
GAAP,
recorded as a sale-leaseback transaction or leveraged lease, (v) all obligations
of such Person in respect of letters of credit or acceptances issued or created
for the account of such Person, (vi) all liabilities secured by any lien granted
on assets or properties of such Person, whether or not the obligations secured
thereby have been assumed, and (vii) all direct or indirect guarantees
(including “keep well” arrangements, support agreements and similar agreements)
with respect to Debt of any other Person referred to in clauses (i) through (vi)
of such Person; provided,
however, that for the purposes of Sections 4.10(a), 5.02(a)(i),
5.02(a)(iii) and 9.02(c)(ii):
(A) Debt
shall not include (1) trade and other ordinary course payables and accrued
expenses arising in the ordinary course of business, (2) deferred
compensation, pension and other post-employment benefit liabilities, (3) take or
pay obligations arising in the ordinary course of business,
(4) obligations arising
under the Credit Agreement, dated as of March 2, 1998 (the “Lin Credit Agreement”),
between General Electric Capital Corporation and Station Venture Holdings, LLC
(the “LLC”) (as
successor in interest to Lin Television of Texas, L.P.), so long as the
obligations of the Company, NBCU or any of their respective Subsidiaries (other
than the LLC or Station Ventures Holdings, LP or any of their respective
Subsidiaries) arising under the Lin Credit Agreement or any related credit
support, risk of loss or similar arrangement constitute NBCU Excluded
Liabilities (as defined in the Master Agreement) and (5) non-recourse Debt under
any Factoring Agreement;
and
(B) the
amount of any Debt described in clause (v), (vi) or (vii) shall only be included
to the extent such Debt is consolidated on such Person’s balance sheet in
accordance with GAAP.
“Default Recovery Activities”
means the exercise of any rights or remedies in connection with any Capital
Markets Activities, Financing, Insurance, Leasing, Other Financial Services
Activities or Securities Activities (whether such rights or remedies arise under
any agreement relating to such activity, under applicable Law or otherwise),
including any foreclosure, realization or repossession or ownership of any
collateral, business assets or other security for any Financing (including the
equity in any entity or business), Insurance or Other Financial Services
Activities or any property subject to Leasing.
“Depreciation” means, for each
Tax Year, an amount equal to the depreciation, amortization, or other cost
recovery deduction allowable for federal income tax purposes with respect to an
asset for such Tax Year, except that if (a) with respect to any asset the Gross
Asset Value of which differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax
purposes at the beginning of such Tax Year and which difference is being
eliminated by use of the “remedial allocation method” as defined by Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-3(d), Depreciation for such Tax Year shall be the
amount of book basis recovered for such Tax Year
9
under the
rules prescribed by Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-3(d)(2), and (b) with
respect to any other assets the Gross Asset Value that differs from its adjusted
tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Tax Year,
Depreciation shall be an amount which bears the same ratio to such beginning
Gross Asset Value as the federal income tax depreciation, amortization, or other
cost recovery deduction for such Tax Year bears to such beginning adjusted tax
basis; provided,
however, in the case of clause (b) above, if the adjusted tax basis for
federal income tax purposes of an asset at the beginning of such Tax Year is
zero, Depreciation shall be determined with reference to such beginning Gross
Asset Value using any reasonable method selected by the Tax Matters Member
unless such method could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the
Initial GE Member or any of its Affiliates that is material and disproportionate
as to its effect on other Members or their Affiliates, in which case such method
shall not be selected without the consent of the Initial GE Member, which
consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
“EBITDA” means, other than for
purposes of Section 9.05(c), for any period,
net
income of any Person and its consolidated Subsidiaries plus or minus, to the
extent included in the calculation of net income for such period, and without
duplication:
(a) extraordinary
expenses or losses and unusual or non-recurring non-cash expenses or losses
(including, whether or not otherwise includable as a separate item in the
statement of such consolidated net income for such period, (x) non-cash losses
from dispositions of assets not in the ordinary course of business and
(y) goodwill
or intangible asset impairment);
(b) any
extraordinary income or gains and any unusual or non-recurring non-cash income
or gains (including, whether or not otherwise includable as a separate item in
the statement of such consolidated net income for such period, gains on
dispositions of assets not in the ordinary course of business);
(c)
restructuring charges deemed to be one time in nature (excluding charges
incurred in the ordinary course of business), including restructuring charges in
connection with the Transactions (as defined in the NBCU Financing (as defined
in the Master Agreement), the Alternative Financing (as defined in the Master
Agreement) and any amendments, supplements, modifications, extensions, renewals,
restatements or refundings thereof and any indentures, credit facilities, bridge
facilities or commercial paper facilities that replace, refund or refinance
any
10
part of
the loans, notes, other credit facilities or commitments thereunder,
collectively, the “Credit
Facilities”), whether or not otherwise includable as a separate item in
the statement of such consolidated net income for such period, solely to the
extent such charges are agreed between NBCU and the lenders under the Credit
Facilities to be added back to Consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the Credit
Facilities) for purposes of the calculation of Consolidated Leverage Ratio (as
defined in the Credit Facilities) under the Credit Facilities; provided that the aggregate
amount of cash charges permitted to be added back to consolidated net income
under this clause (iii) shall not exceed $250 million in any
period;
(d) transaction
expenses directly related to the Transactions (as defined in the Credit
Facilities) paid by NBCU or its Subsidiaries in accordance with Section 12.02 of
the Master Agreement;
(e) net
income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests;
(f) income
tax expense or benefit;
(g) interest
expense (including intercompany interest expense, and amortization or write-off
of debt issuance costs and commissions, discounts and other fees and charges
associated with Debt but excluding capitalized interest expense) and the net
amount accrued (whether or not actually paid) pursuant to any interest rate
protection agreement during such period (or minus the net amount receivable
(whether or not actually received) during such period);
(h) depreciation
and amortization expense and impairment of tangible, intangible assets and
goodwill, including amortization of intangibles, but excluding (x) amortization
expenses relating to film, television or similar entertainment rights,
investment or inventory other than amortization of adjustments recorded in the
application of purchase accounting in connection with the closing of the
Transactions and (y) amortization of programming distribution rights (i.e., launch
support);
11
(j) equity in
income or loss of unconsolidated investments or associated companies;
(k) interest
(including intercompany interest) and dividend income; provided that EBITDA shall
include the amount of cash dividends or distributions received from
unconsolidated investments or associated companies; and
(l) foreign
currency gains or losses.
If the
Company consolidates the earnings of Station Venture Holdings LLC and/or Station
Venture Operations L.P. during any pre-Closing period, the financial results of
such entity/entities shall be excluded from the calculation of EBITDA for such
period.
If during
any post-Closing period (1) the Company or NBCU, as applicable, consolidates the
earnings of Station Venture Holdings LLC and/or Station Venture Operations L.P.
and (2) the obligations of the Company, NBCU or any of their respective
Subsidiaries (other than Station Venture Holdings LLC and Station Venture
Operations L.P. or any of their respective Subsidiaries) arising under the
Credit Agreement, dated March 2, 1998, between Station Venture Holdings, LLC (as
successor to Lin Television of Texas, L.P.) or any related credit support, risk
of loss or similar arrangements are Excluded NBCU Liabilities (as defined in the
Master Agreement), the financial results of such entity/entities shall be
excluded from the calculation of EBITDA for such period.
“Equity Method Threshold” means
GE’s direct or indirect interest in the Company is such that any member of the
GE Group is required, in accordance with GAAP, to account for its investment in
the Company under the equity method of accounting as in effect with respect to
the applicable accounting period.
“Equity Securities” means (i)
any capital stock, partnership interests, limited liability company interests,
units or any other type of equity interest, or other indicia of equity ownership
(including profits interests, other than customary profit participations granted
in the media business) (collectively, “Interests”), (ii) any security
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, with or without
consideration, any Interests (including any option to purchase such convertible
security), (iii) any security carrying any warrant or right to subscribe to or
purchase any security described in clause (i) or clause (ii), (iv) any such
warrant or right or (v) any security issued in exchange for, upon conversion of
or with respect to any of the foregoing securities.
“Estimated Tax Distribution
Amount” means, with respect to a calendar quarter, an amount equal to one
quarter of the product of (x) the aggregate amount of net taxable income and
gain estimated by the Tax Matters Member to be allocated to the Members pursuant
to Section 8.01(d)(i) in respect of such calendar year, reduced by the amount of any
deductions of Comcast during such Tax Year as a result of any tax basis
adjustments pursuant to Section 743(b) of the Code attributable to the
transaction set forth in Section 2.04 of the Master Agreement, and (y) the
Applicable Tax Rate. For the avoidance of doubt, the Estimated Tax Distribution
amount shall be calculated without regard to any allocations pursuant to
Sections 8.01(d)(ii) and 8.01(d)(iii) in connection with the disposition of an
asset.
12
“Excess Amount” means an amount
(not less than zero) equal to (i) 120% of Public Market Value less (ii) [$28.15
billion]1.
“Existing Business Activities”
means any business conducted or investment held by GE or any of its Subsidiaries
or contemplated by any existing contractual arrangements applicable to GE or its
Subsidiaries, on the date of this Agreement after giving effect to the Closing,
as such business may evolve over time.
“Financial Services Business”
means any activities undertaken principally in connection with or in furtherance
of (i) Capital Markets Activities, (ii) Financing, (iii) Leasing, (iv) Default
Recovery Activities, (v) Other Financial Services Activities, (vi) Securities
Activities or (vii) the sale of Insurance, the conduct of any Insurance
brokerage activities or services or the provision of Insurance advisory
services, business processes or software. Financial Services Business also
includes any investment or ownership interest in a Person through an employee
benefit or pension plan.
“Financing” means the making
of, entering into, purchase of, or participation in (including syndication or
servicing activities), (i) secured or unsecured loans, conditional sales
agreements, debt instruments or transactions of a similar nature or for similar
purposes, (ii) non-voting preferred equity investments, and (iii) investments as
a limited partner in a partnership or as a member of a limited liability company
in which another Person who is not an Affiliate of the limited partner or member
is a general partner, manager or management member, or funds of funds in which
GE Capital is the general partner which consist only of investments of the type
referred to in this definition.
“GAAP” means:
(i) for
purposes of Article 11 hereof, the generally accepted accounting principles
adopted from time to time by an enterprise for financial reporting purposes,
which may refer to U.S. GAAP, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
GAAP, or other generally accepted accounting principles adopted by a reporting
enterprise. The parties agree that, in respect of any period prior to, and as of
the Closing Date, “GAAP” refers to U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles. In the event that either GE or Comcast, or any applicable members of
their respective Groups, adopts a new basis of accounting other than U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles, unless otherwise mutually agreed to in
writing by GE and Comcast, all information required to be prepared
and
1 This amount will be increased by the
purchase price for any Relevant Transactions (as defined in the Master Agreement)
contributed at Closing, if any.
provided
pursuant to Article 11 shall be prepared and provided based on GAAP as adopted
by Comcast for purposes of its reporting requirements.
(ii) for
purposes other than for Article 11 hereof, U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles.
“GE Auditors” means the
independent certified public accountants of GE, as may be engaged by GE from
time to time.
“GE De Minimis Business” means
(i) any minority equity investment by GE or any of its Subsidiaries in any
Person (A) in which GE or its Subsidiaries (x) do not have the right to
designate a majority of the members of the board of directors (or similar
governing body) of such Person, (y) hold less than 25% of the outstanding voting
securities or similar equity interests of such Person and (z) do not manage or
operate the business of such Person or make significant proprietary assets
(including the GE name or brand and any non-public information derived from any
Company Principal Business) available to such Person for use in such Person’s
business or (B) in which the amount invested by GE and its Subsidiaries,
collectively, is less than $25 million, (ii) any business activity conducted by
GE or any of its Subsidiaries that is ancillary to the conduct of their
principal businesses, it being understood that the Company Principal Business
will be deemed ancillary to a principal business if the Company Principal
Business is not conducted as a separate profitable business offering and
comprises not more than 20% of the value measured by the net operating profit of
the business activities of which it forms a part, (iii) any other business in
which Company Principal Business is conducted primarily in connection with (x)
the sale, purchase, leasing, financing, licensing, disposition, marketing or
distribution of goods and services that do not constitute Company Principal
Business, (y) the development, design, manufacture, use or application of such
goods and services referred to in clause (x), or (z) other activities incidental
to or provided in connection with the foregoing, including the provision to
actual or potential customers, consumers, end users or the public of news,
technical information or other material that is distributed for the purpose of
promoting demand for such goods or services that do not constitute Company
Principal Business, or of technical support, education, training and servicing
in connection with the provision of such goods or services that do not
constitute Company Principal Business, or (iv) research and development of
intellectual property or technology that could be used in both the Company
Principal Business and in connection with businesses of GE or any of its
Affiliates that do not constitute Company Principal Business.
“GE Group” means GE and each
Person (other than any member of the Company Group) that is an Affiliate of GE
immediately after the Closing.
14
“GE Public Filings” means GE’s
public earnings releases, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, annual reports to
shareholders, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any
amendments to any of the foregoing and any other proxy, information and
registration statements, reports, notices, prospectuses and any other filings
made by GE or any of its Subsidiaries with the Commission or any national
securities exchange.
“Governmental Approval” means
any authorization, consent, waiver, order and approval of any Governmental
Authority, including any applicable waiting periods associated
therewith.
“Governmental Authority” means
any transnational, domestic or foreign federal, state or local government,
political subdivision, governmental, regulatory or administrative authority,
instrumentality, agency, body or commission, self- regulatory organization or
any court, tribunal, or judicial or arbitral body.
“Group” means the GE Group or
the Company Group, as the context requires.
“Gross Asset Value” means with
respect to any asset, the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income tax
purposes, except as follows:
(i) The
initial Gross Asset Value of any asset contributed by a Member to the Company in
the Initial Capital Contribution and by Comcast or a Comcast Affiliate in any
subsequent contribution shall be the gross fair market value of such asset, as
mutually agreed by Comcast and the Initial GE Member. If Comcast and the Initial
GE Member are unable to reach agreement as to the initial Gross Asset Value of
any such asset, such amount shall be determined pursuant to a mutually agreeable
appraisal process. The initial Gross Asset Value of any other asset contributed
by a Member other than Comcast or a Comcast Affiliate to the Company shall be
the gross fair market value of such asset, as determined by the Tax Matters
Member in its reasonable discretion;
(ii) The Gross
Asset Value of any asset shall be adjusted to equal its gross fair market value
(taking Section 7701(g) of the Code into account), as determined by the Tax
Matters Member in its reasonable discretion as of the following times: (A) the
acquisition of an additional Membership Interest in the Company by any new or
existing Member; (B) the
making of an Additional Capital Contribution; (C) the distribution by the
Company to a Member of more than a de minimis amount of the Company’s property
as consideration for an interest in the Company; (D) the
liquidation of the Company within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g); and (E) the withdrawal of a Member from the Company; provided that an adjustment
described in
15
clauses
(A), (B) and (E) of this paragraph shall be made only if the Tax Matters Member
reasonably determines that such adjustment is necessary to reflect the relative
interests of the Members in the Company;
(iii) The Gross
Asset Value of any asset distributed to any Member shall be adjusted to equal
the gross fair market value (taking Section 7701(g) of the Code into account) of
such asset on the date of distribution as determined by the Tax Matters Member
in its reasonable discretion;
(iv) The Gross
Asset Value of any asset shall be increased (or decreased) to reflect any
adjustments to the adjusted basis of such asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or
743(b) of the Code, but only to the extent that such adjustments are taken into
account in determining Capital Accounts pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m); and
(v) If the
Gross Asset Value of an asset has been determined or adjusted pursuant to
subparagraph (i), (ii) or (iv), such Gross Asset Value shall thereafter be
adjusted by the Depreciation taken into account with respect to such asset, for
purposes of computing Profits and Losses;
provided, however, that if
the determination by the Tax Matters Member pursuant to clause (i),
(ii) or (iii) could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the
Initial GE Member or any of its Affiliates that is material and disproportionate
as to its effect on other Members or their Affiliates such determination shall
be subject to the consent of the Initial GE Member, which consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld or delayed.
“HoldCo Agreement” means the
Navy Holdco 2 Agreement the form of which is attached as an exhibit to the
Master Agreement.
“HoldCo Shareholder” means, at
any time, any Person who, at such time, directly owns any HoldCo
Shares.
“HoldCo Shares” means shares of
common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of HoldCo.
“Independent Director” means an
individual meeting the independence tests necessary for service on the audit
committee of a public company listed on any national securities exchange on
which the Company is listed if then listed.
“Insurance” means any product
or service determined to constitute insurance, assurance or reinsurance by the
Laws in effect in any jurisdiction.
16
“Investment Grade Credit
Rating” means that the Company’s senior unsecured long-term Debt is rated
at least BBB- by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and at least Baa3 by
Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc.; provided that if no such Debt
is outstanding at that time, then such Debt shall be deemed to be rated at those
ratings that the ratings agencies or their successors assign to Debt of the
Company having the hypothetical characteristics of such Debt on a “shadow
rating” or “indicative rating” basis.
“IPO” means the first
underwritten public offering of common Equity Securities of the Company that
results in such common Equity Securities of the Company being publicly
registered and traded.
“Law” means any transnational,
domestic or foreign federal, state or local statute, law, ordinance, regulation,
rule, code, order or other requirement or rule of law, including the common
law.
“Leasing” means the rental,
leasing, or financing under operating leases, finance leases or hire purchase or
rental agreements, of property, whether real, personal, tangible or
intangible.
“LIBOR” means the rate per
annum equal to the British Bankers Association LIBOR from Telerate Successor
Page 3750, as published by Reuters at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, on
the date of the commencement of the relevant interest period, as the rate for
dollar deposits with a three-month maturity. If such rate is not available at
such time for any reason, then “LIBOR” shall be the arithmetic
mean of the rates quoted by three major banks in the City of New York, selected
by the Company, at approximately 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of
the commencement of the relevant interest period for loans in U.S. dollars to
leading European banks in a principal amount equal to an amount not less than $1
million that is representative for a single transaction in such market at such
time.
“Member” means, at any time,
for so long as it holds any Membership Interests, (i) any Initial Comcast Member
and the Initial GE Member, as applicable, and (ii) any other Person who, after
the Closing, is admitted to the Company as a member in accordance with the terms
of this Agreement. No Person that is not a Member shall be deemed a “member” of
the Company under the Act.
“Membership Interest” means the
entire limited liability company interest(s) of a Member in the Company. A
Member’s Membership Interests include, but are not limited to, such Member’s
share of the Profits and Losses, its rights in its Capital Account, its right to
receive distributions of Company assets, and any and all of the benefits to
which such Member may be entitled as provided in this Agreement and in the Act,
together with the obligations of such Member to
17
comply
with all the provisions of this Agreement and of the Act. The Membership
Interests are divided into equal proportionate units of limited liability
company interests (including fractional units), with the number of Membership
Interests held by each Member set forth on Schedule 4.01, as amended from time
to time.
“Membership Percentage” means,
with respect to any Member as of any time, the number of Membership Interests
owned by such Member at such time divided by the aggregate number of Membership
Interests owned by all Members at such time.
“Mixed Competing Business
Acquisition” means a transaction involving both an acquisition of or an
investment in a Company Principal Business and an acquisition of or an
investment in a business that is not a Company Principal Business.
“NASDAQ” means the NASDAQ
National Market.
“National Advertising” means
the sale of traditional, linear advertising time (i.e., advertising that is not
targeted/addressable or interactive) for advertisements aired on any National
Broadcast Network or video programming network (as such term is used in the
definition of clause (iv) of Company Principal Business). For the avoidance of
doubt, it is agreed that this definition does not refer to advertising time that
is made available by (i) a National Broadcast Network for sale by a local
broadcast station (or its representatives) for local market insertion; or (ii) a
video programming network for sale by a multichannel video distributor (or its
representatives) for local market insertion.
“National Broadcast Network”
means a provider of television programming through a network of owned and
affiliated local broadcast stations to a substantial portion of the United
States.
“Non-Ordinary Course Related Party
Transaction” means a Related Party Transaction that is not an Ordinary
Course Related Party Transaction. Examples of Non-Ordinary Course Related Party
Transactions include transactions not within the scope of the definition of
Business or that involve the purchase, sale or lease (not including licenses of
intellectual property) of businesses or assets.
“Notice Date” means the date
either Comcast or HoldCo, as applicable, receives an Exercise
Notice.
“NYSE” means the New York Stock
Exchange.
18
“Ordinary Course Related Party
Transaction” means a Related Party Transaction that is within the
ordinary course of business of the Company and its Subsidiaries. Examples of
Ordinary Course Related Party Transactions include the entering into by the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries with Comcast or any of its Affiliates of
programming agreements, affiliation agreements, agreements with respect to
corporate overhead and support services (other than the Comcast Services
Agreement (as defined in the Master Agreement)) and other commercial agreements
of a type that are entered into between content producers and distributors in
the ordinary course of business. It is understood that entering into agreements
of this type will be considered Ordinary Course Related Party Transactions even
if they relate to new technologies or new types of arrangements that have not
previously been in place between the Company and its Subsidiaries and Comcast
and its Subsidiaries.
“Other Financial Services
Activities” means the offering, sale, distribution or provision, directly
or through any distribution system or channel, of any financial products,
financial services, asset management services, including investments on behalf
of GE’s financial services Affiliates purely for financial investment purposes,
investments for the benefit of third party and client accounts, credit card
products or services, vendor financing and trade payables services, back-office
billing, processing, collection and administrative services or products or
services related or ancillary to any of the foregoing.
“Percentage Interest” means, at
any time with respect to a Person who is a Member or a HoldCo Shareholder but is
not HoldCo or the Company, such Person’s “aggregate percent membership interest”
divided by the “residual percentage,” in each case calculated at such time,
where:
(i) “aggregate
percent membership interest” shall mean, with respect to a Person who is a
Member or a HoldCo Shareholder but is not HoldCo or the Company, the sum of (A)
such Person’s Membership Percentage and (B) the product of (x) HoldCo’s
Membership Percentage and (y) such Person’s “HoldCo interest”;
(ii) “HoldCo
interest” shall mean, with respect to a HoldCo Shareholder, the number of HoldCo
Shares directly owned by such HoldCo Shareholder divided by the aggregate number
of HoldCo Shares directly owned by all HoldCo Shareholders; and
(iii) “residual
percentage” shall mean the residual of (A) one minus (B) the product of (x)
HoldCo’s Membership Percentage and (y) the Company’s “HoldCo
interest.”
For
purposes of this Agreement, (i) reference to “GE’s Percentage Interest” shall
include Percentage Interests held by wholly-owned
19
Affiliates
of GE other than HoldCo and (ii) in order to avoid double counting, HoldCo’s
Percentage Interest is deemed to be zero.
“Person” means any natural
person, joint venture, general or limited partnership, corporation, limited
liability company, trust, firm, association or organization or other legal
entity.
“Profit” and “Loss” means, for each Tax
Year, an amount equal to the Company’s taxable income or loss for such Tax Year,
determined in accordance with Section 703(a) of the Code (for this purpose, all
items of income, gain, loss, or deduction required to be stated separately
pursuant to Section 703(a)(1) of the Code shall be included in taxable income or
loss), but with the following adjustments:
(i) Any
income of the Company that is exempt from federal income tax and not otherwise
taken into account in computing Profit or Loss shall be added to such taxable
income or loss;
(ii) Any
expenditures of the Company described in Section
705(a)(2)(B) of the Code or treated as expenditures described in Section
705(a)(2)(B) of the Code pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i) and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profit or
Loss shall be subtracted from such taxable income or loss;
(iii) In the
event Gross Asset Value of any asset of the Company is adjusted pursuant to
subparagraphs (ii), (iii), or (iv) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, the
amount of such adjustment shall be taken into account as gain or loss from the
disposition of such asset for purposes of computing Profit or Loss;
(iv) In lieu
of the depreciation, amortization, and other cost recovery deductions taken into
account in computing such taxable income or loss, there shall be taken into
account Depreciation for such Tax Year;
(v) Gain or
loss resulting from any disposition of property with respect to which gain or
loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes shall be computed by
reference to the Gross Asset Value of the property disposed of (adjusted for
accumulated Depreciation with respect to such property), notwithstanding that
the adjusted tax basis of such property differs from its Gross Asset Value;
and
(vi) Notwithstanding
any other provision of this definition, any items which are specially allocated
pursuant to Section 8.01(c) or 12.05(b) hereof shall not be taken into account
in computing net Profit or net Loss.
20
The
amounts of items of Company income, gain, loss or deduction available to be
specially allocated pursuant to Section 8.01(c) or 12.05(a) hereof shall be
determined by applying rules analogous to those set forth in subparagraphs (i)
through (v) above.
“Public Market Value” means (i)
prior to an IPO, an amount equal to Fully Distributed Public Market Value and
(ii) following an IPO, the aggregate common equity market value of the Company
based on the average of the daily volume weighted average per share trading
prices of Common Stock on the primary exchange or market on which it trades for
the 20 trading days ending on the second trading day immediately preceding the
closing of the applicable purchase transaction or such other date as provided in
this Agreement.
“Public Offering” means an
underwritten public offering of Registrable Securities pursuant to an effective
registration statement under the Securities Act, other than pursuant to a
registration statement on Form S-4 or Form S-8 or any similar or successor
form.
“Qualifying Public Offering”
means any Public Offering that is reasonably expected to yield gross proceeds
that, when aggregated with the gross proceeds from any previous Public
Offerings, equal at least $1.5 billion.
“Qualifying Securities” means
shares of Comcast common stock that are of any class or classes of Comcast’s
choosing; provided that
shares of such class or classes shall then be listed or traded on a national
securities exchange or quoted on an inter-dealer quotation system.
“Redemption Purchase Price”
means GE’s Percentage Interest of the Company being sold by GE, HoldCo and/or
their respective Affiliates, as the case may be, multiplied by an amount equal
to (i) 120% of Public Market Value less (ii) 50% of any Excess Amount. An
example of the calculation of the Redemption Purchase Price is set forth on
Exhibit A.
“Registrable Securities” means
shares of Common Stock owned by Comcast, GE or any of their respective
Affiliates; provided
that Registrable Securities shall not include any such securities received in a
transaction registered under the Securities Act. As to any particular securities
referred to in the immediately preceding sentence, once issued, such securities
shall cease to be Registrable Securities when (a) a registration statement with
respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the
Securities Act and such securities shall have been disposed of in accordance
with such registration statement, (b) they shall have been distributed to the
public pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, (c) registration under the
Securities Act is not required to permit the immediate disposition of such
securities on any exchange on which such securities are listed or on any
inter-dealer quotation system on which such
21
securities
are quoted; provided
that, notwithstanding the foregoing, such securities shall remain Registrable
Securities until such time as the aggregate value of such securities held by
Comcast and its Affiliates or GE and its Affiliates, as the case may be (based
on the average closing sale price of such security on the principal exchange on
which such security is listed or on the principal inter-dealer quotation system
on which such security is quoted during the preceding ten trading days), first
falls below $1 billion, (d) they shall have been otherwise transferred, and new
certificates for them not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall
have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of them
shall not, in the opinion of counsel to the holders (or in the opinion of
counsel to the Company, which counsel and opinion are reasonably satisfactory to
the holders), require registration of them under the Securities Act, or (e) they
shall have ceased to be outstanding.
“Related Party Transaction”
means any transaction, agreement or arrangement (including any termination of,
or modification of the terms of, any such transaction, agreement or arrangement
other than pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of such transaction,
agreement or arrangement) between (i) the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on
the one hand, and (ii) Comcast or any of its Affiliates, on the other hand,
except: (A) any transaction, agreement or arrangement entered into pursuant to
the Master Agreement, (B) any transaction, agreement or arrangement expressly
contemplated by the Master Agreement and (C) any renewal or extension of any
such transaction, agreement or arrangement pursuant to and in accordance with
its terms.
“Relevant Time” means, with
respect to a certification provided pursuant to Section 9.02(a), Section
9.03(b), Section 9.03(c), Section 9.06(a) or Section 9.08(b), the end of the
last day of the most recent Tax Year ended prior to the date of such
certification.
“Roll-Up Purchase Price” means,
with respect to a Roll-Up Right, (x)(A) in the case of any of the Roll-Up Rights
within the meaning of clauses (i) through (iii) of the definition of Roll-Up
Right, the Redemption Purchase Price, (B) in the case of a Roll-Up Right within
the meaning of clause (iv) of the definition of Roll-Up Right, the allocable
portion of Public Market Value and (C) in the case of a Roll-Up Right within the
meaning of clause (v) of the definition of Roll-Up Right, the ROFO Offer Price,
in each case calculated with respect to all of HoldCo’s Membership Interests
immediately prior to the exercise of such Roll-Up Right.
“Roll-Up Right” means each of
(i) the First Comcast Purchase Right, (ii) the Fourth Comcast Purchase Right,
(iii) to the extent it would give HoldCo and GE the right to sell all, but not
less than all, of the remainder of GE’s Percentage Interest at such time, the
Second HoldCo Redemption Right (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the
Second HoldCo Redemption Right if Comcast waives the
22
limitations
on its purchase obligation pursuant to Section 9.02(d) and elects to purchase
the remainder of GE’s Percentage Interest at such time), (iv) any Public
Offering Purchase Right that would give Comcast the right to acquire securities
representing all, but not less than all, of GE’s Percentage Interest at such
time and (v) any ROFO Offer that would give Comcast the right to acquire
securities representing all, but not less than all, of the remainder of GE’s
Percentage Interest at such time.
“Rule 144” means Rule 144 (or
any successor provisions) under the Securities Act.
“Satellite Business” means the
business of operating satellites and provision of satellite communication
services and related businesses in the satellite business sector, including the
following GE businesses and/or investments: Sat-GE Limited, Asia Satellite
Telecommunications Holdings Limited, SatLynx Holdings S.a.r.l., Star One S.A.
and Orbcomm, Inc.
“Securities Act” means the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Securities Activities” means
any activities, functions or services (without regard to where such activities,
functions or services actually occur) subject to any Law governing, regulating
or pertaining to the sale, distribution or underwriting of securities or the
provision of investment management, financial advisory or similar
services.
“Significant Investment” means
an investment with a purchase price in excess of $500 million. To the extent
that as a result of the investment the consolidated Debt of Comcast would
increase, the purchase price for such investment shall be deemed to include a
pro rata portion
(corresponding to the percentage of the business or entity acquired pursuant to
the investment) of the value of such incremental Debt.
“Stand-alone Competing Business
Acquisition” means an acquisition of or an investment in a Company
Principal Business or Company Principal Businesses in a transaction which does
not also involve an acquisition of or an investment in a business that is not a
Company Principal Business.
“Subsidiary” of any specified
Person means (x) any other Person of which such first Person owns (either
directly or through one or more other Subsidiaries) a majority of the
outstanding Equity Securities or securities carrying a majority of the voting
power in the election of the board of directors or other governing body of such
Person and with respect to which entity such first Person is not otherwise
prohibited contractually or by other legally binding authority from exercising
control or (y) any other Person with respect to which such first Person acts as
the sole general partner, manager, managing member or trustee (or
“Tax Matters Agreement” means
the agreement, dated as of December 3, 2009, by and among Comcast, GE, NBCU, the
Company, HoldCo and the other parties that may from time to time become parties
thereto, with respect to certain tax matters, as it may be amended from time to
time in accordance therewith.
“Tax Year” means (i) the fiscal
year of the Company determined pursuant to Section 7.01 or (ii) if after the
date of this Agreement, the taxable year is required by the Code or the Treasury
Regulations promulgated thereunder to be a period other than the period
described in clause (i), then each period that is the taxable year of the
Company determined in accordance with the requirements of the Code or the
Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder; provided that (i) in the case
of a dissolution, Tax Year means the period from the day after the end of the
most recently ended Tax Year until the dissolution of the Company and (ii) for
purposes of making allocations of Profit and Loss, Tax Year means any portion of
a taxable year of the Company to the extent required to comply with Section 706
of the Code or the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder. For the
avoidance of doubt, Tax Year shall include any portion of a taxable year of the
Company with respect to which the allocation of Profit and Loss is determined
based on a “closing of the books.”
“Threshold” means, with respect
to Comcast, Significant Investments in Company Principal Businesses after the
date hereof by Comcast and its Affiliates with an aggregate purchase price of $6
billion; provided that
on each anniversary of the date hereof, commencing on the fourth anniversary of
the date hereof, such Threshold shall increase by 5% of the Threshold as in
effect as of immediately prior to such increase.
“Transaction Agreements” has
the meaning set forth in the Master Agreement.
“Transfer” means directly or
indirectly (whether by merger, operation of law or otherwise) to sell, transfer,
assign or otherwise dispose of any direct or indirect economic, voting or other
rights in or to a Membership Interest, including by means of the Transfer of an
interest in a Person that directly or indirectly holds such Membership Interest;
provided that a merger
of, an acquisition of Equity Securities in, or a sale of substantially all of
the assets of, either Comcast or GE
24
(or any
of their publicly-traded successors, including any successor by acquisition)
with, by or to a third party will not be deemed to be a Transfer of any
Membership Interest or HoldCo Shares. “Transferred” and “Transferring” shall have
correlative meanings.
“Treasury Regulations” means
the regulations promulgated under the Code as such regulations may be amended
from time to time (including corresponding provisions of succeeding
regulations).
“Weather Channel Business”
means the business conducted by BBN Holdings and its Subsidiaries.
“Weather Channel Stockholders
Agreement” means the Stockholders Agreement among BBN Holdings, BBN
Intermediate Holdings, Inc., BBN Acquisitions, Inc. and Certain Stockholders of
BBN Holdings, Inc. and BBN Intermediate Holdings, Inc., dated as of September
12, 2008, as amended.
“Whole Board” means, at any
time, the total number of Directors (including any vacant seats) comprising the
Board at such time.
(b) Each
of the following terms is defined in the Section set forth opposite such
term:
Term
|
Section
|
|
Additional
Member
|
9.11(a)
|
|
Additional
Capital Contribution
|
3.02(b)
|
|
Arm’s
Length Terms
|
10.02(a)
|
|
Audited
Financial Statements
|
11.01(a)
|
|
Audit
Opinion
|
11.01(a)
|
|
Back-End
Transaction
|
9.08(a)
|
|
Budget
and Forecasting Reports
|
11.03(a)
|
|
Capital
Account
|
3.05(a)
|
|
Certificate
of Formation
|
Recitals
|
|
Comcast
|
Preamble
|
|
Comcast
Proposed Transfer
|
9.14(d)
|
|
Comcast
Purchase Rights
|
9.03(e)
|
|
Comcast
Third Party Acquirer
|
9.14(a)
|
|
Common
Stock
|
10.04(a)
|
|
Company
|
Preamble
|
|
Competing
Business Offer
|
10.06(a)
|
|
Confidential
Information
|
10.01(b)
|
|
Covered
Persons
|
6.01(b)
|
|
Credit
Facilities
|
1.01
|
|
Director
|
5.01(a)
|
|
Drag-Along
Notice
|
9.10(c)
|
|
|
Term
|
Section
|
|
Drag-Along
Right
|
9.10(a)
|
|
Drag-Along
Sale
|
9.10(a)
|
|
Exercise
Notice
|
9.04(a)
|
|
First
Comcast Purchase Right
|
9.03(a)
|
|
First
HoldCo Redemption Right
|
9.02(a)
|
|
Fourth
Comcast Purchase Right
|
9.03(d)
|
|
Fully
Distributed Public Market Value
|
9.05(a)
|
|
GE
|
Preamble
|
|
GE
Annual Statement
|
11.04
|
|
GE
Proposed Transfer
|
9.14(d)
|
|
HoldCo
|
Preamble
|
|
HoldCo
Redemption Rights
|
9.02(b)
|
|
Holding
|
10.04(a)
|
|
Indemnified
Party
|
9.14(a)
|
|
Indemnifiable
Taxes
|
9.14(a)
|
|
Initial
Appraisers
|
9.05(b)
|
|
Initial
Capital Contribution
|
3.01
|
|
Initial
Comcast Member(s)
|
Preamble
|
|
Initial
GE Member
|
Preamble
|
|
IPO
Purchase Right
|
9.03(e)
|
|
Issuance
Notice
|
3.07(a)
|
|
Liquidating
Agent
|
12.04
|
|
Master
Agreement
|
Recitals
|
|
Offering
Period
|
10.06(b)
|
|
Preemptive
Rights Exercise Notice
|
3.07(b)
|
|
Public
Market Valuation Methodology
|
9.05(c)
|
|
Public
Offering Purchase Right
|
9.03(e)
|
|
Purchase
Representative
|
9.04(a)
|
|
Representatives
|
10.01(b)
|
|
ROFO
Notice
|
9.06(a)
|
|
ROFO
Offer
|
9.06(a)
|
|
ROFO
Offer Price
|
9.06(a)
|
|
RPT
Dispute Notice
|
10.02(d)
|
|
RPT
Dispute Representative
|
10.02(e)
|
|
RPT
Notice
|
10.02(b)
|
|
Rule
144 Sale
|
9.07(a)
|
|
Rule
144 Sale Notice
|
9.07(a)
|
|
Rule
144 Offer
|
9.07(a)
|
|
Rule
144 Offer Price
|
9.07(a)
|
|
Second
Comcast Purchase Right
|
9.03(b)
|
|
Second
HoldCo Redemption Right
|
9.02(b)
|
|
Specified
Representations
|
9.04(c)
|
|
SpinCo
|
9.01(b)
|
|
|
Term
|
Section
|
|
Tag-Along
Acceptance Notice
|
9.09(c)
|
|
Tag-Along
Notice
|
9.09(a)
|
|
Tag-Along
Right
|
9.09(b)
|
|
Tag-Along
Sale
|
9.09(a)
|
|
Tax
Claim
|
9.14(b)
|
|
Tax
Matters Member
|
7.05(c)
|
|
Third
Comcast Purchase Right
|
9.03(c)
|
|
Third
Party Acquirer
|
9.01(b)
|
Section
1.02. Other Definitional and
Interpretative Provisions. The words “hereof”, “herein” and “hereunder”
and words of like import used in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as
a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. The captions
herein are included for convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in
the construction or interpretation hereof. References to Articles, Sections,
Exhibits and Schedules are to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules of this
Agreement unless otherwise specified. All Exhibits and Schedules annexed hereto
or referred to herein are hereby incorporated in and made a part of this
Agreement as if set forth in full herein. Any capitalized terms used in any
Exhibit or Schedule but not otherwise defined therein shall have the meaning as
defined in this Agreement. Any singular term in this Agreement shall be deemed
to include the plural, and any plural term the singular. Whenever the words
“include”, “includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be
deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”, whether or not they are
in fact followed by those words or words of like import. “Writing”, “written”
and comparable terms refer to printing, typing and other means of reproducing
words (including electronic media) in a visible form. All references to a
particular statute or other Law shall be deemed to include all rules and
regulations thereunder in effect from time to time. References to any Person
include the successors and permitted assigns of that Person. References from or
through any date mean, unless otherwise specified, from and including or through
and including, respectively.
ARTICLE
2
ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section
2.01. Formation. (a)
The Company was formed as a Delaware limited liability company on November 12,
2009 by the filing of the Certificate of Formation in the office of the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the Act and the adoption
of the Original LLC Agreement. The Members desire to continue the Company for
the purposes and upon the terms and conditions set forth herein.
(b) The
Company shall initially have one class of interests, which shall have equal
rights and preferences in the assets of the Company except as otherwise
expressly provided herein. A Membership Interest shall for all purposes be
personal property. Each Membership Interest shall constitute a “security” within
the meaning of, and governed by, (i) Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code
(including Section 8-102(a)(15) thereof) as in effect from time to time in the
State of Delaware, and (ii) Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code of any
other applicable jurisdiction that now or hereafter substantially includes the
1994 revisions to Article 8 thereof as adopted by the American Law Institute and
the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and approved by
the American Bar Association on February 14, 1995.
(c) Upon the
execution and delivery of this Agreement or a counterpart to this Agreement,
each of the Initial Comcast Members shall be admitted, with effect as of the
date hereof, as a Member and, upon the consummation of the transaction described
in Section 2.04 of the Master Agreement, each of the Initial Comcast Members and
the Initial GE Member shall hold a number of Membership Interests representing
the Membership Percentages set forth on Schedule 4.01 hereto. The Initial
Comcast Members and the Initial GE Member each hereby (i) acknowledges the
receipt (either by initial issuance or Transfer of Membership Interests) on the
date hereof of the number of Membership Interests indicated on Schedule 4.01
hereto, (ii) consents to the Transfer of Membership Interests from the Initial
GE Member to the Initial Comcast Members in accordance with Section 2.04 of the
Master Agreement (which Transfer shall be deemed exempted from the provisions of
Article 9 hereof) and (iii) agrees that the Initial Comcast Members are admitted
as Members with respect to such Transferred Membership Interests.
(d) This
Agreement amends, restates and supersedes in its entirety the Original LLC
Agreement.
Section
2.02. Name. The name of
the Company as of the date hereof is “Navy, LLC” and its business shall be
carried on in this name with such variations and changes or in such other trade
names as the Board deems necessary or appropriate. The Board shall have the
power at any time to change the name of the Company in its sole discretion.2
Section
2.03. Principal Place of
Business. The principal place of business of the Company shall be located
at such location as the Board may
2 The parties intend to change,
immediately after the Closing, the name of NBC Universal, LLC to a different name to
be selected and the name of the Company to “NBC Universal,
LLC”.
determine
from time to time. The Company may also maintain such other office or offices at
such other locations as the Board may determine from time to time.
Section
2.04. Registered Agent.
The Company’s registered agent and office in Delaware shall be Comcast Capital
Corporation, 0000 X. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000. At
any time, the Board may designate another registered agent and/or registered
office.
Section
2.05. Purpose and Powers of
the Company. (a) The Company is formed for the object and purpose of
engaging in any and all lawful activities permitted under the Act and within the
scope of the definition of Business or otherwise conducted by the Contributed
Businesses (as defined in the Master Agreement) as of the date hereof, without
geographic restriction of any kind, as well as in any and all other activities
ancillary thereto (including extensions or modifications thereof in light of
technological, market or business developments) or as contemplated by the
Transaction Agreements.
(b) Subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company shall have the power
and authority to take any and all actions that limited liability companies may
take under the Act and that are necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable,
incidental or convenient to or for the furtherance of the purposes set forth in
this Section 2.05. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company may in
furtherance of its business and operations carry out its objectives and
accomplish its purposes as principal or agent, directly or indirectly, alone or
with associates, or as a member, stockholder, partner or participant in any
firm, association, trust, corporation, partnership or other entity.
(c) The
Company shall do all things necessary to maintain its limited liability company
existence separate and apart from each Member and any Affiliate of any Member,
including holding regular meetings of the Board and maintaining its books and
records on a current basis separate from that of any Affiliate of the Company or
any other Person.
Section
2.06. Term. The term of
the Company commenced on the date the Certificate of Formation was filed in the
office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and shall continue in
full force and effect in perpetuity; provided that the Company may
be dissolved in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and the
Act.
Section
2.07. Filings; Qualification
in Other Jurisdictions. The Company shall prepare, following the
execution and delivery of this Agreement, any documents required to be filed or,
in the Board’s or an authorized executive officer’s view, appropriate for filing
under the Act, and the Company shall cause each such document to be filed in
accordance with the Act, and, to the extent required by Law, to be filed and
recorded, and/or notice thereof to be published,
in the
appropriate place in each jurisdiction in which the Company may hereafter
establish a place of business. The Board may cause or authorize an executive
officer to cause the Company to be qualified or registered under assumed or
fictitious name statutes or similar Laws in any jurisdiction in which the
Company transacts business where the Company is not currently so qualified or
registered. Each executive officer shall execute, deliver and file any such
documents (and any amendments and/or restatements thereof) necessary for the
Company to accomplish the foregoing. The Board may appoint any other authorized
persons to execute, deliver and file any such documents.
Section
2.08. Company Property.
All property of the Company, both tangible and intangible, shall be deemed to be
owned by the Company as an entity. A Member has no interest in specific Company
property.
Section
2.09. Transactions with
Members and Directors. Subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement (including Section 10.02), any Member or Director may lend money to,
borrow money from, act as a surety, guarantor or endorser for, guarantee or
assume one or more obligations of, provide collateral for, and transact other
business with the Company and, subject to applicable Law and the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, shall have the same rights and obligations with
respect to such matter as a Person who is not a Member or Director, and any
Member and the members, shareholders, partners and Affiliates thereof shall be
able to transact business or enter into agreements with the Company to the
fullest extent permissible under the Act.
Section
2.10. Uncertificated
Membership Interests. Membership Interests shall be in uncertificated
form.
ARTICLE
3
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND PREEMPTIVE RIGHTS
Section
3.01. Initial Capital
Contributions. In connection with the transactions contemplated by the
Master Agreement, the Initial Comcast Members and Initial GE Member have made
the contributions (each of which shall constitute an “Initial Capital Contribution”)
of their respective Contributed Businesses (as defined in the Master Agreement)
at the Closing.
Section
3.02. Additional Capital
Contributions. (a) From and after the Closing, no Member shall be
required or permitted to make any additional capital contributions (other than
Initial Capital Contributions) to the Company except as provided in this Article
3.
(b)
Subject to Sections 3.07 and 4.10(a), in addition to the Initial Capital
Contributions, Members may from time to time make capital contributions to
the
30
Company
(each, an “Additional Capital
Contribution”) at such times and in such amounts as the Board may
determine to offer to or accept from the Members.
Section
3.03. Issuance of Membership
Interests. (a) No Membership Interests or other equity interests shall be
issued in respect of any Additional Capital Contribution until such Additional
Capital Contribution is actually made. All Membership Interests in respect of
the Initial Capital Contributions are hereby duly issued on the date of this
Agreement and no additional Membership Interests shall be issued by the Company
after the date of this Agreement in respect of any Initial Capital
Contributions.
(b)
Subject to Sections 3.07 and 4.10(a), the Board may authorize the Company to
issue additional Membership Interests and/or create and issue new series, types
or classes of equity interests in the Company with such voting powers, full or
limited, or no voting powers, and such designations, preferences and relative,
participating, optional or other special rights, and qualifications, limitations
or restrictions thereof as the Board may determine and authorize, obligations,
evidences of indebtedness or other securities or interests of the Company
convertible or exchangeable into Membership Interests or other equity interests
in the Company and warrants, options or other rights to purchase or otherwise
acquire Membership Interests or other equity interests in the Company, in each
case to any Person in such amounts and on such terms as so approved by the
Board; provided that
any such issuance will be made only in exchange for payment of fair market value
for such interest, as determined in the reasonable good faith judgment of the
Board, and provided,
further, that an issuance of equity interests in the Company, such as
warrants or rights to acquire Membership Interests, on customary commercial
terms in connection with a bona fide debt financing or other commercial
arrangement need not comply with the requirement set forth in the immediately
preceding proviso so long as such arrangement as a whole has been approved by
the Board. The Company may issue whole or fractional Membership Interests or
other equity interests in the Company. In the event the Company issues any
equity interests other than Membership Interests, this Agreement will be
appropriately amended to reflect the terms of such other equity interests and
the issuance thereof.
Section
3.04. Withdrawal of
Capital. (a) No Member shall be entitled to withdraw any part of its
Capital Contributions or to receive any distribution from the Company, except as
expressly provided herein. Under circumstances requiring the return of any
Capital Contribution, no Member shall have the right to demand or receive
property other than cash. No Member shall have the right to cause the sale of
any Company asset. No Member shall have any right to receive any salary or draw
with respect to its Capital Contributions or its Capital Account or for services
rendered on behalf of the Company or otherwise in its capacity as a
Member.
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(b) No
Member shall have any liability for the return of the Capital Contributions of
any other Member. Except as otherwise required by Law, no Member shall be
required to make up a negative balance in its Capital Account. No Member shall
have priority over any other Member either as to the return of the amount of
such Member’s Capital Contributions or as to any allocation of any item of
income, gain, loss, deduction or credit of the Company (except to the extent
granted by Company Securities hereinafter approved by the Board pursuant to
Section 3.03(b), subject to Section 4.10(a)).
Section
3.05. Capital
Accounts.
(a) A capital
account (a “Capital
Account”) shall be maintained for each Member in accordance with the
requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations
promulgated thereunder. The Capital Account of each such Member shall be equal
to the amount of the Capital Contributions made by such Member in exchange for
such Member’s Membership Interests, and thereafter adjusted as
follows:
(i) increased by the Additional
Capital Contributions made by such Member after the
date of this Agreement with respect to such Membership Interests;
(ii) increased by items of income
or gain which are allocated to such Member with
respect to such Membership Interest under Article 8 and Article 12;
(iii) decreased by the items of
loss and deduction which are allocated to the Member
in respect of such Membership Interests under Article 8 and Article 12; and
(iv) decreased by the amount of
any cash and the Gross Asset Value of any asset of
the Company distributed to such Member in respect of such Membership Interests
(net of any liability assumed by the Member or to which the distributed property
is subject).
(b) Upon a
Transfer of any Membership Interest in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement, the transferee Member shall succeed to the Capital Account of the
transferor which is attributable to such Membership Interest.
(c) The
foregoing provisions and the other provisions of this Agreement relating to the
maintenance of Capital Accounts shall be applied in accordance with Treasury
Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b) and 1.704-2.
Section
3.06. No Interest. No
interest shall be paid on Capital Contributions or on the balance in a Member’s
Capital Account.
32
Section
3.07. Preemptive
Rights. (a) The Company shall give Comcast and HoldCo written notice (an
“Issuance Notice”) of
any proposed issuance by the Company of any Company Securities at least 20
Business Days prior to the proposed issuance date. The Issuance Notice shall
specify the price at which such Company Securities are to be issued and the
other material terms of the issuance (including the terms of the Company
Securities proposed to be issued). Subject to Sections 3.07(f) and
4.10(a)(viii), each of Comcast and HoldCo shall be entitled to purchase (or to
cause its Subsidiaries to purchase or, in the case of HoldCo, to assign to GE or
its Subsidiaries the right to purchase) up to its respective Percentage Interest
(or, in the case of HoldCo, GE’s Percentage Interest) of the Company Securities
proposed to be issued, at the price and on the terms specified in the Issuance
Notice; provided that
if any HoldCo Shares have previously been sold to the Company in accordance with
the terms of this Agreement, neither HoldCo nor any of its Subsidiaries shall
purchase any such Company Securities.
(b) Subject
to Section 3.07(a), if Comcast or HoldCo desires to purchase or to have any of
its Affiliates purchase any or all of its Percentage Interest (or, in the case
of HoldCo, GE’s Percentage Interest) of the Company Securities specified in the
Issuance Notice, it shall deliver a written notice to the Company (each a “Preemptive Rights Exercise
Notice”) of its election to purchase such Company Securities within ten
Business Days of receipt of the Issuance Notice. The Preemptive Rights Exercise
Notice shall specify the number (or amount) of Company Securities to be
purchased by such party or its Affiliates and shall constitute exercise by such
party of its rights under this Section 3.07 and a binding agreement of such
party or such party’s applicable Affiliates to purchase, at the price and on the
terms specified in the Issuance Notice, the number of shares (or amount) of
Company Securities specified in the Preemptive Rights Exercise Notice with such
purchase to be consummated as promptly as reasonably practicable. If, at the
termination of such ten Business-Day period, Comcast or HoldCo shall not have
delivered a Preemptive Rights Exercise Notice to the Company, such party shall
be deemed to have waived all of its rights under this Section 3.07 with respect
to the purchase of such Company Securities. Promptly following the termination
of such ten Business Day period, the Company shall deliver to each of Comcast
and HoldCo a copy of any Preemptive Rights Exercise Notice it has received from
the other party.
(c) If
Comcast or HoldCo fails to exercise its preemptive rights under this Section
3.07 or elects to exercise such rights with respect to less than its Percentage
Interest (or, in the case of HoldCo, GE’s Percentage Interest) of the issuance
and the other party has exercised its rights under this Section 3.07 with
respect to its entire Percentage Interest, the other party shall be entitled to
purchase from the Company any or all of the remaining portion of the
issuance.
(d) Subject
to Section 4.10(a)(viii), the Company shall have 90 days from the date of the
Issuance Notice to consummate the proposed issuance of any
33
or all of
such Company Securities that Comcast or HoldCo have not elected to purchase at a
price equal to or greater than the price specified in the Issuance Notice and
otherwise upon terms that are not less favorable to the Company than those
specified in the Issuance Notice; provided that, if such
issuance is subject to regulatory approval, such 90-day period shall be extended
until the expiration of five Business Days after all such approvals have been
received, but in no event later than 180 days from the date of the Issuance
Notice. If the Company proposes to issue any such Company Securities after such
90-day (or longer, as permitted by the preceding sentence) period, it shall
again comply with the procedures set forth in this Section 3.07.
(e) At the
consummation of the issuance of such Company Securities, subject to Section
2.10, the Company shall, if necessary or desirable, issue certificates or other
appropriate instruments representing the Company Securities to be purchased by
each party exercising preemptive rights pursuant to this Section 3.07 registered
in the name of such party, against payment by such party of the purchase price
for such Company Securities in accordance with the terms and conditions as
specified in the Issuance Notice.
(f) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, neither Comcast nor HoldCo shall be entitled to purchase Company
Securities as contemplated by this Section 3.07 in connection with issuances of
Company Securities (i) to employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
pursuant to employee benefit plans or arrangements approved by the Board
(including upon the exercise of employee stock options granted pursuant to any
such plans or arrangements), (ii) in connection with any bona fide, arm’s length
restructuring or refinancing of outstanding debt of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, (iii) as consideration in a bona fide, arm’s-length direct or
indirect merger, acquisition or similar transaction, (iv) pursuant to an IPO or
(v) that are Equity Securities as described in the second proviso of Section
3.03(b). The Company shall not be obligated to consummate any proposed issuance
of Company Securities, nor be liable to any Member if the Company has not
consummated any proposed issuance of Company Securities, pursuant to this
Section 3.07 for whatever reason, regardless of whether it shall have delivered
an Issuance Notice or received any Preemptive Rights Exercise Notices in respect
of such proposed issuance.
(g) If GE or
any of its Affiliates (other than HoldCo or any of its Subsidiaries) acquires
Membership Interests pursuant to the exercise of HoldCo’s preemptive rights
under this Section 3.07, notwithstanding any provision set forth in this
Agreement that GE only sell or cause to be sold HoldCo Shares (as opposed to
Membership Interests) in connection with a particular transaction, GE will be
permitted and, if such provision requires GE to sell or cause to be sold
securities representing the remainder of its Percentage Interest, required to
sell such Membership Interests in connection with such transaction.
34
(h) This
Section 3.07 shall terminate upon an IPO.
ARTICLE
4
CERTAIN RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS
Section
4.01. Members. The
Members of the Company and the HoldCo Shareholders, and their respective numbers
of Membership Interests, Membership Percentages, Percentage Interests, initial
Capital Account balances, share of Profits and Losses, each as applicable, and
addresses and other contact information for purposes of Section 13.12, are
listed on Schedule 4.01 attached hereto. The Company shall amend Schedule 4.01
from time to time promptly following any changes in any of such information in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement. No Person may be a Member without
the ownership of a Membership Interest. The Members shall have only such rights
and powers as are granted to them pursuant to the express terms of this
Agreement and the Act.
Section
4.02. No Action on
Behalf of the Company; No Dissent Rights.
No Member
(in its capacity as such) shall, without the prior written approval of the
Board, have any authority to take any action on behalf of or in the name of the
Company, or to enter into any commitment or obligation binding upon the Company,
except for actions expressly authorized by the terms of this Agreement. No
Member (in its capacity as such) shall be entitled to any rights to dissent or
seek appraisal with respect to any transaction, including the merger or
consolidation of the Company with any Person (but, for the avoidance of doubt,
HoldCo shall have consent rights to the extent set forth in Section
4.10(a)).
Section
4.03. No Right to
Withdraw. Except in connection with the Transfer of Membership Interests
in accordance with the terms of this Agreement such that the Transferring Member
no longer holds any Membership Interests, no Member shall have any right to
voluntarily resign or otherwise withdraw from the Company without the prior
written consent of the Company and each of Comcast and HoldCo. A resigning
Member shall only be entitled to receive amounts approved by the Board on the
terms and conditions set forth by such Board. A resigning Member shall not be
entitled to a distribution of the fair value of its Membership Interests under
Section 18-604 of the Act.
Section
4.04. Member Meetings.
A meeting of the Members for any purpose or purposes may be called at any time
by the Board. At a meeting, no business shall be transacted and no action shall
be taken other than that stated in the notice of the meeting unless all Comcast
Members and HoldCo are present at such meeting and agree that other business not
stated in the notice of the meeting can be transacted.
35
Section
4.05. Notice of
Meetings. Written notice stating the place, day and hour of every meeting
of the Members and the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall
be mailed not less than five nor more than 15 Business Days before the date of
the meeting (or if sent by facsimile, not less than five Business Days before
the date of the meeting), in either case to each Member entitled to vote at such
meeting, at its address maintained in the records of the Company by the
Company’s Secretary. Such further notice shall be given as may be required by
Law, but meetings may be held without notice if all the Members entitled to vote
at the meeting are present in person or represented by proxy or if notice is
waived in writing by those not present, either before or after the meeting.
Presence at a meeting by a Member shall constitute a waiver of any deficiency of
notice, except when a Member attends the meeting for the express purpose of
objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business
because the meeting is not called or convened in accordance with this
Agreement.
Section
4.06. Quorum; Telephonic
Meetings. (a) Provided that notice of the meeting has been given in
accordance with Section 4.05, Members holding a majority of the outstanding
Membership Interests (including, subject to the last sentence of this Section
4.06, HoldCo) entitled to vote with respect to the business to be transacted,
who shall be present or represented by proxy at any meeting duly called, shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If less than a quorum shall
be in attendance at the time for which a meeting shall have been called, the
meeting may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of the Members present
or represented by proxy and the Company shall promptly give notice of when the
meeting will be reconvened. If a meeting is adjourned due to a lack of a quorum,
and the sole reason for such lack was the failure of HoldCo to be present, then,
if the reconvened meeting is held at least 24 hours after the meeting at which a
quorum was not present, then at such reconvened meeting, a quorum shall consist
of Members holding a majority of the outstanding Membership Interests entitled
to vote with respect to the business to be transacted, irrespective of whether
HoldCo is present at such meeting.
(b)
Members may participate in meetings of the Members by means of conference
telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all Persons
participating in the meeting can hear each other. Participation in a telephonic
meeting pursuant to this Section 4.06(b) shall constitute presence at such
meeting for purposes of Section 4.06(a) and shall constitute a waiver of any
deficiency of notice, except when a Member attends the meeting for the express
purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any
business because the meeting is not called or convened in accordance with this
Agreement.
Section
4.07. Voting. (a) At
any meeting of the Members, each Member entitled to vote on any matter coming
before the meeting shall, as to such matter, have a vote, in person, by
telephone or by proxy, equal to the number of
36
Membership
Interests held in its name on the relevant record date established pursuant to
Section 4.09. All Membership Interests shall constitute a single class and group
of Equity Securities of the Company and the holders of Membership Interests
shall vote together as a single class and group of Members.
(b) When a
quorum is present, the affirmative vote or consent of Members holding a majority
of the outstanding Membership Interests present in person or represented by
proxy at a duly called meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall
constitute the act of the Members. Every proxy shall be in writing, dated and
signed by the Member entitled to vote or its duly authorized
attorney-in-fact.
(c) Except as
otherwise provided in this Agreement in respect of any class or series of
interests in the Company created and issued after the date of this Agreement in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement, no class or series of such
interests, other than the Membership Interests, shall have any voting rights
whatsoever, and no Member shall have any right to vote with respect to any
business or matter to be voted or acted upon by the Members by virtue of its
ownership of any such interests in the Company other than the Membership
Interests.
Section
4.08. Action Without a
Meeting. Notwithstanding Section 4.07(b), on any matter requiring an
approval or consent of Members under this Agreement or the Act at a meeting of
Members, the Members may take such action without a meeting, without prior
notice and without a vote if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the
action so taken, shall be signed by all of the Members entitled to vote
thereon.
Section
4.09. Record Date. For
the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of or to vote at any
meeting of Members, or entitled to receive a payment of any kind, or in order to
make a determination of Members for any other proper purpose, the Board may fix
in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of Members, such
date in any case to be not more than 70 days prior to the date on which the
particular meeting or action, requiring such determination of such Members, is
to be held or taken. If no record date is fixed for the determination of Members
entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of Members, or Members entitled to
receive payment of a distribution, the date on which notices of the meeting are
mailed or faxed or the date on which the resolution of the Board declaring such
distribution is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such
determination of Members. When a determination of Members entitled to vote at
any meeting of Members has been made as provided in this Section 4.09, such
determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof unless the Board fixes a
new record date, which it shall do if the meeting is adjourned to a date more
than 120 days after the date fixed for the original meeting.
37
Section
4.10. Member Approval
Rights. (a) Except as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or any of
the other Transaction Agreements, the Company shall take no action (including
any action by the Board or any committee of the Board) after the date hereof
with respect to any of the following matters without the prior written consent
of HoldCo, for so long as GE’s Percentage Interest is at least 20% (calculated
in accordance with Section 4.10(d)):
(i) any
acquisition of, or merger, consolidation, reorganization or other business
combination involving, the Company which results in a Member and its Affiliates
having aggregate Percentage Interests greater than the aggregate Percentage
Interests of the Comcast Members;
(ii) any
acquisition (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise) of Equity Securities
or any other investment in any third-party business (including through a
purchase of assets) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries such that after
giving effect to such acquisition or other third-party investment the Company
and its Subsidiaries will have made acquisitions and third-party investments
with an aggregate purchase price in excess of $500 million (it being understood
that, to the extent that as a result of any such acquisition or other
third-party investment the consolidated Debt of the Company increased or will
increase, the purchase price for such acquisition or other third-party
investment shall be deemed to have included or include a pro rata portion
(corresponding to the percentage of the business or entity acquired pursuant to
such acquisition or other third-party investment) of the value of such
incremental Debt); provided
that if (x) Comcast, GE or any of their respective Subsidiaries agreed, prior to the
date of this Agreement, to any acquisition of Equity Securities or other
investment in any third-party business in accordance with the provisions of the
Master Agreement, (y) such acquisition or other third-party investment is not
consummated until after the date of this Agreement and (z) the right to acquire
such Equity Securities or other third-party investment is contributed to the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries in accordance with the terms of the Master
Agreement, then the purchase price for such acquisition or other third-party
investment shall be disregarded when determining whether such $500 million
threshold has been exceeded;
(iii) to the
fullest extent permitted by Law, any liquidation, dissolution, winding up,
commencement of or consent to bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation or similar
proceedings with respect to the Company or any of its principal
Subsidiaries;
(iv) any
material expansion of the purpose of the Company (including any material
expansion of the scope of the activities included in
38
(v) (x) any
declaration of any dividend on or the making of any distribution (other than
distributions by the Company pursuant to Section 8.02(a)(i)) with respect to, or
(y) the redemption, repurchase or other acquisition of, any Equity Securities of
the Company; provided
that the consent right of HoldCo pursuant to subclause (x) of this clause (v)
shall not be required (A) if the Second HoldCo Redemption Right is not
exercised, from and after the expiration of the exercise period applicable to
such HoldCo Redemption Right or (B) if such HoldCo Redemption Right is
exercised, from and after the closing in respect of such HoldCo Redemption
Right;
(vi) any
creation, incurrence, or assumption of Debt by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, including the Debt of any Subsidiary acquired by the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries that will be included in the consolidated Debt of the
Company, in an amount such that, after giving effect to such creation,
incurrence or assumption, the ratio of the Company’s consolidated Debt to the
Company’s consolidated EBITDA for the most recent twelve month period for which
consolidated EBITDA has been determined as of the date of creation, incurrence
or assumption of such Debt would exceed 2.75;
(vii) any loans
or advances to or guarantees for the benefit of any Person (other than a
wholly-owned Subsidiary), other than (A) any loan, advance or guarantee in the
ordinary course of business of the Company and its Subsidiaries and (B) any
loan, advance or guarantee that does not exceed $150 million individually;
or
(viii) any
creation, authorization, increase in the authorized amount or issuance of any
Equity Securities of the Company other than issuances of shares of Common Stock
in a Public Offering effected after the Comcast Transfer Date.
(b) Prior to
the three and one half year anniversary of the Closing Date, the Company shall
take no action (including any action by the Board or any committee of the Board)
after the date hereof with respect to the appointment of the Chief Executive
Officer of the Company without the prior written consent of HoldCo; provided that approval of
HoldCo shall not be required to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer if in
connection therewith a majority of the Board has previously approved two
candidates but neither of such candidates has been appointed by virtue of the
failure of HoldCo to approve such candidate.
(c) For the
avoidance of doubt, and notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement
and any duty otherwise existing at Law or in equity, to the fullest extent
permitted by Law, in connection with the exercise of consent rights pursuant to
Section 4.10(a), HoldCo may consider its own best interests (or that of its
Affiliates) when determining whether or not to consent and shall in no event be
deemed to have any duty (including any fiduciary duty) to any Members or to the
Company with respect to any such consent or withholding of consent. Except as
otherwise required by Law, the Company shall not be required to hold any meeting
of Members or obtain any action by written consent of the Members in order for
consents obtained directly by the Company from HoldCo to be valid for purposes
of Section 4.10(a).
(d) For the
purposes of calculating GE’s Percentage Interest for the purposes of the
thresholds set forth in Sections 4.10(a), 5.01(b), 5.01(c), 5.01(j), 5.02, 5.10,
9.01(b)(iv)(x) and 10.06, newly issued primary shares of Common Stock issued in
Public Offerings effected after the Comcast Transfer Date shall be
disregarded.
Section
4.11. Reimbursements.
To the extent not inconsistent with or otherwise addressed by another provision
of any Transaction Agreement to which a Member is a party, the Company shall
reimburse the Members for all ordinary and necessary out-of-pocket expenses
incurred by the Members on behalf of the Company but only if such expenses were
authorized by or under the authority of the Board. Such reimbursement shall not
be deemed to constitute a distribution or return of capital to any
Member.
Section
4.12. Partition. Each
Member waives any and all rights that it may have to maintain an action for
partition of the Company’s property.
Section
4.13. Liability. Except
as otherwise set forth herein or in the Master Agreement, or as required by the
Act, the debts, obligations and liabilities of the Company, whether arising in
contract, tort or otherwise, shall be solely the debts, obligations and
liabilities of the Company, and no Member, Director or Company officer shall be
obligated personally for any such debt, obligation or liability of the Company
or for any losses of the Company solely by reason of being a Member or acting as
a Director or Company officer.
ARTICLE
5
BOARD AND OFFICERS
Section
5.01. Board. (a) The
property, affairs and business of the Company shall be managed by or under the
direction of the Board, except as otherwise expressly provided in this
Agreement. The Board shall be made up of the number of individuals (who need not
be Members) (each, a “Director”) as
40
specified
in this Agreement. Each Director shall be a “manager” (as such term is defined
in the Act) of the Company but, notwithstanding the foregoing, no Director shall
have any rights or powers beyond the rights and powers granted to such Director
in this Agreement.
(b) Prior to
an IPO, the Board shall be made up of five Directors and:
(i) HoldCo
shall have the right to designate a number of Directors equal to (x) for so long
as GE’s Percentage Interest is at least 20%, two Directors and (y) for so long
as GE’s Percentage Interest is at least 10% but less than 20%, one Director;
and
(ii) the
Comcast Members shall collectively have the right to designate the remaining
Directors.
(c) Following
an IPO, the Board shall consist of the number of Directors determined by the
Board from time to time. Following an IPO, for so long as the Comcast Members’
aggregate Percentage Interests are greater than GE’s Percentage Interest, each
of GE and each of the Comcast Members agrees to vote, or cause to be voted, its
shares of Common Stock and any shares of Common Stock held by any of its
Subsidiaries in any election of Directors in favor of any slate of Directors
proposed by the Company consisting of:
(i) at least
three Independent Directors (who shall be designated by the Board),
(ii) for so
long as GE’s Percentage Interest is at least 10%, a number of Directors
designated by GE equal to the product of GE’s Percentage Interest multiplied by
the number of Directors constituting the Whole Board (rounded up or down to the
nearest whole number of Directors but which number shall not be less than one),
and
(iii) the
remaining Directors designated collectively by the Comcast Members, which number
of Directors shall not be fewer than the minimum number of Directors necessary
to constitute a majority of the Whole Board.
(d) The
Comcast Members and HoldCo shall be entitled to select their respective
designees to the Board in their discretion from the management of their ultimate
parent Affiliate. The Directors designated by the Comcast Members shall
initially be Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx and Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx, and
the Directors designated by HoldCo shall initially be Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx and
Xxxxx Xxxxxx.
41
(e) Each
Director shall hold such position until his or her successor is appointed or
elected or until his or her earlier death, disability, resignation or
removal.
(f) Subject
to the consent rights set forth in Section 4.10(a), the Board, by taking action
in accordance with this Article 5, shall have the power, discretion and
authority on behalf and in the name of the Company to carry out any and all of
the objects and purposes of the Company contemplated by this Agreement and to
perform or authorize all acts which it may deem necessary or advisable in
connection therewith. The Members agree that, subject to the consent and other
rights set forth in Sections 4.10(a), 10.02 and 10.06(h), all determinations,
decisions and actions made or taken by the Board shall be conclusive and
absolutely binding upon the Company, the Members and their respective
successors, assigns and personal representatives (without requirement for
further consent or other action by the Members). The voting and consent rights
of the Members are solely those set forth herein and the Members shall have no
additional voting or consent rights under the Act.
(g) Each
Director will serve without compensation. Each Director shall be entitled to
reimbursement for reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket expenses incurred by
such Director during the course of conducting the Company’s business.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, following an IPO, the Board may authorize
compensation for some or all Independent Directors.
(h) No
Director (acting in his or her capacity as such) shall have any right or
authority to act on behalf of or to bind the Company with respect to any matter
except pursuant to a resolution authorizing such action, which resolution is
duly adopted by the Board by the affirmative vote required for such matter
pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
(i) Each
Director may authorize another individual (who may or may not be a Director) to
act for such Director by proxy at any meeting of the Board, or to express
consent or dissent to a Company action in writing without a meeting. A writing
authorizing a Person to act for such Director as proxy, which has been executed
by such Director and entered into the books and records of the Company, shall be
a valid means by which a Director may grant such authority.
(j) So long
as GE’s Percentage Interest is at least 10% (calculated in accordance with
Section 4.10(d)), HoldCo shall have the right to designate one non-voting
observer to the Board; provided that prior to any
such designation, such observer shall enter into a confidentiality agreement
with the Company on terms reasonably satisfactory to Comcast. Such observer
shall be entitled to receive notice and attend all meetings of the Board and
shall receive the same information regarding the Company as is provided to the
Directors. Such
42
observer
shall be entitled to attend any committee meeting to which such observer is
invited by any Director on such committee.
(k) So long
as the Comcast Members’ aggregate Percentage Interests are at least 10%, the
Comcast Members shall have the right to designate one non- voting observer to
the Board; provided
that prior to any such designation, such observer shall enter into a
confidentiality agreement with the Company on terms reasonably satisfactory to
HoldCo. Such observer shall be entitled to receive notice and attend all
meetings of the Board and shall receive the same information regarding the
Company as is provided to the Directors. Such observer shall be entitled to
attend any committee meeting to which such observer is invited by any Director
on such committee.
(l) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in Section 5.01(j) or Section 5.01(k), upon the
reasonable request of any Director, the Board may determine to exclude the
non-voting observers from any meeting of the Board or any committee thereof or
any portion of either of the foregoing. For the avoidance of doubt, if both
HoldCo and the Comcast Members have designated a non-voting observer, then the
Board may only determine to simultaneously exclude both such non-voting
observers.
Section
5.02. Required Board
Actions. (a) Prior to a Qualifying Public Offering and for so long as
GE’s Percentage Interest is at least 10% (calculated in accordance with Section
4.10(d)), the Company shall take no action (including any action by the Board or
any committee of the Board) after the date hereof with respect to any of the
following matters without the affirmative approval of a majority of the Whole
Board:
(i) any
creation, incurrence, or assumption of Debt by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries in an amount in excess of $250 million, including the Debt of any
Subsidiary acquired by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, in each case that
will be included in the consolidated Debt of the Company;
(ii) any
removal of any of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer or employees directly
reporting thereto (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Chief Financial
Officer of the Company);
(iii) any
acquisition (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise) of Equity Securities
or other investment in any third party business (including through a purchase of
assets) or any disposition of Equity Securities or other assets by the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries (in a single transaction or a series of related
transactions) with a purchase price in excess of 20% of the aggregate dollar
value of the assets reflected on the Company’s most recent year-end consolidated
balance sheet at the
43
time the
Company agrees in writing to such transaction (it being understood that, to the
extent that as a result of any acquisition or other third party investment the
consolidated Debt of the Company increased or will increase, the purchase price
for such acquisition or other third party investment shall be deemed to have
included or include a pro
rata portion (corresponding to the percentage of the business or entity
acquired pursuant to such acquisition or other third party investment) of the
value of such incremental Debt);
(iv) any loan
or advance to or guarantee for the benefit of any Person (other than a
wholly-owned Subsidiary), other than (i) any loan, advance or guarantee in the
ordinary course of business of the Company and its Subsidiaries and (ii) any
other loan, advance or guarantee that does not exceed $50 million;
(v) any
prepayment of any loan, factoring or assignment of any debt or creation or
redemption of any mortgage, charge, debenture or other security by the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries in an amount in excess of $250 million;
(vi) any
material restructuring of employees;
(vii) any
entering into, or any material amendment or modification of, any agreement of
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries providing for payments by or to the
Company or such Subsidiary in excess of $50 million per annum or $250 million in
the aggregate over the term of such agreement (or, in the case of any material
amendment or modification, over the remaining term of such agreement) and which
agreement (or amendment or modification) is outside the ordinary course of
business; provided that
this clause (vii) shall not apply to any agreement (or amendment or modification
thereto) the subject matter of which is covered by another clause of this
Section 5.02(a);
(viii) any
commencement or settlement of litigation or an arbitration proceeding, which is
likely to have a material impact on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a
whole;
(ix) any
proposed settlement or other resolution of any material inquiry or investigation
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by a Governmental Authority;
(x) any
application for the listing of Company Securities on a securities exchange or
automated dealer quotation system;
44
(xi) to the
fullest extent permitted by Law, any liquidation, dissolution, winding up,
commencement of or consent to bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation or similar
proceedings with respect to the Company or any of its material
Subsidiaries;
(xii) subject
to Section 5.09, any future strategic plan of the Company or any material
amendment to or departure therefrom, and any material amendment to or departure
from the initial strategic plan of the Company, a copy of which is attached
hereto as Exhibit B;
(xiii) incurrence
of expenditures on any project not included in the then current strategic plan
of the Company in excess of $100 million;
(xiv) material
changes to the compliance plan of the Company, a copy of which is attached
hereto as Exhibit C;
(xv) annual
reports of the Company; or
(xvi) annual
budget of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(b) For so
long as GE’s Percentage Interest is at least 10%, the following information will
be included in the operational review presented to the Board at quarterly
meetings:
(i) the
material terms of any material acquisition (whether by merger, consolidation or
otherwise) of Equity Securities or other material third party investment
(including through a purchase of assets) or material disposition of Equity
Securities or other assets by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (in a
single transaction or a series of related transactions) then under active
negotiation, then pending or completed in the most recent fiscal
quarter;
(ii) any entry
into, or any material amendment or modification of, any agreement of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries providing for payments by or to the Company or such
Subsidiary in excess of $50 million per annum or $250 million in the aggregate
over the term of such agreement (or, in the case of any material amendment or
modification, over the remaining term of such agreement); provided that this clause
(ii) shall not apply to any agreement (or amendment or modification thereto) the
subject matter of which is covered by Section 5.02(b)(i); or
(iii) a report
on the status of any material inquiry or investigation of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries by a Governmental Authority.
45
Section
5.03. Removal and
Resignation. (a) Each Member or group of Members shall at all times have
the exclusive right to remove, with or without cause, any Director designated by
such Member or group of Members, upon the giving of written notice to such
Director and the Board. Directors who were not designated by the Comcast Members
or HoldCo pursuant to Section 5.01(b) or (c) may be removed at any time by the
affirmative vote of Members holding a majority of the then outstanding
Membership Interests present in person or represented by proxy at a duly called
meeting and entitled to vote thereat.
(b) Any
Director may resign by written notice to the Board. Unless otherwise specified
therein, a Director’s resignation shall take effect upon delivery. Vacancies
created on the Board resulting from the resignation (other than pursuant to
Section 5.03(c)), removal, death, retirement or disability of a Director shall
be filled by the Member or group of Members that designated such Director with
such appointment to become effective immediately upon delivery of written notice
of such appointment to the other Members and the Company President, or in the
case of Directors who were not designated by the Comcast Members or HoldCo
pursuant to Section 5.01(b) or (c), by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
Directors then in office (even if less than a quorum).
(c) In the
event that any Director would not continue to be entitled to be designated by
the Member or group of Members, as applicable, that designated such Director
pursuant to Section 5.01(b) or Section 5.01(c), then such Director shall be
deemed to have immediately resigned. Any vacancy created by such deemed
resignation shall be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
Directors then in office (even if less than a quorum).
(d) Each of
the Company and each Member agrees to take all necessary action to effectuate
fully the provisions of Sections 5.01(b), 5.01(c) and 5.03(c) to ensure that the
Board consists of the Directors that are duly designated, elected or appointed
in accordance with such sections, including by promptly calling and/or voting,
as applicable, in any meetings or promptly participating in an action by written
consent; provided that
if GE’s Percentage Interest is less than 10%, this Section 5.03(d) shall not be
applicable to HoldCo.
Section
5.04. Meetings of the
Board. (a) Regular meetings of the Board shall be held on at least a
quarterly basis at such place, date and time as the Board may designate. Special
meetings of the Board may be called at any time by any Director.
(b)
Notice of a meeting of the Board or any committee thereof stating the place,
date and hour of the meeting and the purpose or purposes for which the meeting
is called shall be given to each Director by telephone, electronic mail or
facsimile no less than five Business Days before the date of the meeting; provided that the Chairman
may reduce the advance notice period for any meeting to no
46
less than
two Business Days if the Chairman determines, acting reasonably and in good
faith, that it is necessary in the best interests of the Company for the Board
to take action within a time period of less than five Business Days. Notice of
any meeting may be waived by any Director. Presence at the meeting shall
constitute waiver of any deficiency of notice, except when such Director attends
the meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the
meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not called or
convened in accordance with this Agreement.
(c) The
Secretary of the Company shall circulate to each Director an agenda for the
quarterly meeting not less than five Business Days in advance of such quarterly
meeting (or if sent by facsimile, three Business Days before the date of such
quarterly meeting). Such agenda shall include a discussion of the financial
reports most recently delivered pursuant to Section 11.01 or Section 11.02, as
the case may be, and any other matters that a Director may reasonably request be
included on such agenda (subject, however, to the other provisions of this
Agreement).
(d) The
presence in person or by proxy of a number of Directors equal to a majority of
the Whole Board shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business at any
meeting of the Board; provided that in order to
constitute a quorum, at least a majority of the Directors present in person or
by proxy must be Directors designated by the Comcast Members and for so long as
GE has a Percentage Interest of at least 10% and subject to the last sentence of
this Section 5.04(d), at least one Director present in person or by proxy must
be a Director designated by HoldCo. If such quorum shall not be present at any
meeting of the Board, the Directors present shall adjourn the meeting and
promptly give notice of when it will be reconvened. If a meeting is adjourned
due to a lack of a quorum, and the sole reason for such lack of a quorum was the
failure of at least one Director designated by HoldCo to be present, then, if
the reconvened meeting is held at least 24 hours after the meeting at which a
quorum was not present, then at such reconvened meeting, the presence in person
or by proxy of at least one Director designated by HoldCo shall not be required
in order for a quorum to be present.
(e) Members
of the Board may participate in a meeting of the Board or any committee thereof,
by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means
of which all Persons participating in the meeting can hear one another.
Participation in a meeting pursuant to this Section 5.04(e) shall constitute
presence in person at such meeting pursuant to Section 5.04(d) and shall
constitute a waiver of any deficiency, except when such Director attends the
meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting,
to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not called or convened
in accordance with this Agreement.
47
(f) Each
Director shall be entitled to cast one vote with respect to each matter brought
before the Board (or any committee thereof of which such Director is a member)
for approval. Except as otherwise provided by this Agreement, the affirmative
vote of a majority of the Directors in attendance at any meeting at which a
quorum is present shall be required to authorize any action by the Board and
shall constitute the action of the Board for all purposes. No Director shall be
disqualified from voting on matters as to which the Member or group of Members
that designated such Director or any of their respective Affiliates may have an
interest. Notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing at Law or in equity, to
the fullest extent permitted by Law, no Director (other than a Director who is
an officer of the Company (but is not an officer of Comcast, GE or any of their
respective Subsidiaries) in his or her capacity as an officer of the Company)
shall have any duty to disclose to the Company or the Board confidential
information of the Member or group of Members that designated such Director or
any of their respective Affiliates in such Director’s possession even if it is
material and relevant information to the Company and/or the Board and, in any
case, such Director shall not be liable to the Company or the other Members or
their Affiliates for breach of any duty (including the duty of loyalty or any
other fiduciary duties) as a Director by reason of such lack of disclosure of
such confidential information; provided that such Director
believes in good faith that its disclosure of such information would be
prohibited by a confidentiality agreement with, or fiduciary duty to, another
Person. For the avoidance of doubt, a Director shall not be considered to be an
officer of the Company by virtue of holding the position of Chairman of the
Board.
(g) The
Secretary of the Company or, if he or she is not present, any individual whom
the Chairman may appoint, shall keep minutes of each meeting which shall reflect
all actions taken by the Board thereat.
(h) The Board
may establish other provisions and procedures relating to the governance of its
meetings that are not in conflict with the terms of this Agreement.
Section
5.05. Action Without a
Meeting. Notwithstanding Section 5.04, on any matter requiring an
approval or consent of the Board under this Agreement or the Act, the Board or
any committee thereof may take such action without a meeting, without notice and
without a vote if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so
taken, shall be signed by all of the Directors or, in the case of a committee,
all of the Directors who are members of such committee.
Section
5.06. Chairman of the
Board. Directors designated by the Comcast Members may appoint any one of
the Directors who was designated by the Comcast Members to act as Chairman of
the Board and preside at all meetings of Members and the Board at which he or
she is present. Such Chairman shall also perform such other duties as from time
to time may be assigned to him or her
48
by the
Board, subject, in each case, to the ultimate authority of the Board and the
consent rights set forth in Section 4.10(a).
Section
5.07. Committees of the
Board. (a) The Board may designate one or more committees, with each
committee to consist of one or more of the Directors, subject to the
requirements set forth in this Section 5.07. Any committee, to the extent
permitted by Law and provided in the resolution of the Board establishing such
committee, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board
in the management of the business and affairs of the Company, and may authorize
the seal of the Company to be affixed to all papers which may require it; provided that, following an
IPO, no duties will be delegated to the audit committee other than those duties
required by Law to be so delegated. Each committee shall keep regular minutes
and report to the Board when required.
(b) Subject
to the requirements of Law, Directors designated by the Comcast Members shall
constitute at least a majority of each committee of the Board and, if there are
any Directors designated by HoldCo, each such committee shall include at least
one such Director; provided that, following an
IPO, the audit committee shall be comprised solely of the Independent Directors
designated pursuant to Section 5.01(c)(i).
(c) A
majority of the members of any committee may determine its action and fix the
time and place of its meetings, unless the Board shall otherwise provide. Notice
of such meetings shall be given to each member of the committee in the manner
provided for in Section 5.04(b). Subject to Section 5.07(b) and except as
expressly required otherwise by a Transaction Agreement with respect to a
committee contemplated by such Transaction Agreement, the Board shall have the
power at any time to fill vacancies in, to change the membership of, or to
dissolve any such committee. Nothing herein shall be deemed to prevent the Board
from appointing one or more committees consisting in whole or in part of Persons
who are not Directors; provided, however, that no
such committee shall have or may exercise any authority of the
Board.
Section
5.08. Officers; Designation
and Election of Officers; Duties. (a) Subject to Sections 4.10(a) and
4.10(b), the Board may, from time to time, employ and retain Persons as may be
necessary or appropriate for the conduct of the Company’s business (subject to
the supervision and control of the Board), including employees, agents and other
Persons (any of whom may be a Member or Representative) who may be designated as
officers of the Company, with titles including but not limited to “chief
executive officer,” “chief financial officer,” “president,” “vice president,”
“treasurer,” “secretary,” “general counsel” and “director,” as and to the extent
authorized by the Board. Any number of offices may be held by the same Person.
In the Board’s discretion, the Board may choose not to fill any office for any
period as it may deem advisable. Officers need not
49
be
residents of the State of Delaware or Members. Any officers so designated shall
have such authority and perform such duties as the Board may, from time to time,
delegate to them; provided that the Chief
Executive Officer of the Company shall be the most senior officer of the
Company, and no other officer shall be granted authority equal to or in excess
of that of the Chief Executive Officer with respect to any matter or any
authority as generally pertains to a chief executive officer of companies of a
size and scope comparable to the Company. The Board may assign titles to
particular officers. Each officer shall hold office until his successor shall be
duly designated or until his or her death or until he or she shall resign or
shall have been removed in the manner hereinafter provided.
(b) Removal of Officers; Vacancies.
Any officer may resign as such at any time. Such
resignation shall be made in writing and shall take effect at the time specified
therein, or if no time is specified, at the time of its receipt by the Board.
The acceptance by the Board of a resignation of any officer shall not be
necessary to make such resignation effective, unless otherwise specified in such
resignation. Any officer may be removed as such, either with or without cause,
at any time by the Board or any authorized committee thereof. Subject to Section
4.10(b), vacancies may be filled by approval of the Board or any authorized
committee thereof. Designation of any Person as an officer by the Board shall
not in and of itself vest in such Person any contractual or employment rights
with respect to the Company.
(c) Powers and Duties. The
officers of the Company shall have such authority and perform
such duties in the management of the Company as may be prescribed by the Board
and, to the extent not so prescribed, as generally pertain to their respective
offices in a public company incorporated under the Delaware General Corporation
Law, subject to the control of the Board or any authorized committee
thereof.
(d) Officers as Agents; Reliance by
Third Parties.
(i) The
officers, to the extent of their powers set forth in this Agreement or in a
resolution of the Board or authorized committee thereof, are agents of the
Company for the purpose of the Company’s business, and the actions of the
officers taken in accordance with such powers shall bind the
Company.
(ii) Any
Person dealing with the Company may rely upon a certificate signed by any
officer as to:
(A) the
identity of any Member, Director or officer;
(B) the
existence or nonexistence of any fact or facts which constitute a condition
precedent to acts by Members, the
50
Board or
officers or in any other manner germane to the affairs of the
Company;
(C) the
Persons who are authorized to execute and deliver any instrument or document of
or on behalf of the Company;
(D) the
authenticity of any copy of this Agreement and amendments hereto;
(E) any act
or failure to act by the Company or as to any other matter whatsoever involving
the Company or, solely with respect to the activities of the Company, any
Member; and
(F) the
authority of the Board, any officer, any employee or agent of the Company, or
the Tax Matters Member.
Section
5.09. Strategic Plans.
The initial strategic plan of the Company is attached hereto as Exhibit B. Each
fiscal year, the officers of the Company shall develop a strategic plan for the
Company covering a three-year period. Each successive strategic plan and any
material amendment to any strategic plan (including any material amendments to
the initial strategic plan of the Company) shall be presented to the Board for
its consideration. If at any Board meeting any Director designated by HoldCo
raises any objection to any such strategic plan or material amendment presented
at such meeting and such objection is not resolved at such meeting, each of
Comcast and GE will cause their respective chief executive officers to use their
respective good faith efforts during the five Business Days following such
meeting to resolve such objection after such meeting; provided, however, that any
approval of such strategic plan or material amendment by a majority of the Whole
Board after such five Business Day period shall be sufficient approval with
respect thereto.
Section
5.10. Controlled
Company. The Members agree and acknowledge that, following an IPO, by
virtue of this Agreement, they will be acting as a “group” for the purpose of
the Company qualifying for the exemptions relating to controlled companies under
the listing standards of any national securities exchange (including NASDAQ) on
which the Company is listed. If Comcast, together with its Affiliates, owns less
than 50.1% of the outstanding common equity of the Company, but Comcast, GE and
their respective Affiliates own more than 50% of the outstanding common equity
of the Company on an aggregate basis, Comcast, GE and the Members will take
whatever action may be reasonably necessary to ensure that the Company is
eligible for such exemptions; provided that such actions
shall not require GE or any of its Affiliates to incur any costs or expenses
(other than costs or expenses in connection with any filings required under
applicable Law or similar action) or to acquire additional equity
of
51
the
Company; and provided,
further, that in the event that GE’s Percentage Interest is less than 10%
(calculated in accordance with Section 4.10(d)), this Section 5.10 shall not be
applicable to GE or its Affiliates or HoldCo.
ARTICLE
6
DUTIES, EXCULPATION AND INDEMNIFICATION
Section
6.01. Duties, Exculpation and
Indemnification. (a) Notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing at Law
or in equity, to the fullest extent permitted by Law and except as expressly
contemplated by this Agreement, no Member or Affiliate of any Member shall have
any duty (including any fiduciary duty) otherwise applicable at Law or in equity
to the Company or to any other Person with respect to or in connection with the
Company or the Company’s business or affairs. Except to the extent that a
particular provision in this Agreement (including, without limitation, (i) the
third and fourth sentences of Section 5.04(f), (ii) Section 6.02 and (iii)
Section 9.08) establishes a different standard, process, right or duty, the
Directors and each Company officer shall owe such fiduciary duties to the
Company and the Members as shall exist from time to time under the Laws of the
State of Delaware with respect to directors or officers, as applicable, of
Delaware corporations.
(b) To the
fullest extent permitted by Law, no Person made or threatened to be made a party
to any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that such Person is or was a member,
shareholder, partner, director, manager or executive officer of the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries (collectively, “Covered Persons”) shall be
liable to the Company or its Subsidiaries or to any other Person that is a party
hereto or is otherwise bound hereby for any act or failure to act with respect
to or in connection with the Company or the Company’s business or affairs,
except in the case of bad faith or willful misconduct. The Company shall also
have the power to exculpate to the same extent set forth in this Section 6.01(b)
employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries who are not Covered Persons and
agents of the Company or its Subsidiaries.
(c) Except in
the case of bad faith or willful misconduct, each Person (and the heirs,
executors or administrators of such Person) who was or is a party or is
threatened to be made a party to, or is involved in any threatened, pending or
completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that such Person is or was a Covered
Person, in each case acting in their capacities as such, and such action, suit
or proceeding relates to an act or omission of such Covered Person acting in its
capacity as such, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company to the
fullest extent permitted by the Laws of the State of Delaware (including
indemnification for acts or omissions constituting negligence, gross negligence
or breach of duty);
52
provided that the foregoing
indemnification shall not be available to a Member in the case of an action,
suit or proceeding brought by a Member or any other party to this Agreement
against such Member. The right to indemnification conferred in this Section
6.01(c) shall also include the right to be paid by the Company the expenses
incurred in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding in advance of
its final disposition to the fullest extent authorized by the Laws of the State
of Delaware; provided
that the payment of such expenses in advance of the final disposition of an
action, suit or proceeding shall be made only upon delivery to the Company of an
undertaking by or on behalf of the applicable Covered Person to repay all
amounts so paid in advance if it shall ultimately be determined that such
Covered Person is not entitled to be indemnified under this Section 6.01(c) or
otherwise. The rights to indemnification and advancement conferred in this
Section 6.01(c) constitute contract rights. Notwithstanding the foregoing
provisions of this Section 6.01, the Company shall indemnify a Covered Person in
connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Covered Person
only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board; provided, however, that a Covered
Person shall be entitled to reimbursement of his or her reasonable counsel fees
with respect to a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Covered Person
to enforce his or her right to indemnity or advancement of expenses under the
provisions of this Section 6.01 to the extent that the Covered Person is
successful on the merits in such proceeding (or part thereof). The Company shall
also have the power to indemnify and hold harmless to the same extent set forth
in this Section 6.01(c) employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries who are not
Covered Persons and agents of the Company or its Subsidiaries.
(d) The
Company may, by action of the Board, provide indemnification to such officers,
employees and agents of the Company or other Persons who are or were serving at
the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise to such
extent and to such effect as the Board shall determine to be
appropriate.
(e) The
Company shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any
Person who is or was a Covered Person or is or was serving at the request of the
Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense,
liability or loss incurred by such Person in any such capacity or arising out of
his status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify
him against such liability under the Laws of the State of Delaware.
(f) Notwithstanding
any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the provisions of this Section
6.01 shall survive the termination, voluntary or involuntary, of the status of a
Member as such, the termination, voluntary or involuntary, of the status of any
Covered Person or other Person as to whom the
53
provisions
of this Section 6.01 apply as such and the termination of this Agreement or
dissolution of the Company.
(g) The
provisions of this Section 6.01 shall be applicable to any action, suit or
proceeding commenced after the date of this Agreement against any Covered Person
arising from any act or omission of such Covered Person acting in its capacity
as such, whether occurring before or after the date of this Agreement. No
amendment to or repeal of this Section 6.01, or, to the fullest extent permitted
by Law, any amendment of Law, shall have any effect on the rights provided under
this Section 6.01 with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such
amendment or repeal.
(h) The
indemnification hereby provided and provided hereafter pursuant to the power
hereby conferred by this Section 6.01 on the Board shall not be exclusive of any
other rights to which any Person may be entitled, including any right under
policies of insurance that may be purchased and maintained by the Company or
others, with respect to claims, issues or matters in relation to which the
Company would not have the power to indemnify such Person under the provisions
of this Section 6.01. Such rights shall not prevent or restrict the power of the
Company to make or provide for any further indemnity, or provisions for
determining entitlement to indemnity, pursuant to one or more indemnification
agreements or other arrangements (including creation of trust funds or security
interests funded by letters of credit or other means) approved by the Board
(whether or not any of the Members, Directors or Company officers shall be a
party to or beneficiary of any such agreements or arrangements); provided, however, that any
provision of such agreements or other arrangements shall not be effective
if and to the extent that it is determined to be contrary to this Section 6.01
or applicable Law.
(i) Nothing
contained in this Section 6.01 is intended to relieve any Member or any other
Person from any liability or other obligation of such Person pursuant to the
Master Agreement or any other Transaction Agreement or to in any way impair the
enforceability of any provision of such agreements against any party
thereto.
(j) Any
indemnity under this Section 6.01 shall be provided solely out of, and only to
the extent of, the Company’s assets, and no Member or Affiliate of any Member
shall be required directly to indemnify any Covered Person pursuant to this
Section 6.01. None of the provisions of this Section 6.01 shall be deemed to
create any rights in favor of any Person other than Covered Persons and any
other Person to whom the provisions of this Section 6.01 expressly
apply.
Section
6.02. Other Activities;
Business Opportunities. (a) Notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing
at Law or in equity, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, and subject only to
Sections 10.02, 10.03 and 10.06, no
54
Member,
Affiliate of any Member (other than any Affiliate that is a natural person),
Director or Company officer who is also an employee of a Member or an Affiliate
of a Member (in each case only when acting on behalf of such Member or such
Member’s Affiliate in connection with such Member’s or such Member’s Affiliate’s
own business and operations) shall have any obligation to refrain from, directly
or indirectly, (i) engaging in the same or similar activities or lines of
business as the Company or developing or marketing any products or services that
compete, directly or indirectly, with those of the Company, (ii) investing or
owning any interest, publicly or privately, in, developing a business
relationship with, or serving as an employee, officer, director, consultant or
agent of, any Person engaged in the same or similar activities or lines of
business as, or otherwise in competition with, the Company or (iii) doing
business with (directly or as an employee, officer, director, consultant or
agent of a Person who does business with) the Company or any Person who conducts
business with the Company; and neither the Company nor any Member (or Affiliate
of any Member (other than any Affiliate that is a natural person)) shall have
any right in or to, or to be offered any opportunity to participate or invest
in, any business or venture engaged or to be engaged in by any other Member,
Affiliate of any other Member, officer of the Company who is also an employee of
any other Member (or an Affiliate of any other Member) or Director or shall have
any right in or to any income or profits derived therefrom. It is understood and
agreed by the Members, GE and Comcast that each Person referred to in this
Section 6.02(a) shall be permitted to undertake any and all actions of the type
referred to in this Section 6.02(a) without limitation (in each case acting on
behalf of the applicable Member or Affiliate of a Member in connection with such
Member’s or such Member’s Affiliate’s own business and operations) and that the
taking of any such actions shall not violate any legal obligation or duty
(including any fiduciary duty) to any Member, Comcast, GE or other Person under
or in connection with this Agreement or the Company, subject only to the
provisions of Sections 10.02, 10.3 and
10.06.
(b) Notwithstanding
any duty otherwise existing at Law or in equity, to the fullest extent permitted
by Law, and subject only to Section 10.03, if a Member, any Director designated
by a Member, any Affiliate of such Member (other than any Affiliate that is a
natural person) or any officer of the Company who is also an employee of such
Member (or any of such Member’s Affiliates) acquires knowledge of a potential
transaction or matter which may be a business opportunity for both such Member
or an Affiliate of such Member, on the one hand, and the Company or another
Member or another Member’s Affiliate (other than any Affiliate that is a natural
person), on the other hand, no such Member, Director, Affiliate or officer shall
have a duty to communicate or offer such business opportunity to the Company or
such other Member or such other Member’s Affiliate, and no such Person shall be
liable to the Company, the other Members and their Affiliates in respect of any
such matter (including for any
55
breach of
fiduciary or other duties) by reason of the fact that such Member or any
Affiliate of such Member (other than any Affiliate that is a natural person)
pursues or acquires such business opportunity for itself or by reason of the
fact that such Member, Director, Affiliate or officer directs such opportunity
to such Member or an Affiliate of such Member (other than any Affiliate that is
a natural person) or does not communicate information regarding such opportunity
to the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the first sentence of this
Section 6.02(b) shall not apply to any such knowledge or business opportunity
acquired by any Director who is an officer of the Company (other than an officer
of the Company who is an employee of Comcast, GE or any of their Subsidiaries)
in his or her capacity as an officer of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt,
a Director shall not be considered to be an officer of the Company by virtue of
holding the position of Chairman of the Board or any other Board-level
position.
ARTICLE
7
ACCOUNTING, TAX, FISCAL AND LEGAL MATTERS
Section
7.01. Fiscal Year. The
fiscal year of the Company shall end on December 31 of each year or on such
other day as may be fixed from time to time by resolution of the
Board.
Section
7.02. Bank Accounts. In
the absence of instructions from the Board to the contrary, an authorized
officer of the Company shall determine the institution or institutions at which
the Company’s bank accounts will be opened and maintained, the types of
accounts, and the Persons who will have authority with respect to the accounts
and the funds therein.
Section
7.03. Books of Account and
Other Information. (a) The Company shall prepare and maintain, at its
principal place of business, separate books of account for the Company that
shall show a true and accurate record of all costs and expenses incurred, all
charges made, all credits made and received and all income derived in connection
with the operation of the Company’s business in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles consistently applied, and, to the extent
inconsistent therewith, in accordance with this Agreement. All questions of
accounting shall be determined by the Board or a committee or officer authorized
by the Board to make such determination.
(b) In
addition to such books and records, the Board shall cause the Company to
maintain and make available to each Member for any purpose reasonably related to
its interest as a Member at the principal business office of the Company (or,
with respect to copies of the Company’s income tax returns and reports, at the
principal business office of the Tax Matters Member): a copy of this Agreement,
a current list of the full name and last known business address of each Member,
a copy of the Certificate of Formation, including all certificates
of
56
amendment
thereto and executed copies of all powers of attorney pursuant to which the
Certificate of Formation or any certificate of amendment has been executed,
copies of any federal, state, local or foreign income tax returns, if any,
required to be filed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and of any
audited financial statements of the Company, in each case for the three most
recent years or, if not prepared for the three most recent years, such lesser
period for which such documents have been prepared, and all other records
required to be maintained pursuant to this Agreement or the Act.
Section
7.04. Auditors. The
auditors of the Company shall be such firm of certified independent public
accountants as shall be selected by the Board.
Section
7.05. Certain Tax
Matters. (a) The Company shall prepare and file its tax returns
(including without limitation on Internal Revenue Service Form 1065) in a timely
manner (taking into account extensions) and shall, subject to Section 11 of the
Tax Matters Agreement, cause all tax returns of the Company and its Subsidiaries
to be filed in a timely manner (taking into account extensions); provided, however, that prior
to filing the Company’s Internal Revenue Service Form 1065, any material
foreign, state or local income tax return of the Company, or any material
franchise tax return of the Company, the Company shall submit such tax return no
less than 30 days prior to its due date to HoldCo for its review, and shall not
file any such tax return with the applicable taxing authority without the
consent of HoldCo, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
HoldCo may object to the filing of such tax return by delivering a written
notice to the Company within 10 days of receipt of such tax return from the
Company. Such written notice shall specify the item or items included in the tax
return disputed by HoldCo. After delivery of such written notice, HoldCo and the
Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to resolve the dispute. If
HoldCo and the Company are unable to resolve such dispute within five days, the
disputed item or items shall be resolved within 10 days using the procedures set
forth in Section 24 of the Tax Matters Agreement. If HoldCo does not object to
the filing of such tax return within 10 days of receipt of such tax return from
the Company, HoldCo shall be deemed to have consented to the filing of such tax
return by the Company. Such tax returns will be prepared in accordance with the
principles set forth in Schedule 7.05 and no change from these principles will
be reflected on such tax returns without the consent of HoldCo.
(b) The
Company shall prepare such information (including without limitation a Schedule
K-1 and any comparable foreign, state and local tax forms) as shall be necessary
to enable each Member to prepare its income tax returns and shall provide such
information no later than five Business Days after the filing of the Company’s
appropriate tax returns; provided that the Company
shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide estimates of the
information to be set
57
forth on
such Schedule K-1 no later than 60 days after the end of each Tax Year but in no
event later than 90 days after the end of each Tax Year.
(c) Comcast
or any Member designated by Comcast shall be the tax matters member of the
Company (the “Tax Matters
Member”), with all powers and responsibilities of a “tax matters partner”
as defined in Section 6231(a)(7)(A) of the Code. The Tax Matters Member shall
act in good faith in fulfilling its responsibilities. Comcast or any Member
designated by Comcast, in its capacity as Tax Matters Member, shall have the
right to (i) cause the Company and its Subsidiaries to make all tax elections
required or permitted to be made by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under
applicable Law (including an election under Section 754 of the Code); provided, however, that in
the case of any election that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse
effect on HoldCo or any of its Affiliates that is material and disproportionate
as to its effect on other Members or their Affiliates, such election shall not
be made without the consent of HoldCo, which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld or delayed; and (ii) manage all tax proceedings of the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries. The Company shall not pay any fees or other compensation to
the Tax Matters Member in its capacity as such. However, the Company shall
reimburse the Tax Matters Member for any and all reasonable out-of-pocket costs
and expenses (including reasonable attorneys and other professional fees)
incurred by it in its capacity as Tax Matters Member. The Company shall
indemnify, defend and hold the Tax Matters Member harmless from and against any
loss, liability, damage, costs or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees)
sustained or incurred as a result of any act or decision concerning the
Company’s tax matters and within the scope of such Member’s responsibilities as
Tax Matters Member, so long as such act or decision does not constitute bad
faith or willful misconduct. In the event that the Tax Matters Member is
notified (in writing) by a taxing authority that the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries is the subject of an audit or examination by a taxing authority of
any federal income, material foreign, state or local income, or material
franchise tax return of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the Tax Matters
Member shall promptly provide to HoldCo a written notice informing the Members
that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, as applicable, is the subject of an
audit or examination by a taxing authority, shall keep the Members reasonably
informed of material developments relating to such audit or examination and not
settle such audit or examination, to the extent relating to (A) a matter set
forth in Schedule 7.05 or (B) a matter that could reasonably be expected to have
an adverse effect on HoldCo or any of its Affiliates that is material and
disproportionate as to its effect on other Members or their Affiliates, without
the consent of HoldCo, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or
delayed.
(d) The
Members intend that the Company shall be treated as a partnership for federal,
state, and local income tax purposes to the extent such treatment is available
(and no Member will make an election otherwise) and agree
58
to take
such actions as may be necessary to receive and maintain such treatment and
refrain from taking any actions inconsistent therewith. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Members intend that the Company shall not be a partnership
(including, without limitation, a limited partnership) or joint venture and that
no Member or the Company shall be a partner or joint venturer of any other
Member or the Company for any purposes other than federal and, if applicable,
state and local income tax purposes, and this Agreement shall not be construed
to the contrary, and no Member shall be liable for the debts, liabilities or
obligations of the Company or any other Member.
ARTICLE
8
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Section
8.01. Allocations.
(a) Membership Percentages of the
Members. The Membership Percentage of each
Member shall be indicated on Schedule 4.01, as amended from time to
time.
(b) Allocation of Profit and Loss.
Except as otherwise provided in this Section 8.01, or
required pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section 1.704- 1(b)(1)(i), Profit and
Loss of the Company for each Tax Year of the Company shall be allocated among
the Members in accordance with their respective Membership Percentages, as such
Membership Percentages may be in effect from time to time.
(c) Special
Allocations. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to
the
contrary:
(i) If a
Member would at any time receive, but for this Section 8.01(c)(i), an allocation
of deduction, loss, or expenditure that would cause or increase a deficit
balance in such Member’s Capital Account in excess of any amount of such deficit
balance that the Member is obligated to restore or deemed obligated to restore
(as determined in accordance with Treasury Regulations Sections
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c), 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5)), then the portion of such
allocation that would cause or increase such deficit Capital Account balance
will be specially allocated to the other Members, if any, with positive Capital
Account balances in proportion to such balances. The loss limitation under this
Section 8.01(c)(i) is intended to comply with Treasury Regulations Section
1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d), including the reductions described in subparagraphs (4),
(5) and (6) therein.
59
(ii) If in any
Tax Year, a Member receives an adjustment, allocation or distribution described
in Treasury Regulations Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), (5) or (6), items of
Company income and gain (consisting of a pro rata portion of each item of
Company income and gain for such Tax Year) will be specially allocated to each
such Member in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent
required by the Treasury Regulations, the deficit balance in such Member’s
Capital Account in excess of any amount of such deficit balance that the Member
is obligated to restore or deemed obligated to restore (as determined in
accordance with Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c),
1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5)) as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation
pursuant to this Section 8.01(c)(ii) will be made only if and to the extent that
such Member would have a Capital Account deficit after all other allocations
provided for in this Article 8 have been tentatively made as if this Section
8.01(c)(ii) were not in the Agreement. This Section 8.01(c)(ii) is intended to
qualify and be construed as a “qualified income offset” within the meaning of
Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and will be interpreted
consistently therewith.
(iii) If there
is a net decrease in minimum gain attributed to the Company or Member
nonrecourse debt minimum gain (determined in accordance with the principles of
Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704- 2(d) and 1.704-2(i)) during any Company
taxable year, the Members will be allocated items of income and gain attributed
to the Company for such year (and, if necessary, subsequent years) in an amount
equal to their respective shares of such net decrease during such year,
determined pursuant to Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-2(g) and
1.704-2(i)(5). The items to be so allocated will be determined in accordance
with Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-2(f). This Section 8.01(c)(iii) is
intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirements in such
Treasury Regulations and will be interpreted consistently therewith, including
that no chargeback will be required to the extent of the exceptions provided in
Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-2(f) and 1.704-2(i)(4).
(iv) To the
extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Company asset pursuant to
Section 734(b) of the Code or Section 743(b) of the Code is required pursuant to
Treasury Regulations Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4) to be taken into account
in determining Capital Accounts as the result of a distribution to a Member in
complete liquidation of its Membership Interest, the amount of such adjustment
to Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment
increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such
basis) and such gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Members in
accordance with their interests in the event Treasury Regulations Section
1.704-
60
1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2)
applies, or to the Member to whom such distribution was made in the event
Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4) applies.
(v) “Nonrecourse
deductions” (as such term is defined by Treasury Regulations Section
1.704-2(b)(1)) with respect to a Tax Year shall be allocated among the Members
in accordance with their respective Membership Percentages.
(vi) The
allocation provisions set forth in this Article 8 and the other provisions of
this Agreement relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to
comply with Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b) and will be interpreted and
applied in a manner consistent with such Treasury Regulations.
(vii) Any
special allocations of items of income, gain, loss or deductions pursuant to
Sections 8.01(c)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) will be taken into account in
computing subsequent allocations pursuant to Section 8.01(b) and this Section
8.01(c) so that the net amount of any items so allocated will, to the extent
possible, be equal to the net amount that would have been allocated to each such
Member pursuant to the provisions of Section 8.01(b) if such special allocations
had not occurred.
(viii) In the
event that any fees, interest, or other amounts paid to any Member or any
Affiliate thereof pursuant to this Agreement or any other agreement providing
for the payment of such amount, and deducted by the Company in reliance on
Section 707(a) and/or 707(c) of the Code, are disallowed as deductions to the
Company on its federal income tax return and are treated as Company
distributions, then:
(A) the
Profit or Loss, as the case may be, for the Tax Year in which such fees,
interest, or other amounts were paid will be increased or decreased, as the case
may be, by the amount of such fees, interest, or other amounts that are treated
as Company distributions;
(B) there
will be allocated to the Member to which (or to whose Affiliate) such fees,
interest, or other amounts were paid, prior to the allocations pursuant to
Section 8.01(b), an amount of gross income for the Tax Year equal to the amount
of such fees, interest, or other amounts that are treated as Company
distributions; and
(C) the
amount of such fees, interest, or other amounts paid to any Member or any
Affiliate thereof shall be treated as
61
having
been distributed to the Member to which (or to whose Affiliate) such fees,
interest or other amounts were paid.
(d) Tax Allocations. (i) Except
as set forth in Sections 8.01(d)(ii) and (iii), for each Tax Year, items of
taxable income, deduction, gain, loss or credit shall be allocated for income
tax purposes among the Members in the same manner as their corresponding book
items were allocated pursuant to Sections 8.01(b), 8.01(c), and 12.05 for such
Tax Year.
(ii) In
accordance with Section 704(c) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations
thereunder, income, gain, loss, and deduction with respect to any asset
contributed to the capital of the Company shall, solely for tax purposes, be
allocated among the Members so as to take account of any variation between the
adjusted basis of such asset to the Company for federal income tax purposes and
its initial Gross Asset Value (computed in accordance with the definition of
Gross Asset Value) using the “traditional method” described in Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-3(b).
(iii) In the
event the Gross Asset Value of any asset of the Company is adjusted pursuant to
subparagraph (ii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, subsequent allocations
of income, gain, loss, and deduction with respect to such asset shall take
account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such asset for federal
income tax purposes and its Gross Asset Value as provided under Section 704(c)
of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder using such
method determined by the Tax Matters Member in its reasonable
discretion.
(iv) Allocations
pursuant to Sections 8.01(d)(ii) and (iii) are solely for purposes of federal,
state, and local taxes and shall not affect, or in any way be taken into account
in computing, any Member’s Capital Account or share of Profit, Loss, other
items, or distributions pursuant to any provision of this
Agreement.
Section
8.02. Distributions.
(a) Distributions;
Withholding.
(i) The
Company shall distribute to the Members with respect to each calendar quarter of
each Tax Year, on a pro
rata basis in accordance with their Membership Percentages, an amount of
cash equal to the Estimated Tax Distribution Amount. Each pro rata distribution of the
Estimated Tax Distribution Amount shall be made to the Members in immediately
available funds no later than three Business Days immediately preceding the date
of HoldCo’s corresponding payment obligation under Section 8 of the Tax Matters
Agreement. If the Annual
62
Tax
Distribution Amount for a Tax Year exceeds the sum of Estimated Tax Distribution
Amounts for such Tax Year, the Company shall, within 20 days after filing its
Internal Revenue Service Form 1065, distribute to the Members, on a pro rata basis in accordance
with their Membership Percentages, an amount of cash equal to such excess. If
the sum of Estimated Tax Distribution Amounts for a Tax Year exceeds the Annual
Tax Distribution Amount for such Tax Year, the Company shall so notify each of
the Members and each Member shall, within 20 days after the Company files its
Internal Revenue Service Form 1065, refund to the Company its pro rata share of such excess
or, at the Company’s election, offset such excess against future distributions
pursuant to this Section 8.02(a)(i).
(ii) Except as
specified in Section 8.02(a)(i) and Article 12 and subject to Section 8.02(c),
(i) the Company shall have no obligation to distribute any cash or other
property of the Company to the Members and (ii) subject
to Section 4.10(a), the Board shall have sole discretion in determining whether
to distribute any cash or other property of the Company, when available, and in
determining the timing, kind and amount of any and all
distributions.
(iii) The
Company is authorized to withhold from payments and distributions, or with
respect to allocations to the Members, any amounts required to be withheld under
Law. All amounts withheld with respect to a Member shall be treated as if such
amounts were distributed to such Member under this Agreement. Provided the
Company determined the amount of any required withholding reasonably and in good
faith, neither the Company nor the Tax Matters Member shall be liable for any
over- withholding in respect of any Member’s Membership Interest, and, in the
event of any such over-withholding, a Member’s sole recourse shall be to apply
for a refund from the appropriate Governmental Authority. The Company shall
cooperate with a Member in the preparation and filing of such refund
claims.
(b) Distributions in Kind. No
Member has any right to demand or receive property other
than cash. Assets of the Company distributed in kind shall be valued based on
the Gross Asset Value thereof.
(c) Limitations on Distributions.
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the
contrary:
(i) no
distribution shall be made in violation of the Act or other applicable Law;
and
63
(ii) all
amounts distributed to Members in respect of their Membership Interests shall be
distributed to them pro rata in accordance with their respective Membership
Percentages.
(d) Exculpation. The Members
hereby consent and agree that, except as expressly provided herein or required
by applicable Law, no Member shall have an obligation to return cash or other
property paid or distributed to such Member under Section 18-502(b) of the Act
or otherwise.
ARTICLE
9
TRANSFERS, REDEMPTION/PURCHASE RIGHTS AND ADDITIONAL MEMBERS
Section
9.01. Restrictions on
Transfers. (a) Prior to the three and one- half year anniversary of the
Closing Date, neither GE nor HoldCo may Transfer (or permit the Transfer of) any
Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares; provided that GE and its
Subsidiaries (other than HoldCo) may Transfer HoldCo Shares owned by GE or such
Subsidiary to GE or to any direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of GE
other than HoldCo (provided that such Subsidiary
remains a direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of GE and agrees to be
bound by the provisions of this Agreement applicable to GE). After the three and
one half year anniversary of the Closing Date, subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement (including Sections 9.01(c), 9.01(d), 9.06 and
9.07), GE may directly Transfer or permit direct Transfers of Membership
Interests and HoldCo Shares to any Person but, for the avoidance of doubt, may
not permit indirect Transfers of HoldCo Shares or Membership Interests (other
than an indirect Transfer of Membership Interests resulting from a direct
Transfer of HoldCo Shares).
(b) No
Comcast Member may Transfer any Membership Interests owned by it other than (i)
to Comcast or to any direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of Comcast;
provided that such
Subsidiary remains a direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Comcast and
agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement applicable to the Comcast
Members, (ii) at any time after the Comcast Transfer Date, subject to Section
9.09, in a Transfer of all (but not less than all) of the Membership Interests
held by the Comcast Members to an unaffiliated Person or group of Persons
(“Third Party
Acquirer”), (iii) at any time after the Comcast Transfer Date; provided that no such
Transfer pursuant to this clause (b)(iii) shall be permitted if, as a result of
such Transfer, the Comcast Members’ aggregate Percentage Interests would not be
greater than the aggregate Percentage Interests of each other Member and its
Affiliates or the Comcast Members’ would not be entitled to designate a majority
of the Directors or (iv)(x) at any time that GE’s Percentage Interest is less
than 20% or (y) if as a result of a change in Law or a change in the
interpretation, enforcement or administration of a Law, in each case after the
date hereof, Comcast’s and its Affiliates’ continued investment in the Company
would be prohibited by Law or would reasonably be
64
expected
to result in a material adverse effect on Comcast and its Subsidiaries, taken as
a whole, or the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, pursuant to a
spin-off to its shareholders by Comcast of an entity that holds all of the
Membership Interests then owned by Comcast and its Affiliates. In the event of a
spin-off as contemplated by Section 9.01(b)(iv), notwithstanding any provision
of this Agreement to the contrary, (i) the spun-off entity (“SpinCo”) shall immediately
prior to such spin-off be assigned all of Comcast’s rights, and shall assume all
of Comcast’s obligations, under this Agreement and (ii) subject to Section
18-704(c) of the Act, from and after the time of such assignment, Comcast shall
have no rights, and shall have no obligations under, this Agreement; provided that from and after
the time of the assignment to, and assumption by, SpinCo of Comcast’s rights and
obligations under this Agreement, either Comcast guarantees SpinCo’s obligations
under Section 9.02(d) or SpinCo otherwise obtains credit or other support (in a
form, and from a Person, satisfactory to GE in GE’s reasonable discretion), or
is capitalized, such that SpinCo’s ability to comply with its obligations under
Section 9.02(d), as compared to Comcast’s ability to comply with such
obligations prior to the spin- off, is not impaired by virtue of the spin-off
(it being understood that, among other things, the full funding of SpinCo’s
obligation into an escrow account satisfactory to GE in GE’s reasonable
discretion or obtaining a letter of credit (in a form, and from a Person,
satisfactory to GE in GE’s reasonable discretion) with respect to the full
amount of such obligation would satisfy the obligations set forth in this
proviso).
(c) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary herein, HoldCo shall impose appropriate restrictions on
the issuance of HoldCo securities, and on the transfer of HoldCo securities by
GE, any Subsidiary of GE or any other holder thereof, as necessary to avoid the
requirement for HoldCo to register as an “investment company” under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, without reference to Rule 3a-2
promulgated thereunder. For the avoidance of doubt, as used in this Section
9.01(c), “HoldCo securities” shall include equity securities and debt securities
of HoldCo.
(d) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary herein, prior to an IPO, no Member shall be permitted
to Transfer, or permit the Transfer of, any Membership Interests or HoldCo
Shares in a sale pursuant to Rule 144 under the Exchange Act.
Section
9.02. GE/HoldCo Redemption
Rights. (a) HoldCo shall have the right (the “First HoldCo Redemption
Right”), exercisable upon written notice to Comcast and the Company
during the six-month period commencing on the three and one half year
anniversary of the Closing Date, to require the Company to purchase securities
representing 50% of GE’s Percentage Interest (as of immediately after the
Closing), for a purchase price equal to the Redemption Purchase Price determined
as of the date of receipt of the applicable written
65
election
by Comcast and the Company, payable in cash; provided that, subject to the
immediately succeeding sentence, at the election of GE, the First HoldCo
Redemption Right may be effected by a sale of HoldCo Shares to the Company
instead of a repurchase of Membership Interests by the Company, or any
combination of the foregoing; and provided, further, that,
subject to the immediately succeeding sentence, if GE or a Subsidiary has
previously sold HoldCo Shares in connection with an IPO Purchase Right, the
First HoldCo Redemption Right may be effected only by a sale of HoldCo Shares.
Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, Comcast may require that the
First HoldCo Redemption Right be effected first by a repurchase by the Company
of Membership Interests (instead of a purchase of HoldCo Shares) up to an amount
such that, after giving effect to such repurchase, the disposition by GE and its
Subsidiaries of their remaining HoldCo Shares for a price per HoldCo Share equal
to the portion of the Redemption Purchase Price attributable to one HoldCo Share
will not result in GE and its Subsidiaries having a loss for U.S. federal income
tax purposes on the disposition of such shares that is disallowed by operation
of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-36(c) (or any successor provision) or as
a result of any Change in Tax Law; provided that Comcast shall
not be permitted to require that the First HoldCo Redemption Right be effected
through the acquisition of Membership Interests to the extent that, after such
purchase of Membership Interests and the accompanying purchase of HoldCo Shares
pursuant to the exercise of the First HoldCo Redemption Right, (A) HoldCo would
be a member of the GE consolidated group for U.S. federal income tax purposes
and (B) the aggregate bases of the members of GE’s consolidated group for U.S.
federal income tax purposes in their respective HoldCo Shares would be greater
than the product of the Cushion Percentage and the allocable Redemption Purchase
Price of such remaining HoldCo Shares. At the time of the exercise of the First
HoldCo Redemption Right, the Chief Financial Officer of GE shall certify to
Comcast and the Company as to GE’s good faith estimate based on facts then known
after due inquiry of (1) the aggregate bases of the members of GE’s consolidated
group in such members’ HoldCo Shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of
the Relevant Time, (2) HoldCo’s basis in its Membership Interests for U.S.
federal income tax purposes as of the Relevant Time, (3) the maximum portion of
HoldCo’s Membership Interests that could have been sold, as of the Relevant
Time, at the Redemption Purchase Price without causing GE and its Subsidiaries
to recognize a loss on such sale that is disallowed pursuant to Treasury
Regulations Section 1.1502- 36(c) (or any successor provision) and (4) a
description of all facts (to the extent such facts would not be required to be
recorded by the Company on a properly completed IRS Form 1065 (Schedule K-1))
occurring between the Relevant Time and the date of certification, or reasonably
expected to occur prior to the consummation of the transactions pursuant to the
First HoldCo Redemption Right, that could have an effect on the foregoing
calculations during such time, in each case setting forth in reasonable detail
the basis for such computation. The
66
Chief
Financial Officer of GE shall deliver its certificate with respect to the
matters described in clauses (1), (2) and (4) of the immediately preceding
sentence together with the Exercise Notice for the First HoldCo Redemption Right
and its certificate with respect to the matters described in clause (3) of the
immediately preceding sentence as promptly as practicable after determination of
the Redemption Purchase Price.
(b) HoldCo
shall have the right (the “Second HoldCo Redemption Right” and together with the
First HoldCo Redemption Right, the “HoldCo Redemption Rights”),
exercisable upon written notice to Comcast and the Company during the
six-month period commencing on the seven year anniversary of the Closing Date,
to require the Company to purchase securities representing the remainder of GE’s
Percentage Interest at such time, for a purchase price equal to the Redemption
Purchase Price determined as of the date of receipt of the applicable written
election by Comcast and the Company, payable in cash; provided that, subject to
Section 9.08, at the election of GE, the Second HoldCo Redemption Right may be
effected by a sale of HoldCo Shares to the Company instead of a repurchase of
Membership Interest by the Company, or any combination of the foregoing; and
provided, further,
that, subject to Section 9.08, if GE or a Subsidiary has previously sold HoldCo
Shares in connection with the First HoldCo Redemption Right, the Second Comcast
Purchase Right or an IPO Purchase Right, the Second HoldCo Redemption Right may
be effected only by a sale of HoldCo Shares.
(c) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary set forth in this Section 9.02, the Company shall not
be required to satisfy a HoldCo Redemption Right to the extent that, after
giving effect to any borrowing by the Company required to satisfy such HoldCo
Redemption Right (assuming that all Available Cash is applied to the
satisfaction of such HoldCo Redemption Right prior to any borrowing), (i) the
Company is advised in writing by the credit rating advisory services of Standard
& Poor’s Ratings Services or Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc. that the
Company would have a credit rating that is not an Investment Grade Credit Rating
or (ii) the Board determines in good faith that the Company would reasonably be
expected to have a ratio of consolidated Debt (as of the reasonably anticipated
date of closing of such HoldCo Redemption Right) to consolidated EBITDA (for the
most recent twelve month period for which consolidated EBITDA has been
determined at the time of the closing of such HoldCo Redemption Right) in excess
of 2.75. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company shall be required to satisfy
the applicable HoldCo Redemption Right to the fullest extent possible without
violating the restrictions set forth in clauses (i) and (ii) of the immediately
preceding sentence. In satisfying the applicable HoldCo Redemption Right, the
Company must use all Available Cash. In connection with any determination of a
credit rating advisory service set forth above in clause (i), GE shall be given
prompt notification of, and a reasonable opportunity to participate in, all
discussions with the credit rating advisory service. In
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connection
with any Board determination set forth above in clause (ii), the Company shall
give GE prompt notice of such determination and its basis therefor and at the
same time a copy of all materials used by the Board in reaching such
determination.
(d) If
pursuant to Section 9.02(c) the Company is not required to satisfy all of a
HoldCo Redemption Right, Comcast shall purchase the securities constituting such
unsatisfied portion that the Company would be obligated to purchase but for
Section 9.02(c) for a purchase price equal to the Redemption Purchase Price with
respect to such unsatisfied portion determined as of the date of receipt of the
applicable written election by Comcast and the Company, payable at the election
of Comcast in cash or Qualifying Securities or any combination of the foregoing;
provided that Comcast’s
purchase obligation with respect to the First HoldCo Redemption Right shall not
exceed $2.875 billion and with respect to the Second HoldCo Redemption Right
shall not exceed an amount equal to (i) $5.750 billion less (ii) the amount, if
any, used by Comcast pursuant to this Section 9.02(d) to satisfy a portion of
the First HoldCo Redemption Right; and provided, further, that, if
Comcast elects to purchase securities in excess of its purchase obligation in
connection with the First HoldCo Redemption Right, such excess amount shall not
reduce its purchase obligation in respect of the Second HoldCo Redemption Right;
and provided, further,
that such purchase shall be structured (x) in the manner set forth in Section
9.02(a) in the case of the First HoldCo Redemption Right and (y) in the manner
set forth in Section 9.02(b) or Section 9.08, as the case may be, in the case of
the Second HoldCo Redemption Right. For the avoidance of doubt, notwithstanding
the first proviso set forth in the immediately preceding sentence, with respect
to each HoldCo Redemption Right Comcast shall have the right to purchase at the
same valuation, in cash or Qualifying Securities, or any combination of the
foregoing, any or all securities that by virtue of such proviso it is not
obligated to purchase pursuant to such HoldCo Redemption Right. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary herein, the cap on Comcast’s purchase obligation with
respect to any HoldCo Redemption Right shall be reduced by the amount of any
purchase price previously paid by Comcast in connection with the exercise of any
IPO Purchase Right made in response to any IPO Registration Request (as defined
in Exhibit D) pursuant to Section 2(a)(iii) or Section 2(a)(iv) of Exhibit
D.
(e) In the
event that Comcast elects to deliver Qualifying Securities in satisfaction of
all or any portion of its obligations pursuant to Section 9.02(d), Comcast shall
be required to deliver such number of Qualifying Securities that, if sold by
HoldCo in a single transaction on the date of receipt with the goal of
maximizing the value received for such securities would generate cash proceeds,
net of all market discounts, fees and expenses, equal to the portion of the
Redemption Purchase Price being satisfied. In the event that GE disagrees with
Comcast’s determination of the number of Qualifying Securities delivered
pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence, GE shall within five
Business
68
Days of
their delivery provide written notice to Comcast of such disagreement. If
Comcast and GE are unable to resolve such disagreement within five Business Days
of the delivery of such notice, GE may within five Business Days of the
expiration of such period by written notice to Comcast elect to cause the
dispute to be resolved by a mutually agreeable arbitrator (who shall be an
independent third party with relevant expertise) pursuant to an arbitration
process not to exceed 10 Business Days and conducted in New York, New York under
the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association in
effect at the time of the arbitration, except as they may be modified herein or
by agreement of the parties. If an arbitration is necessary and Comcast and GE
do not mutually select and appoint an arbitrator within five Business Days
following delivery of the notice pursuant to the preceding sentence, an
arbitrator shall be selected and appointed in the manner set forth in the final
two sentences of Section 10.02(f). All fees and disbursements of the arbitrator
shall be paid by Comcast. In the event the arbitrator determines that the
delivery of Qualifying Securities was deficient, Comcast shall promptly pay the
amount of such deficiency to HoldCo or GE, as applicable, in cash, by wire
transfer of immediately available funds, plus interest from the date of closing
of the applicable HoldCo Redemption Right until the date on which such payment
is made at a rate equal to LIBOR (as in effect on the date of the commencement
of such interest period).
(f) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if (i) Comcast
elects to deliver Qualifying Securities in satisfaction of all or any portion of
its obligations pursuant to Section 9.02(d) and (ii) pursuant to Section
9.04(c)(i), the closing of the relevant HoldCo Redemption Right would occur
during a Comcast Blackout Period, then Comcast may elect to delay such closing
until after such Comcast Blackout Period; provided that if Comcast so
delays such closing, the Redemption Purchase Price payable in connection with
such HoldCo Redemption Right shall accrue interest from the latest date on which
the closing of such HoldCo Redemption Right would otherwise have taken place
pursuant to Section 9.04(c)(i) until the date on which such closing takes place
at a rate equal to LIBOR (as in effect on the date of the commencement of such
interest period).
(g) Prior to
delivering any Qualifying Securities, (i) Comcast shall file a shelf
registration statement registering the offer and sale of such shares by GE or
HoldCo that will permit GE or HoldCo to effect the immediate sale thereof
without volume limitations or any similar limitations (subject to the suspension
periods set forth in Exhibit D, with references to the Company being understood
to mean Comcast) and (ii) such shelf registration statement shall have been
declared effective. Comcast will keep such registration statement effective and
will comply with the registration procedures in Section 5 of Exhibit D hereto
(as though such procedures were applicable to it, with references to the Company
being understood to mean Comcast) to permit GE or HoldCo to effect offers and
sales of Qualifying Securities under such registration statement at any
time
69
thereafter
that GE or HoldCo continues to hold any Qualifying Securities (subject to the
suspension periods set forth in Exhibit D, with references to the Company being
understood to mean Comcast) until the entire amount of Qualifying Securities
held by GE or HoldCo may be sold without any limitation as to volume under Rule
144 (or any successor or similar provision then in force) under the Securities
Act; provided that,
notwithstanding the foregoing, Comcast shall be obligated to keep such shelf
registration statement effective until such time as the aggregate value of the
Qualifying Securities held by GE or HoldCo (based on the average closing sale
price of the Qualifying Security on the principal exchange on which the
Qualifying Security is listed or on the principal inter-dealer quotation system
on which the Qualifying Security is quoted during the preceding ten trading
days) first falls below $1 billion. For so long as Comcast is obligated pursuant
to the immediately preceding sentence to keep such registration statement
effective, Comcast will reasonably cooperate with and assist GE or HoldCo in
connection with underwritten offerings of Qualifying Securities in accordance
with the registration procedures in Section 5 of Exhibit D hereto (as though
such procedures were applicable to it, with references to the Company being
understood to mean Comcast), subject to the suspension periods set forth in
Exhibit D, with references to the Company being understood to mean Comcast.
Without limiting the foregoing, Comcast will enter into a customary agreement
with GE or HoldCo providing for the indemnification of GE or HoldCo and such
party’s Affiliates in connection with any information included in (or omitted
from) the applicable registration statement, other than any information supplied
for inclusion in (or omitted from) such registration statement by or on behalf
of a selling holder. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section
9.02(g), neither GE nor HoldCo shall be permitted to effect offers or sales of
Qualifying Securities made in reliance on such registration statement
(excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, offers or sales made in reliance on any
applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities
Act) during any Comcast Blackout Period.
Section
9.03. Comcast Purchase
Rights. (a) Comcast shall have the right (the “First Comcast Purchase
Right”), exercisable upon written notice to GE and the Company during the
ten Business Day period after the determination of the Fully Distributed Public
Market Value in respect of the First HoldCo Redemption Right, to acquire from GE
and its Affiliates securities representing the remainder (but not less than the
remainder) of GE’s Percentage Interest at the Redemption Purchase Price
(determined using the same valuation as the valuation for the First HoldCo
Redemption Right), payable in cash. Subject to Section 9.08, at the election of
GE, the First Comcast Purchase Right may be effected by a sale of Membership
Interests or HoldCo Shares or any combination of the foregoing; provided that if GE intends
to sell HoldCo Shares in connection with the First HoldCo Redemption Right or
has previously sold HoldCo Shares in
70
connection
with an IPO Purchase Right, the First Comcast Purchase Right may be effected
only by a sale of HoldCo Shares.
(b) If
the First HoldCo Redemption Right is not exercised pursuant to Section 9.02(a),
Comcast shall have the right (the “Second Comcast Purchase Right”), exercisable upon
written notice to GE and the Company during the six- month period commencing
on the five year anniversary of the Closing Date, to acquire from GE and its
Affiliates securities representing 50% of GE’s Percentage Interest (as of
immediately after the Closing), for a purchase price equal to the Redemption
Purchase Price determined as of the date of receipt of the applicable written
election by GE and the Company, payable in cash. Subject to the immediately
succeeding sentence, at the election of GE, the Second Comcast Purchase Right
may be effected by a sale of Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares or any
combination of the foregoing; provided that if GE has
previously sold HoldCo Shares in connection with an IPO Purchase Right, the
Second Comcast Purchase Right may be effected only by a sale of HoldCo Shares.
Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, Comcast may require that the
Second Comcast Purchase Right be effected first by a purchase by Comcast of
Membership Interests (instead of a purchase of HoldCo Shares) up to an amount
such that, after giving effect to such purchase, the disposition by GE and its
Subsidiaries of their remaining HoldCo Shares for a price per HoldCo Share equal
to the portion of the Redemption Purchase Price attributable to one HoldCo Share
will not result in GE and its Subsidiaries having a loss for U.S. federal income
tax purposes on the disposition of such shares that is disallowed by operation
of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-36(c) (or any successor provision) or as
a result of any Change in Tax Law; provided that Comcast shall
not be permitted to require that the Second Comcast Purchase Right be effected
through the acquisition of Membership Interests to the extent that, after such
purchase of Membership Interests and the accompanying purchase of HoldCo Shares
pursuant to the exercise of the Second Comcast Purchase Right, (A) HoldCo would
be a member of the GE consolidated group for U.S. federal income tax purposes
and (B) the aggregate bases of the members of GE’s consolidated group for U.S.
federal income tax purposes in their respective HoldCo Shares would be greater
than the product of the Cushion Percentage and the allocable Redemption Purchase
Price of such remaining HoldCo Shares. If the First HoldCo Redemption Right is
not exercised pursuant to Section 9.02(a), the Chief Financial Officer of GE
shall certify to Comcast and the Company as to GE’s good faith estimate based on
facts then known after due inquiry of (1) the aggregate bases of the members of
GE’s consolidated group in such members’ HoldCo Shares for U.S. federal income
tax purposes as of the Relevant Time, (2) HoldCo’s basis in its Membership
Interests for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of the Relevant Time, (3) the
maximum portion of HoldCo’s Membership Interests that could have been sold, as
of the Relevant Time, at the Redemption Purchase Price without causing GE and
its Subsidiaries to recognize a loss on
71
such sale
that is disallowed pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502- 36(c) (or
any successor provision) or as a result of any Change in Tax Law and (4) a
description of all facts (to the extent such facts would not be required to be
recorded by the Company on a properly completed IRS Form 1065 (Schedule K- 1))
occurring between the Relevant Time and the date of certification, or reasonably
expected to occur prior to the consummation of the transactions pursuant to the
Second Comcast Purchase Right, that could have an effect on the foregoing
calculations during such time, in each case, setting forth in reasonable detail
the basis for such computation. The Chief Financial Officer of GE shall deliver
its certificate with respect to the matters described in clauses (1), (2) and
(4) of the immediately preceding sentence prior to the first date on which the
Second Comcast Purchase Right is exercisable, but no earlier than 30 days prior
thereto, and its certificate with respect to the matters described in clause (3)
of the immediately preceding sentence as promptly as practicable after the
determination of the Redemption Purchase Price.
(c) If the
Second HoldCo Redemption Right is exercised pursuant to Section 9.02(b), Comcast
shall have the right (the “Third Comcast Purchase Right”), exercisable upon
written notice to GE and the Company during the ten Business Day period
after determination of the Fully Distributed Public Market Value in respect of
the Second HoldCo Redemption Right, to acquire all (but not less than all)
Membership Interests and HoldCo Shares previously Transferred by GE and its
Affiliates to third parties (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any
Membership Interest, HoldCo Shares or any successor securities Transferred by GE
or its Affiliates pursuant to a Public Offering or pursuant to a Rule 144 Sale),
for a purchase price equal to the Redemption Purchase Price (determined using
the same valuation as the valuation for the Second HoldCo Redemption Right),
payable in cash.
(d) Comcast
shall have the right (the “Fourth Comcast Purchase Right”), exercisable upon
written notice to GE and the Company during the six- month period commencing
on the eight year anniversary of the Closing Date, to acquire from GE and its
Affiliates securities representing the remainder (but not less than the
remainder) of GE’s Percentage Interest at such time, for a purchase price equal
to the Redemption Purchase Price determined as of the date of receipt of the
applicable written election by GE and the Company, payable in cash. Subject to
Section 9.08, at the election of GE, the Fourth Comcast Purchase Right may be
effected by a sale of Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares or any combination
of the foregoing; provided that if GE has
previously sold HoldCo Shares in connection with the First HoldCo Redemption
Right, the Second HoldCo Redemption Right, the Second Comcast Purchase Right or
an IPO Purchase Right, the Fourth Comcast Purchase Right may be effected only by
a sale of HoldCo Shares.
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(e)
Comcast shall have the right (a “Public Offering Purchase
Right” and together with the First Comcast Purchase Right, the Second
Comcast Purchase Right, the Third Comcast Purchase Right and the Fourth Comcast
Purchase Right, the “Comcast
Purchase Rights”), exercisable after a request for registration under
Section 2 or 3 of Exhibit D has been made and prior to the execution of the
underwriting agreement relating to such registration, by written notice to GE
and the Company, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the Registrable
Securities that GE and its Affiliates seek to register pursuant to such
registration request, for a purchase price equal to their allocable portion of
Public Market Value determined as of the date of receipt of the applicable
written election by GE, payable in cash; provided that a Public
Offering Purchase Right that has not been consummated shall not survive the
withdrawal of the related request for registration (including, for the avoidance
of doubt, if such withdrawal occurs after the exercise but prior to the
consummation of such Public Offering Purchase Right). The determination of
Public Market Value shall commence as promptly as practicable after notice of a
request for registration under Section 2 or 3 of Exhibit D has been made.
Subject to the immediately succeeding sentence and Section 9.08, if Comcast
exercises a Public Offering Purchase Right in connection with a request for an
IPO registration (an “IPO
Purchase Right”), at the election of GE, the IPO Purchase Right may be
effected by sale of Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares or any combination of
the foregoing; provided
that if GE has previously sold HoldCo Shares in connection with a HoldCo Redemption Right
or a Comcast Purchase Right, such Public Offering Purchase Right may be effected
only by a sale of HoldCo Shares. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding
sentence, if (i) Comcast exercises an IPO Purchase Right and (ii) such IPO
Purchase Right would not give Comcast the right to acquire securities
representing all, but not less than all, of GE’s Percentage Interest at such
time, then Comcast may require that such IPO Purchase Right be effected first by
a purchase of Membership Interests (instead of HoldCo Shares) up to an amount
such that, after giving effect to such purchase, the disposition by GE and its
Subsidiaries of their remaining HoldCo Shares at their allocable portion of
Public Market Value will not result in GE and its Subsidiaries having a loss for
U.S. federal income tax purposes on the disposition of such shares that is
disallowed by operation of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-36(c) (or any
successor provision) or as a result of any Change in Tax Law; provided that Comcast shall
not be permitted to require that the IPO Purchase Right be effected through the
acquisition of Membership Interests to the extent that, after such purchase of
Membership Interests and the accompanying purchase of HoldCo Shares pursuant to
the exercise of the IPO Purchase Right, (A) HoldCo would be a member of the GE
consolidated group for U.S. federal income tax purposes and (B) the aggregate
bases of the members of GE’s consolidated group for U.S. federal income tax
purposes in their respective HoldCo Shares would be greater than the product of
the Cushion Percentage and the allocable Public Market Value of such remaining
HoldCo Shares. At the time
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of a
request by GE for registration under Section 2 or 3 of Exhibit D, the Chief
Financial Officer of GE shall certify to Comcast and the Company as to GE’s good
faith estimate based on facts then known after due inquiry of (1) the aggregate
bases of the members of GE’s consolidated group in such members’ HoldCo Shares
for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of the Relevant Time, (2) HoldCo’s basis
in its Membership Interests for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of the
Relevant Time, (3) the maximum portion of HoldCo’s Membership Interests that
could have been sold, as of the Relevant Time, at the Public Market Value
without causing GE and its Subsidiaries to recognize a loss on such sale that is
disallowed pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-36(c) (or any
successor provision) or as a result of any Change in Tax Law and (4) a
description of all facts (to the extent such facts would not be required to be
recorded by the Company on a properly completed IRS Form 1065 (Schedule K-1))
occurring between the Relevant Time and the date of certification, or reasonably
expected to occur prior to the consummation of the transactions pursuant to the
IPO Purchase Right, that could have an effect on the foregoing calculations
during such time, in each case setting forth in reasonable detail the basis for
such computation. The Chief Financial Officer of GE shall deliver its
certificate with respect to the matters described in clauses (1), (2) and (4) of
the immediately preceding sentence upon GE’s request for registration and its
certificate with respect to the matters described in clause (3) of the
immediately preceding sentence as promptly as practicable after determination of
the Public Market Value.
Section
9.04. Redemption/Purchase
Transactions. (a) If HoldCo exercises its rights pursuant to a HoldCo
Redemption Right or Comcast exercises its rights pursuant to a Comcast Purchase
Right, the party exercising such rights shall give the other party notice in
writing stating such election (an “Exercise Notice”). Once delivered, an
Exercise Notice shall be irrevocable except as otherwise mutually
agreed by HoldCo and Comcast. Upon delivery of an Exercise Notice, each of
HoldCo and Comcast shall promptly designate a representative (a “Purchase Representative”) who
shall be an individual responsible for overseeing the exercise of the HoldCo
Redemption Right or Comcast Purchase Right, to whom all communications on such
matter will be directed, and who shall have authority to act on behalf of the
party that appointed such individual. In the case of a HoldCo Redemption Right,
the Purchase Representative designated by Comcast shall have the authority to
act on behalf of the Company as well as Comcast. Each party may replace its
Purchase Representative at any time upon written notice to the other party’s
Purchase Representative. The Purchase Representatives shall meet as soon as
reasonably practicable, but in any event not later than five Business Days,
following delivery of the Exercise Notice.
(b)
HoldCo and Comcast, through their Purchase Representatives, will promptly cause
the Fully Distributed Public Market Value determination procedures set forth in
Section 9.05 to be commenced (except in the case of a
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Public
Offering Purchase Right exercised after an IPO or in the case of the First
Comcast Purchase Right and the Third Comcast Purchase Right), shall identify and
promptly commence the steps necessary for obtaining all Governmental Approvals
necessary to consummate the HoldCo Redemption Right or Comcast Purchase Right,
as applicable, and shall prepare all required documentation.
(c) The
closing of any HoldCo Redemption Right or Comcast Purchase Right shall take
place on a date to be specified by HoldCo and Comcast which shall occur no later
than (i) the tenth Business Day following the later to occur of receipt of all
required Governmental Approvals and the final determination of Fully Distributed
Public Market Value in accordance with Section 9.05, if applicable, or (ii) such
other date as may be mutually agreed in writing by HoldCo and Comcast; provided that (A) if the
First HoldCo Redemption Right and First Comcast Purchase Right are both
exercised, the closing in respect of such transactions shall occur
simultaneously on the same date, (B) if the Second HoldCo Redemption Right and
the Third Comcast Purchase Right are both exercised, the closing in respect of
such transactions shall occur simultaneously on the same date and (C) if in
connection with the closing of any HoldCo Redemption Right or Comcast Purchase
Right, GE is selling or causing to be sold both Membership Interests and HoldCo
Shares, the sale of Membership Interests shall occur prior to the sale of HoldCo
Shares on the closing date. The parties shall act in good faith to cause such
closing to occur on such date as determined by the foregoing sentence, including
using commercially reasonable efforts to obtain any required Governmental
Approvals as promptly as practicable. At the closing of the HoldCo Redemption
Right or Comcast Purchase Right, HoldCo and its Affiliates, as applicable, shall
sell, and the Company and Comcast, as applicable, shall purchase, the applicable
securities free and clear of all liens and encumbrances (other than those
arising under this Agreement). In connection with such closing and except as
otherwise provided in the HoldCo Agreement, neither HoldCo or any of its
Affiliates shall be required to make any representations or warranties or
provide any indemnification to Comcast and the Company other than with respect
to (u) corporate existence, (v) due execution and delivery, (w) corporate
authority, (x) enforceability, (y) non-contravention of law, organizational
documents and material contracts and (z) title to the securities (free and clear
of all liens and encumbrances) (the “Specified
Representations”).
(d) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained herein, if in connection with the exercise of
a HoldCo Redemption Right the Company would be obligated to purchase securities
representing all or any portion of GE’s Percentage Interest, Comcast shall have
the right to require the Company to assign its obligation to purchase any of
such securities to Comcast or any Affiliate of Comcast; provided that for purposes of
determining the continued entitlement of GE and its Affiliates to any rights
hereunder that terminate if GE’s Percentage Interest is less than a specified
threshold, GE’s Percentage Interest shall be calculated as if the Company had
redeemed such securities. In addition, at the
75
request
of Comcast in connection with any HoldCo Redemption Right or Comcast Purchase
Right in which Comcast will purchase securities representing the remainder of
GE’s Percentage Interest, the parties to this Agreement shall cooperate with
respect to (i) the negotiation and execution of Company financing in an amount
sufficient to complete such transaction and (ii) the structuring of such
transaction to allow the Comcast Members to receive and use Company funds
(whether or not such funds are the proceeds of such financing) to complete such
transaction. In furtherance of the foregoing, GE agrees not to exercise any veto
rights pursuant to Section 4.10 with respect to actions by the Company in
connection with such financing or any dividends of Company funds.
Section
9.05. Determination
of Fully Distributed Public Market Value. (a)
“Fully Distributed Public
Market Value” means the anticipated aggregate common equity market value
of the Company on the NYSE or NASDAQ following completion of an IPO and related
market stabilization activities, with such valuation to be established (i) using
the Public Market Valuation Methodology of the Company’s consolidated and
unconsolidated businesses, (ii) assuming the Company is a non-controlled
stand-alone entity with a single class of fully-distributed common stock
publicly traded on an active and liquid market; (iii) assuming no premium or
strategic value due to third-party interest or bid speculation; and (iv) taking
into account all relevant facts and circumstances.
(b)
“Fully Distributed Public
Market Value” shall be determined by the following process:
(i) No
later than the 30th day after the Notice Date, Comcast and GE each will engage
one Appraiser (the “Initial
Appraisers”) for purposes of estimating Fully Distributed Public Market
Value. Comcast shall also deliver to GE a list of two potential Appraisers each
of whom shall be independent of, and not Affiliated with, Comcast, GE, their
Affiliates or the first two Appraisers and who shall not have been engaged by GE
or Comcast or any of their respective Affiliates (including the Company and its
Subsidiaries) in connection with a material transaction other than a capital
market or commercial lending transaction during the six calendar months
preceding the date of such delivery. GE shall select a third Appraiser from the
list of two for the purpose of estimating Fully Distributed Public Market Value.
All fees and disbursements of each such Appraiser shall be the responsibility of
the party that engaged such Appraiser; provided that Comcast shall
be responsible for the fees and disbursements of the third Appraiser. Each such
Appraiser shall determine Fully Distributed Public Market Value in good faith in
accordance with Section 9.05(a) and deliver its estimate of Fully Distributed
Public Market Value not later than the first Business Day that is at least 90
days after the Notice Date. If the higher of the two estimates of Fully
Distributed Public Market Value submitted by the Initial
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Appraisers
is not more than 115% of the lower estimate, then the Fully Distributed Public
Market Value will be deemed to be the average of the Fully Distributed Public
Market Value estimates of the two Appraisers.
(ii) If the
higher of the Initial Appraisers’ estimates of Fully Distributed Public Market
Value is more than 115% of the lower estimate, then the Fully Distributed Public
Market Value shall be the average of the Fully Distributed Public Market Value
estimated by the two closest estimates among the three Appraisers.
(iii) Promptly
following the engagement of each Appraiser pursuant to this Section 9.05(b), the
Company shall (w) provide such Appraiser with written instructions regarding the
preparation of the Appraisals, including a copy of the pertinent sections of
this Agreement; (x) provide
the Company’s most recent consolidated financial statements; (y) provide
financial forecasts for the Company on a consolidated basis for the then-current
year and the following year; and (z) make available to each Appraiser a
management presentation with respect to the matters set forth in clauses (x) and
(y). Each Appraiser shall receive identical information pursuant to this Section
9.05(b)(iii).
(c) “Public Market Valuation
Methodology” will consist of an analysis of the trading multiples of a
group of publicly-traded comparable companies. The principal comparable
companies will include those companies in the cable and broadcasting
entertainment industry that are most similar in growth rate and size (in terms
of revenue, EBITDA and market capitalization) to the Company. On a secondary
basis, the Appraiser may consider additional comparable companies, but only with
adjustment of the trading multiples for material differences in business
profiles (e.g., growth
rate, business mix, etc.) as compared to the Company. No consideration for
private market value may be considered directly or indirectly. For example, if a
stock price of a comparable company reflects acquisition bid speculation either
(i) the company must be excluded from the group of comparable companies or (ii)
the stock price must be adjusted to exclude the impact from the acquisition bid
speculation. The Company’s management will prepare a financial forecast for the
current and next fiscal year. In the event that this financial forecast period
is less than eighteen months as of the date provided, the Company’s management
will prepare a financial forecast for an additional fiscal year. The financial
forecasts will be prepared on a basis consistent with financial guidance that
would be provided to public shareholders. The Company’s management financial
forecast, adjusted as appropriate based on the reasonable judgment of the
Appraiser, will be the sole financial forecast to be used in the determination
of Fully Distributed Fair Market Value. For the avoidance of doubt, Public
Market Valuation Methodology will not include: (a) “comparable acquisitions
analysis” or any “private market” assessment of the Company (i.e., will be made without
regard to any premiums in
77
respect
of an acquisition of a controlling interest or any discounts in respect of the
acquisition of a minority interest), such as the value of such shares in an
acquisition or other business combination transaction, or the price at which
Membership Interests or Common Stock may have been acquired or sold previously
or any previous proposals or expressions of interest to acquire the Company or
its common Equity Securities; (b) a discounted cash flow analysis,
sum-of-the-parts-analysis or any other valuation methodology not explicitly
permitted herein; (c) the use of any estimates of the value of the Company
published by the sellside research community or any other source; (d) any
valuation derived from a financial plan which contemplates strategic scenarios
not anticipated in the Company’s financial plan including the sale of businesses
or assets, acquisitions, joint ventures or any other type of strategic
initiatives; or (e) the benefit of any tax attributes and the detriment of any
tax liabilities of the Company the sharing of which is governed by Section 9 of
the Tax Matters Agreement (for the avoidance of doubt, such tax attributes shall
include tax basis attributable to the proceeds of a sale of a Contributed Asset
(as defined in the Master Agreement) that gives rise to a Section 704(c) Tax
Amount (as defined in the Tax Matters Agreement)).
Section
9.06. Comcast Right of First
Offer. (a) Prior to GE, HoldCo or any of their respective Affiliates
entering into any agreement providing for a proposed Transfer by GE, HoldCo or
such Affiliate of any of its Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares to an
unaffiliated third party acquirer (other than in the case of a Transfer pursuant
to (i) a Public Offering, which shall be governed by the provisions of Section
9.03(e), or (ii) a Rule 144 Sale, which shall be governed by Section 9.07),
HoldCo shall deliver a notice (the “ROFO Notice”) to Comcast
indicating its, GE’s or such Affiliate’s desire to Transfer or cause to be
Transferred Membership Interests and/or HoldCo Shares, the number of securities
of each type proposed to be Transferred, the cash price that GE, HoldCo or such
Affiliate proposes to be paid for such securities (the “ROFO Offer Price”) and in
reasonable detail any other material terms sought by HoldCo or its Affiliate.
The giving of the ROFO Notice will constitute an offer (the “ROFO Offer”) by GE, HoldCo or
such Affiliate, as applicable, to Transfer or cause to be Transferred such
securities to Comcast or one of its Subsidiaries at the ROFO Offer Price for
cash. At the time a ROFO Offer is made, the Chief Financial Officer of GE shall
certify to Comcast and the Company as to GE’s good faith estimate based on facts
then known after due inquiry of (1) the aggregate bases of the members of GE’s
consolidated group in such members’ HoldCo Shares for U.S. federal income tax
purposes as of the Relevant Time, (2) HoldCo’s basis in its Membership Interests
for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of the Relevant Time, (3) the maximum
portion of HoldCo’s Membership Interests that could have been sold, as of the
Relevant Time, at the ROFO Offer Price without causing GE and its Subsidiaries
to recognize a loss on such sale that is disallowed pursuant to Treasury
Regulations Section 1.1502-36(c) (or any successor provision) or as a result
of
78
any
Change in Tax Law and (4) a description of all facts (to the extent such facts
would not be required to be recorded by the Company on a properly completed IRS
Form 1065 (Schedule K-1)) occurring between the Relevant Time and the date of
certification, or reasonably expected to occur prior to the consummation of the
transaction pursuant to an acceptance of the ROFO Offer, that could have an
effect on the foregoing calculations during such time, in each case setting
forth in reasonable detail the basis for such computation. The Chief Financial
Officer of GE shall deliver its certificate with respect to the matters
described in clauses (1), (2), (3) and (4) of the immediately preceding sentence
together with the ROFO Notice.
(b)
Comcast may accept or reject the ROFO Offer in whole but not in part, in its
sole discretion, by delivering a written notice of such acceptance or rejection,
as the case may be, to HoldCo within 20 calendar days after receipt of the ROFO
Notice. To the extent (i) the ROFO Offer would not give Comcast the right to
acquire securities representing all, but not less than all, of the remainder of
GE’s Percentage Interest at such time, (ii) such ROFO Offer relates to the sale
of HoldCo Shares and (iii) Comcast accepts the ROFO Offer with respect to such
HoldCo Shares, Comcast may elect in its acceptance notice first to purchase,
instead of such HoldCo Shares, Membership Interests representing up to the same
portion of GE’s Percentage Interest as that represented by such HoldCo Shares at
a cash price equal to the pro
rata portion of the ROFO Offer Price attributable to the HoldCo Shares
with respect to which Comcast makes such election; provided that such right of
Comcast to purchase Membership Interests instead of HoldCo Shares shall be
limited so that, after giving effect to such purchase, the disposition by GE and
its Subsidiaries of their remaining HoldCo Shares for a purchase price per
HoldCo Share equal to the portion of the ROFO Offer Price attributable to one
HoldCo Share will not result in GE and its Subsidiaries having a loss for U.S.
federal income tax purposes on the disposition of such shares that is disallowed
by operation of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-36(c) (or any successor
provision) or as a result of any Change in Tax Law; provided, further, that
Comcast shall not be permitted to require that the transactions pursuant to its
acceptance of the ROFO Offer be effected through the acquisition of Membership
Interests to the extent that, after such purchase and the accompanying purchase
of HoldCo Shares pursuant to its acceptance of the ROFO Offer, (A) HoldCo would
be a member of the GE consolidated group for U.S. federal income tax purposes
and (B) the aggregate bases of the members of GE’s consolidated group for U.S.
federal income tax purposes in their respective HoldCo Shares would be greater
than the product of the Cushion Percentage and the allocable ROFO Offer Price of
such remaining HoldCo Shares. To the extent Comcast makes a valid election
pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence, HoldCo shall be deemed for
purposes of the provisions of this Section 9.06 to have made a ROFO Offer to
Comcast with respect to the relevant amount of Membership
Interests.
79
(c) If
Comcast accepts such ROFO Offer within such 20 calendar day period, Comcast and
the seller of the relevant Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares shall
consummate the purchase and sale of the Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares as
to which Comcast has accepted the ROFO Offer on the terms set forth in the ROFO
Notice within 20 calendar days of the date of Comcast’s acceptance of the ROFO
Offer; provided that,
if any Governmental Approvals are required in connection with such transaction,
such 20 calendar day period shall be extended until the expiration of three
Business Days following the date on which all Governmental Approvals required
with respect to such proposed transaction are obtained and any applicable
waiting periods under applicable Law have expired or been terminated but in no
event will such period be extended for more than an additional 120 calendar days
(it being understood that, if any such required Governmental Approvals are not
obtained within such 120 calendar day period, Comcast and the proposed seller
shall not be obligated to proceed with the proposed transaction and the proposed
seller may include the Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares which were to have
been sold to Comcast in any transaction effected pursuant to Section 9.06(d)).
The parties to any such transaction shall use their respective commercially
reasonable efforts to obtain any such required Governmental Approvals. At the
closing of the Transfer, Comcast or the applicable Comcast Subsidiary shall
purchase the applicable securities free and clear of all liens and encumbrances
(other than those arising under this Agreement or the HoldCo Agreement). In
connection with such closing and except as otherwise provided in the HoldCo
Agreement, neither GE nor HoldCo or any of their respective Affiliates shall be
required to make any representations or warranties or provide any
indemnification to Comcast or the applicable Comcast Subsidiary except for or in
respect of the Specified Representations.
(d) If
Comcast fails to accept the ROFO Offer within the 20 calendar day period
referred to in Section 9.06(b) or if Comcast timely accepts the ROFO Offer and
the proposed transaction contemplated by such acceptance is not consummated as a
result of a failure to receive all required Governmental Approvals within the
120 calendar day period referred to in Section 9.06(c), then GE, HoldCo or the
applicable seller may Transfer or cause to be Transferred all (but not less than
all) of the securities set forth in the ROFO Notice which Comcast has not
elected to purchase or which Comcast is not able to purchase as a result of a
failure to receive all required Governmental Approvals to an unaffiliated third
party acquirer at a price no less than 96% of the price proposed in the ROFO
Notice and on other terms and conditions that are no more favorable, other than
in an immaterial respect, to the unaffiliated third party acquirer than the
terms and conditions specified in the ROFO Notice, at any time during the period
ending 120 calendar days after the delivery date of the ROFO Notice; provided that such period
will be extended until the expiration of three Business Days following the date
on which all Governmental Approvals required with respect to
80
such
proposed Transfer have been obtained and any applicable waiting periods under
applicable Law have expired or been terminated, but in no event will such period
be extended for more than an additional 120 calendar days. If, however, GE,
HoldCo or the applicable seller fails to complete or cause to be completed the
proposed Transfer to an unaffiliated third party acquirer within such time
periods, then any proposed Transfer pursuant to this Section 9.06 shall again
become subject to Comcast’s right of first offer pursuant to this Section
9.06.
Section
9.07. Comcast Right With
Respect to Rule 144 Sales. (a) Prior to GE, HoldCo or any of their
respective Affiliates Transferring any shares of Common Stock in a sale pursuant
to Rule 144 under the Securities Act (a “Rule 144 Sale”), HoldCo shall
deliver a notice (a “Rule 144
Sale Notice”) to Comcast indicating its, GE’s or
such Affiliate’s desire to Transfer or cause to be Transferred shares of Common
Stock pursuant to such Rule 144 Sale and the number of shares of Common Stock
proposed to be Transferred pursuant to such Rule 144 Sale. The giving of the
Rule 144 Sale Notice will constitute an offer (the “Rule 144 Offer”) by GE, HoldCo
or such Affiliate, as applicable, to Transfer or cause to be Transferred such
shares of Common Stock to Comcast or one of its Subsidiaries at the Rule 144
Offer Price for cash. The “Rule
144 Offer Price”
shall be the average of the daily volume weighted average per share trading prices of the
shares of Common Stock on the primary exchange or market on which such shares
trade for the 20 trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding
the delivery of the applicable Rule 144 Sale Notice.
(b) Comcast
may accept or reject the Rule 144 Offer in whole but not in part, in its sole
discretion, by delivering an written notice of such acceptance or rejection, as
the case may be, to HoldCo within 3 Business Days after receipt of the Rule 144
Sale Notice.
(c) If
Comcast accepts such Rule 144 Offer within such 3 Business Day period, Comcast
shall consummate the purchase and sale of the shares of Common Stock pursuant to
the Rule 144 Offer at the Rule 144 Offer Price within 20 calendar
days of the date of Comcast’s acceptance of the Rule 144 Offer; provided that, if any
Governmental Approvals are required in connection with such transaction, such
20 calendar day period shall be extended until the expiration of three Business
Days following the date on which all Governmental Approvals required with
respect to such proposed transaction are obtained and any applicable waiting
periods under applicable Law have expired or been terminated but in no event
will such period be extended for more than an additional 120 calendar days (it
being understood that, if any such required Governmental Approvals are not
obtained within such 120 calendar day period, Comcast and the proposed seller
shall not be obligated to proceed with the proposed transaction and the proposed
seller may include the shares of Common Stock which were to have been sold to
Comcast in one or more Rule 144 Sales effected in accordance with Section
9.07(d)). The applicable parties shall use
81
their
respective commercially reasonable efforts to obtain any such required
Governmental Approvals. At the closing of the Transfer, Comcast or the
applicable Comcast Subsidiary shall purchase the applicable securities free and
clear of all liens and encumbrances (other than those arising under this
Agreement or the HoldCo Agreement). In connection with such closing and except
as otherwise provided in the HoldCo Agreement, neither GE nor HoldCo or any of
their respective Affiliates shall be required to make any representations or
warranties or provide any indemnification to Comcast or the applicable Comcast
Subsidiary except for or in respect of the Specified
Representations.
(d) If
Comcast fails to accept the Rule 144 Offer within the 3 Business Day period
referred to in Section 9.07(b) or if Comcast timely accepts the Rule 144 Offer
and the proposed transaction contemplated by such acceptance is not consummated
as a result of a failure to receive all required Governmental Approvals within
the 120 calendar day period referred to in Section 9.07(c), then GE, HoldCo or
the applicable seller thereafter may Transfer or cause to be Transferred in one
or more Rule 144 Sales the securities set forth in the Rule 144 Sale Notice
which Comcast has not elected to purchase at any time during the period ending
10 trading days (on the primary exchange or market on which shares of Common
Stock trade) after the expiration of the 3 Business Day period referred to in
Section 9.07(b). If, however, GE, HoldCo or the applicable seller fails to
complete or cause to be completed the proposed Transfer in one or more Rule 144
Sales within such time periods, then any proposed Transfer pursuant to this
Section 9.07 shall again become subject to Comcast’s right of first offer
pursuant to this Section 9.07.
Section
9.08. Back-End
Transaction. (a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
Agreement, if, at the time a Roll-Up Right is exercised by giving notice in
accordance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement, the Back- End
Trigger Condition is satisfied with respect to such Roll-Up Right, then, in lieu
of the consideration otherwise specified in this Agreement to be paid in
connection with such Roll-Up Right, Comcast, GE, HoldCo and the Company shall
effect the transactions provided in Exhibit E-1 hereto (collectively, the “Back-End Transaction”) and pay
the consideration to be paid in the Back-End Transaction. Comcast and GE shall
cooperate in good faith in implementing the Back-End Transaction (including, to
the extent necessary, by amending this Agreement).
(b) In
connection with the exercise of a Roll-Up Right (which term shall include, for
the purposes of this Section 9.08(b), a Second HoldCo Redemption Right
irrespective of whether it would give GE and HoldCo the right to sell all, but
not less than all, of the remainder of GE’s Percentage Interest at such time),
and if such Roll-Up Right is exercised by GE, at the time of such exercise, the
Chief Financial Officer of GE shall certify to Comcast and the Company as to
GE’s good faith estimate based on facts then known after due inquiry of (1)
GE’s
82
basis in
its HoldCo Shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of the Relevant Time,
(2) the aggregate bases of the members of GE’s consolidated group in such
members’ Membership Interests for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of the
Relevant Time, (3) the maximum portion of HoldCo’s Membership Interests that
could have been sold, as of the Relevant Time, at the Roll-Up Purchase Price
without causing GE and its Subsidiaries to recognize a loss on such sale that is
disallowed pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-36(c) (or any
successor provision) or as a result of any Change in Tax Law and (4) a
description of all facts (to the extent such facts would not be required to be
recorded by the Company on a properly completed IRS Form 1065 (Schedule K-1))
occurring between the Relevant Time and the date of certification, or reasonably
expected to occur prior to the consummation of the transactions pursuant to the
Roll-Up Right, that could have an effect on the foregoing calculations during
such time, in each case setting forth in reasonable detail the basis for such
computation. The Chief Financial Officer of GE shall deliver its certificate
with respect to the matters described in clauses (1), (2) and (4) of the
immediately preceding sentence (A) upon the exercise of the Roll-Up Right if
such Roll-Up Right is exercised by GE or HoldCo, as the case may be, and (B) 60
calendar days before the date on which the Roll-Up Right described in clauses
(i) and (ii) of the definition of Roll-Up Right may first be exercised if
Comcast has the right to exercise such Roll-Up Right; provided that if Comcast’s
right to exercise such Roll-Up Right is triggered by any action by or on behalf
of GE or HoldCo, then such certificate shall be delivered upon the taking of
such action by or on behalf GE or HoldCo, as the case may be. The certificate
with respect to the matters described in clause (3) of the first sentence of
this Section 9.08(b) shall be delivered as promptly as practicable after
determination of the relevant Roll-Up Purchase Price.
(c) If
HoldCo exercises the Second HoldCo Redemption Right but the consummation thereof
does not require the Company and/or Comcast (and Comcast does not elect) to
acquire all of GE’s Percentage Interest at such time, then GE and Comcast will
cooperate in good faith to implement a mutually agreeable alternative
transaction to a Second HoldCo Redemption Right that would give HoldCo and GE
the right to sell all, but not less than all, of the remainder of GE’s
Percentage Interest at such time, which alternative transaction shall replicate,
to the greatest extent possible, the economic arrangements and related tax
consequences contemplated by this Agreement and the Tax Matters Agreement giving
effect to Membership Interests and/or HoldCo Shares being retained by GE and/or
its Affiliates. For the avoidance of doubt, if GE and Comcast are unable to
agree on such alternative transaction, then the Back-End Transaction shall not
be effected and the consideration to be paid in connection with the Second
HoldCo Redemption Right shall be the Redemption Purchase Price as determined in
accordance with Section 9.02(b).
83
Section
9.09. HoldCo Tag-Along
Right. (a) Prior to entering into a definitive agreement providing for
the proposed Transfer (by merger, consolidation, sale or otherwise) of all (but
not less than all) of the Membership Interests owned by the Comcast Members to a
Third Party Acquirer (a “Tag- Along Sale”), Comcast shall
deliver a notice (a “Tag-Along
Notice”) to HoldCo indicating the proposed
purchase price and in reasonable detail the other material terms and conditions
of the proposed Transfer, including the identity of the proposed Third Party
Acquirer, and in the case of a proposed Transfer in which the consideration
payable consists in part or in whole of consideration other than cash, such
information relating to such consideration as HoldCo may reasonably request as
being necessary to evaluate such non-cash consideration.
(b) Subject
to Section 9.09(c), HoldCo may, in its sole discretion, elect to sell or cause
to be sold in the proposed Transfer securities representing all (but not less
than all) of GE’s Percentage Interest on the terms and conditions specified in
the Tag-Along Notice; provided that if at such time
GE has sold any HoldCo Shares to the Company or Comcast pursuant to a HoldCo
Redemption Right or Comcast Purchase Right, GE may only sell or cause to be sold
HoldCo Shares in such transaction (the “Tag-Along
Right”).
(c) HoldCo
may exercise its Tag-Along Right by delivering an irrevocable written notice of
its election to do so (the “Tag-Along Acceptance Notice”) to Comcast within 20
calendar days after the delivery of the Tag-Along Notice. Upon the
consummation of any Transfer pursuant to this Section 9.09, each of the sellers
participating therein will receive the same form and amount of consideration for
its securities and shall be subject to the same terms and conditions of Transfer
(except as otherwise provided in the HoldCo Agreement); provided that if HoldCo is
selling or causing to be sold HoldCo Shares (whether pursuant to the proviso
set forth in Section 9.09(b) or at its election) (x) the aggregate consideration
payable to HoldCo and its Affiliates in such Transfer shall equal a portion of
the aggregate consideration payable to all of the sellers in such Transfer
calculated by dividing GE’s Percentage Interest by the aggregate Percentage
Interests being sold in such Transfer and (y) the aggregate consideration
payable to the Comcast Members in such Transfer shall equal a portion of the
aggregate consideration payable to all of the sellers in such Transfer
calculated by dividing the Comcast Members’ aggregate Percentage Interests by
the aggregate Percentage Interests being sold in such Transfer. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained herein, if the aggregate consideration
payable to all of the sellers in the Tag-Along Sale exceeds the product of (x)
the Percentage Interests represented by the securities to be sold in the
Tag-Along Sale and (y) [$28.15 billion]3, (A) the
aggregate consideration payable to HoldCo and
3 This
amount will be increased by the purchase price for any Relevant Transactions (as
defined in the Master Agreement) contributed at Closing, if any.
84
its
Affiliates in the Tag-Along Sale shall be reduced by GE’s Percentage Interest of
50% of such excess amount and (B) the aggregate consideration payable to Comcast
and its Affiliates in the Tag-Along Sale shall be increased by the amount
specified in clause (A).
(d) If HoldCo
does not elect to exercise its Tag-Along Right by delivering a Tag-Along
Acceptance Notice within the time period set forth in Section 9.09(c), then
Comcast may Transfer or cause to be Transferred all (but not less than all) of
the Membership Interests then held by Comcast and its Affiliates at the price
proposed in the Tag-Along Notice and on other terms and conditions that are no
more favorable (other than in an immaterial respect) to Comcast and its
Affiliates than the terms and conditions specified in the Tag- Along Notice at
any time during the period ending 180 calendar days after the expiration of the
aforementioned time period; provided that such period
shall be extended to the extent that such Transfer has not occurred by virtue of
the failure to obtain all Governmental Approvals required with respect to such
Transfer but in no event will such period be extended for more than an
additional 180 days. If, however, Comcast fails to complete or cause to be
completed the proposed Transfer to the Third Party Acquirer within such time
periods, then any proposed Transfer pursuant to this Section 9.09 shall again
become subject to HoldCo’s Tag-Along Right.
(e) If HoldCo
elects to exercise its Tag-Along Right in connection with a Transfer by the
Comcast Members pursuant to this Section 9.09, then concurrently with the
consummation of such Transfer Comcast shall give notice thereof to HoldCo, shall
remit to HoldCo the total consideration (the cash portion of which is to be paid
by wire transfer in accordance with GE’s wire transfer instructions) for the
securities of HoldCo and its Affiliates Transferred pursuant to such Transfer
and shall furnish such other evidence of the completion and time of completion
of such Transfer and the terms thereof as may be reasonably requested by
HoldCo.
(f) Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Section 9.09, there shall be no liability on the part
of Comcast to HoldCo or any other Person if a Transfer by the Comcast Members
pursuant to this Section 9.09 is not consummated for whatever reason, regardless
of whether HoldCo has delivered a Tag-Along Notice. Whether to effect a Transfer
pursuant to this Section 9.09 is in the sole and absolute discretion of
Comcast.
(g) If HoldCo
elects to exercise its Tag-Along Right in connection with a Transfer by the
Comcast Members pursuant to this Section 9.09, all of the sellers in such
Transfer shall be obligated to join on a pro rata basis (based on their
respective entitlements to consideration payable in such Transfer) in any
indemnification or other obligations that Comcast agrees to provide or undertake
in connection with such Transfer; provided that the liability
resulting from any
85
such
indemnity or similar obligation shall be several and not joint as between the
Comcast Members, on the one hand, and HoldCo and its Affiliates, on the other
hand.
Section
9.10. Comcast Drag-Along
Right. (a) In connection with the proposed Transfer (by merger,
consolidation, sale or otherwise) of all (but not less than all) of the
Membership Interests owned by the Comcast Members to a Third Party Acquirer (a
“Drag-Along Sale”),
Comcast may at its option require and compel HoldCo or its Affiliates to
Transfer or cause to be Transferred the securities representing GE’s Percentage
Interest for the same consideration and otherwise on the same terms and
conditions as the terms and conditions under which the Comcast Members are
Transferring their Membership Interests pursuant to the Drag-Along Sale; provided that if at such time
GE has sold any HoldCo Shares to the Company or Comcast pursuant to a HoldCo
Redemption Right or Comcast Purchase Right, Comcast may only require and compel
GE to sell or cause to be sold HoldCo Shares (the “Drag-Along Right”); and provided, further, that if GE is
selling or causing to be sold HoldCo Shares instead of Membership Interests
(whether pursuant to the preceding proviso or at its election) (x) the aggregate
consideration payable to HoldCo and its Affiliates in the Drag-Along Sale shall
equal a portion of the aggregate consideration payable to all of the sellers in
the Drag-Along Sale calculated by dividing GE’s Percentage Interest by the
aggregate Percentage Interests being sold in such Transfer and (y) the aggregate
consideration payable to the Comcast Members in the Drag-Along Sale shall equal
a portion of the aggregate consideration payable to all of the sellers in the
Drag-Along Sale calculated by dividing the Comcast Members’ aggregate Percentage
Interests by the aggregate Percentage Interests being sold in such
Transfer.
(b) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in Section 9.10(a), if the aggregate
consideration payable to HoldCo and its Affiliates in the Drag-Along Sale is
less than an amount equal to the Redemption Purchase Price determined as of the
date of the Drag-Along Notice, Comcast shall remit to HoldCo the amount of such
shortfall concurrently with the consummation of such Drag-Along Sale. In
connection with any Drag-Along Notice delivered prior to an IPO, the parties
shall promptly commence the appraisal process set forth in Section 9.05 to
determine the Fully Distributed Public Market Value of the Company (which shall
permit the Redemption Purchase Price to be calculated).
(c) Comcast
may exercise its Drag-Along Right by delivering a written notice of its election
(a “Drag-Along Notice”)
to HoldCo within 15 calendar days of execution of a definitive agreement
relating to the Drag-Along Sale. The Drag- Along Notice shall indicate the
purchase price and the other material terms and conditions of the proposed
Drag-Along Sale, including the identity of the proposed Third Party
Acquirer.
86
(d) Concurrently
with the consummation of the Drag-Along Sale pursuant to this Section 9.10,
Comcast shall give notice thereof to HoldCo, shall remit to HoldCo the total
consideration (the cash portion of which is to be paid by wire transfer in
accordance with GE’s wire transfer instructions) for the securities of HoldCo
and its Affiliates Transferred pursuant hereto and shall furnish such other
evidence of the completion and time of completion of such Transfer and the terms
thereof as may be reasonably requested by HoldCo. Notwithstanding the foregoing
or anything to the contrary contained in Section 9.10(a), if the conditions to a
Drag-Along Sale are satisfied but an appraisal process as described in Section
9.10(b) is ongoing, the parties shall consummate the closing without taking into
account any shortfall amount referred to in Section 9.10(b) in calculating the
amount of the total consideration to be remitted to HoldCo. Upon conclusion of
an appraisal process pursuant to Section 9.10(b), Comcast shall promptly pay to
HoldCo any shortfall amount plus interest on such amount from and including the
date of such closing to but excluding the date of payment at a rate per annum
equal to the “Prime Rate” as published in The Wall Street Journal,
Eastern Edition, in effect from time to timing during the period from such
closing to the date of payment.
(e) Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Section 9.10, there shall be no liability on the part
of Comcast to HoldCo or any other Person if the Drag- Along Sale pursuant to
this Section 9.10 is not consummated for whatever reason. Whether to effect a
Drag-Along Sale pursuant to this Section 9.10 is in the sole and absolute
discretion of Comcast.
(f) If
Comcast elects to exercise its Drag-Along Right, under no circumstances shall
HoldCo or its Affiliates be required to make any representations or warranties
or provide any indemnification to the Third Party Acquirer in connection with
such Transfer except for, or in respect of, the Specified Representations or as
otherwise provided in the HoldCo Agreement.
Section
9.11. Additional
Members. (a) In connection with a Transfer of Membership Interests or
HoldCo Shares other than in connection with a Transfer pursuant to a Public
Offering or pursuant to a Rule 144 Sale, each such Person who receives
Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares in accordance with, and as permitted by,
the terms of this Agreement, in each case who is not already a Member (in the
case of a Transfer of Membership Interests) or a party (in the case of a
Transfer of HoldCo Shares) to this Agreement or the HoldCo Agreement, shall
execute and deliver this Agreement or a counterpart of this Agreement and/or the
HoldCo Agreement or a counterpart of the HoldCo Agreement, as the case may be,
and agree in writing to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement
and/or the HoldCo Agreement, as the case may be, that were applicable to the
transferor (subject to Section 13.06 hereof, in the case of this Agreement, and
subject to Section 7.05 of the HoldCo Agreement, in the case of the HoldCo
Agreement), and, in the case of a transferee of Membership
Interests,
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shall
thereupon be admitted as an additional Member of the Company (an “Additional
Member”).
(b) Each
Person who is issued new Membership Interests in accordance with the terms of
this Agreement and who is not already a Member shall execute and deliver this
Agreement or a counterpart of this Agreement and agree in writing to be bound by
the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and shall thereupon be admitted as
an Additional Member.
(c) A
transferee of Membership Interests who is admitted as an Additional Member
accepts, ratifies and agrees to be bound by all actions duly taken pursuant to
the terms and provisions of this Agreement by the Company prior to the date it
was admitted as an Additional Member and, without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, specifically ratifies and approves all agreements and other
instruments as may have been executed and delivered on behalf of the Company
prior to such date and which are in force and effect on such date.
(d) Each
Additional Member shall be named as a Member on Schedule 4.1. Unless
and until admitted as an Additional Member, a transferee of any Membership
Interest, or a recipient of any newly issued Membership Interests, shall have no
powers, rights or privileges of a Member of the Company.
(e) Following
a Transfer of any Membership Interests in accordance with this Article 9, the
transferee of such Membership Interests shall be treated as having made all of
the Capital Contributions in respect of, and received all of the distributions
received in respect of, such Membership Interests, and shall receive allocations
and distributions in respect of such Membership Interests as if such transferee
were a Member. Unless otherwise prohibited by Section 706(d) of the Code and
Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, the following shall apply to select
the method to be utilized for determining the distributive share of the
Company’s income, gains, losses, deductions, credits and other items of a Member
whose interest is disposed of, in whole or in part: (i) upon a closing of (A)
any transfer by a Comcast Member to GE or any of its Subsidiaries, (B) any
transfer by HoldCo to Comcast or any of its Subsidiaries including, for the
avoidance of doubt, the Company, or (C) any HoldCo Redemption Right, the
“closing of the books” method (including the “calendar day” convention described
in Proposed Treasury Regulations Section 1.706-4(e)(1)) shall be utilized and
(ii) upon any other transfer by a Member, the transferor Member shall have the
right to designate whether to use the “closing of the books” method or the
“proration” method; provided that the transferor
Member shall indemnify the Company for any reasonable incremental costs and
expenses incurred by the Company in calculating the items to be allocated under
the method selected pursuant to this clause (ii) compared to the costs and
expenses that would have been incurred if the Company had calculated the items
to be allocated using the method not selected.
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(f) The
Company shall maintain books for the purpose of registering the transfer of
interests in the Company. Upon a transfer of interests in the Company, the
transferor of such interests shall notify the Company so that such transfer may
be registered in the books of the Company. A transfer of interests in the
Company shall be effective upon registration of the transfer in the books of the
Company.
Section
9.12. Termination
of Member Status; Redemption or Repurchase. Any
Member that Transfers all of its, and owns no, Membership Interests shall
immediately cease to be a Member and shall no longer be a party to this
Agreement (in its capacity as a Member) and Schedule 4.01 shall be updated to
eliminate such Person; provided, however, that such
Member (i) shall not thereby be relieved of its liability for breach of this
Agreement prior to such time or, except as set forth in Section 9.01(b)(iv),
from any obligations under this Agreement not related to its capacity as a
Member; (ii) shall retain any rights with respect to a breach of this Agreement
by any other Person prior to such time; (iii) shall retain the right to
indemnification hereunder; and (iv) except in the case of Comcast as expressly
permitted by Section 9.01(b)(iv), shall not thereby be relieved of any of its
obligations under Article 9. Except for purchases of Membership Interests in
accordance with the HoldCo Redemption Rights, Membership Interests may be
redeemed or repurchased by the Company only with the prior written consent of
the Board and, to the extent set forth in Section 4.10(a), HoldCo.
Section
9.13. Void Transfers.
To the greatest extent permitted by the Act and other Law, any Transfer by any
Member of any Membership Interests or other interest in the Company (including,
for the avoidance of doubt, any Transfer of any Person which directly or
indirectly owns Membership Interests) in contravention of this Agreement shall
be ineffective and null and void ab initio and shall not bind or be recognized
by the Company or any other Person. In the event of any Transfer in
contravention of this Agreement, to the greatest extent permitted by the Act and
other Law, the purported transferee shall have no right to any profits, losses
or distributions of the Company or any other rights of a Member.
Section
9.14. Transfer
Indemnification; Other Tax Matters. (a) GE shall indemnify and hold
Comcast, the Company, HoldCo, Holding and any Third Party Acquirer to which
Membership Interests are Transferred in accordance with Section 13.06(ii) (a
“Comcast Third Party
Acquirer”) harmless against any income or franchise taxes imposed on a
transfer of Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares by GE or any GE transferee to
Comcast, the Company or any Comcast Third Party Acquirer (including, for the
avoidance of doubt, any tax imposed upon an actual or deemed distribution of
HoldCo Shares by the Company to Comcast or its Affiliates, Holding or its
Affiliates or a Comcast Third Party Acquirer or its Affiliates); provided that, other than in
the case of the
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Back-End
Transaction, if (I) pursuant to the Second HoldCo Redemption Right, the
aggregate Percentage Interests of the Comcast Members or the Comcast Third Party
Acquirer and its Affiliates, as applicable, will equal 100% after the purchase
of securities upon HoldCo’s exercise of the Second HoldCo Redemption Right, (II)
GE elects to sell HoldCo Shares in connection with the Second HoldCo Redemption
Right and (III) Comcast or the Comcast Third Party Acquirer, as applicable, does
not exercise its right to require the Company to assign to Comcast or the
Comcast Third Party Acquirer, as applicable, the obligation to purchase such
HoldCo Shares pursuant to Section 9.04(d), GE shall not be required to indemnify
any party with respect to any tax described above to the extent attributable to
the HoldCo Shares Transferred in connection with the Second HoldCo Redemption
Right; provided,
further, that the amount payable by GE pursuant to this Section shall
include an amount so that after paying all Taxes with respect to the receipt of
the indemnification payment, each party entitled to indemnification herein
receives an amount (based on the Applicable Tax Rate) equal to the amount that
it would have received had not such Taxes been imposed. The party that may be
entitled to indemnification under the previous sentence (the “Indemnified Party”) will act
in good faith to execute, or cause to be executed, the transaction in which such
securities are transferred in a manner that seeks to minimize the amount of
taxes for which indemnification may by claimed pursuant to the previous sentence
(“Indemnifiable Taxes”);
provided that the
Indemnified Party shall not be required to structure the transaction in a manner
that seeks to minimize Indemnifiable Taxes if doing so would reasonably be
expected to require the Indemnified Party to incur any additional cost that is
not compensated by GE.
(b) The
Indemnified Party shall promptly deliver to GE a copy of any written
communication received by the Indemnified Party or any of its Affiliates from a
taxing authority concerning Indemnifiable Taxes and shall promptly notify GE in
writing of any pending or threatened audit, claim or demand (a “Tax Claim”) that could give rise
to a right of indemnification describing in reasonable detail the facts and
circumstances with respect to the subject matter of such Tax Claim.
(c) GE shall
have the right, at its expense, to participate in any Tax Claim or
administrative or judicial proceeding with respect to Indemnifiable Taxes. Such
participation shall include the right to review submissions made to a taxing
authority as well as notice of any in person or telephonic meetings with a
taxing authority. The Indemnified Party shall not settle any such Tax Claim or
administrative or judicial proceeding without the consent of GE, which consent
shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
(d) At least
15 days prior to any transfer of HoldCo Shares by the Company to Comcast or its
Affiliates or a Comcast Third Party Acquirer or its Affiliates, the Company
shall provide written notice to GE of the intended
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transfer,
setting forth in reasonable detail the facts and circumstances regarding such
transfer (the “Comcast Proposed
Transfer”). The Company will not implement the Comcast Proposed Transfer
without the consent of GE, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or
delayed; provided that
in the event GE does not consent to the Comcast Proposed Transfer within 10 days
after receipt of written notice of the Comcast Proposed Transfer, GE shall on
such date provide Comcast or a Comcast Third Party Acquirer, as the case may be,
with an alternative proposal to effect a comparable transfer by the Company of
such HoldCo Shares (the “GE
Proposed Transfer”). If the GE Proposed Transfer is not reasonably
acceptable to Comcast or the Comcast Third Party Acquirer, as the case may be,
the Company shall provide written notice to GE of its rejection of the GE
Proposed Transfer, setting forth the reasons for such rejection. If Comcast or
the Comcast Third Party Acquirer, as the case may be, does not receive written
notice from GE with a revised GE Proposed Transfer reasonably acceptable to
Comcast or the Comcast Third Party Acquirer, as the case may be within five days
after sending GE written notice of its rejection, the Company shall be permitted
to implement the Comcast Proposed Transfer, and GE shall indemnify Comcast and
the Comcast Third Party Acquirer to the extent provided by Section 9.14(a) with
respect to the Comcast Proposed Transfer. If the GE Proposed Transfer (or the
revised GE Proposed Transfer, if applicable) is reasonably acceptable to Comcast
or the Comcast Third Party Acquirer, as the case may be, either as originally
submitted or as revised, (i) Comcast or the Comcast Third Party Acquirer, as the
case may be, shall cause the GE Proposed Transfer (or the revised GE Proposed
Transfer, if applicable) to be implemented and (ii) GE shall, in addition to its
obligation to indemnify pursuant to Section 9.14(a), indemnify and hold Comcast
and a Comcast Third Party Acquirer harmless for any incremental costs associated
with the implementation of the GE Proposed Transfer (or the revised GE Proposed
Transfer, if applicable) rather than the Comcast Proposed Transfer.
(e) With
respect to any transfer pursuant to this Article 9 in connection with which GE
transfers HoldCo Shares instead of Membership Interests, GE shall not make an
election under Section 338(h)(10) of the Code or otherwise cause such transfer
to be treated as a sale of HoldCo’s assets for tax purposes.
ARTICLE
10
COVENANTS
Section
10.01. Confidentiality.
(a) Each Member agrees that it shall hold strictly confidential and shall use,
and that it shall cause any Person to whom Confidential Information is disclosed
pursuant to clause (i) below to hold strictly confidential and to use, the
Confidential Information only in connection with its investment in the Company
and not for any other purpose. Each Member agrees
91
that it
shall be responsible for any breach of the provisions of this Section 10.01 by
any of its Representatives to whom it discloses Confidential Information. Each
Member further acknowledges and agrees that it shall not disclose any
Confidential Information to any Person, except that Confidential Information may
be disclosed:
(i) to such
Member’s Representatives in the normal course of the performance of their duties
or to any financial institution providing credit to such Member;
(ii) to the
extent required by applicable Law (including complying with any oral or written
questions, interrogatories, requests for information or documents, subpoena,
civil investigative demand or similar process to which a Member is subject;
provided that, unless
otherwise prohibited by Law, such Member agrees to give the Company prompt
notice of such request(s), to the extent practicable, so that the Company may
seek an appropriate protective order or similar relief (and the Member shall
cooperate with such efforts by the Company, and shall in any event make only the
minimum disclosure required by such Law));
(iii) to any
Person to whom such Member is contemplating a Transfer of its Company
Securities; provided
that such Transfer would not be in violation of the provisions of this
Agreement, the potential transferee agrees in advance of any such disclosure to
be bound by a confidentiality agreement consistent with the provisions hereof
and such Member shall be responsible for breaches of such confidentiality
agreement by such potential transferee;
(iv) to any
regulatory authority or rating agency to which such Member or any of its
Affiliates is subject or with which it has regular dealings, as long as such
authority or agency is advised of the confidential nature of such information
and such Member uses reasonable efforts to seek confidential treatment of such
information to the extent available;
(v) to the
extent required by the rules and regulations of the Commission or stock exchange
rules; or
(vi) if the
prior written consent of the Board shall have been obtained.
Nothing
contained herein shall prevent the use (subject, to the extent possible, to a
protective order) of Confidential Information in connection with the assertion
or defense of any claim by or against the Company or any Member.
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(b)
“Confidential
Information” means any information concerning the Company or any Persons
that are or become its Subsidiaries or the financial condition, business,
operations or prospects of the Company or any such Subsidiaries in the
possession of or furnished to any Member (including by virtue of its present or
former right to designate a Director); provided that the term
“Confidential Information” does not include information that (i) is or becomes
generally available to the public other than as a result of a disclosure by a
Member or its directors, officers, employees, shareholders, members, partners,
agents, counsel, investment advisers or other representatives (all such persons
being collectively referred to as “Representatives”) in violation
of this Agreement or any of the other Transaction Agreements, (ii) was available
to such Member on a non-confidential basis prior to its disclosure to such
Member or its Representatives by the Company or (iii) becomes available to such
Member on a non-confidential basis from a source other than the Company after
the disclosure of such information to such Member or its Representatives by the
Company, which source is (at the time of receipt of the relevant information)
not, to such Member’s knowledge, bound by a confidentiality agreement with (or
other confidentiality obligation to) the Company or another Person; provided that,
notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, “Confidential Information” in the possession
of Comcast, GE or any of their respective Subsidiaries prior to
the date of this Agreement shall not by virtue of the foregoing exceptions in
clauses (ii) or (iii) not be deemed Confidential Information and Comcast and GE
shall be obligated to keep or to cause to be kept such information confidential
in accordance with the provisions of this Section 10.01 as fully as if they did
not have access to such information prior to the date of this Agreement but only
received it after the date of this Agreement.
Section
10.02. Related Party
Transactions. (a) For so long as GE directly or indirectly owns any
Membership Interests, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall
enter into any Related Party Transaction unless such transaction is on terms
that are no less favorable to the Company or such Subsidiary than those that
would have been obtained in a comparable transaction by the Company or such
Subsidiary with an unrelated Person (“Arm’s Length Terms”).
(b) For
so long as GE directly or indirectly owns any Membership Interests, prior to the
Company or a Company Subsidiary entering into a proposed Related Party
Transaction involving annual payments or annual incurrence of obligations by the
Company or such Subsidiary in excess of $7.5 million, the Company shall provide
GE with a written notice (an “RPT Notice”) containing a
summary of the material terms of such proposed transaction and shall provide GE
a reasonable opportunity to consult with representatives of the Company and
Comcast (including those senior employees of the Company and Comcast or their
Subsidiaries involved in the negotiation of such transaction) concerning such
proposed transaction. Notwithstanding that an RPT Notice is not required
with
93
respect
to Related Party Transactions involving $7.5 million or less as set forth above,
nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Company or its management from
notifying GE of such transactions or from discussing such transactions with
employees of GE or its Affiliates.
(c) Without
the prior written consent of GE, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries
shall enter into any Non-Ordinary Course Related Party Transaction.
(d) If GE
does not believe an Ordinary Course Related Party Transaction described in an
RPT Notice is on Arm’s Length Terms, GE shall have ten Business Days from the
date of receipt of the relevant RPT Notice to deliver a written notice (an
“RPT Dispute Notice”) to
Comcast and the Company to such effect, which notice shall specify the reasons
for GE’s belief. If GE does not deliver an RPT Dispute Notice during such
period, the relevant parties may enter into the relevant Related Party
Transaction on the same terms or on terms that are the same (other than in an
immaterial respect) as those described in the RPT Notice. If GE does deliver an
RPT Dispute Notice during such period, the parties shall resolve the dispute as
described below.
(e) Within
five Business Days of the delivery of the RPT Dispute Notice, each of Comcast
and GE shall select and appoint one senior executive to act as its
representative (each an “RPT
Dispute Representative”) in connection with such dispute. The RPT Dispute
Representatives shall promptly enter into good faith discussions (in person or
by telephone) to attempt to resolve the dispute. The RPT Dispute Representatives
shall have the authority to enter into a binding resolution of the dispute. If
GE does not select and appoint an RPT Dispute Representative within the time
period specified in this Section 10.02(e), Comcast shall have the right to cause
the Company or the applicable Company Subsidiary to enter into the Ordinary
Course Related Party Transaction on the terms set forth in the RPT Notice or on
terms that are the same (other than in an immaterial respect) as those described
in the RPT Notice. If Comcast does not select and appoint an RPT Dispute
Representative within the time period specified in this Section 10.02(e),
Comcast shall be prohibited from entering into the Related Party Transaction
that is the subject of the applicable RPT Dispute Notice.
(f) If each
of Comcast and GE does select and appoint an RPT Dispute Representative within
the time period specified in Section 10.02(e) but the RPT Dispute
Representatives are unable to resolve the dispute within seven Business Days of
the later of their two appointments, Comcast and GE shall select and appoint an
independent third party with relevant expertise in the type of Ordinary Course
Related Party Transaction in dispute to arbitrate the dispute within ten
Business Days of the expiration of such period. If Comcast and GE are unable to
select and appoint the arbitrator within the specified period, Comcast shall
deliver
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to GE in
writing a list of five potential arbitrators meeting the requirements set forth
in this Section 10.02(f) and, within five Business Days of receipt of such list,
GE shall select and appoint the arbitrator from such list. If GE does not select
and appoint the arbitrator in accordance with the immediately preceding
sentence, Comcast shall select and appoint the arbitrator from such list within
five Business Days of the expiration of the period specified in the immediately
preceding sentence.
(g) Within 30
calendar days of the selection of the arbitrator, the arbitrator shall determine
the Arm’s Length Terms of the Related Party Transaction. The arbitration shall
be conducted in New York, New York under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the
American Arbitration Association in effect at the time of the arbitration,
except as they may be modified herein or by agreement of the parties. The
decision of the arbitrator as to the Arm’s Length Terms of the Ordinary Course
Related Party Transaction shall be binding on the parties. All fees and
disbursements of the arbitrator shall be shared equally by Comcast and
GE.
(h) After the
determination of the arbitrator pursuant to Section 10.02(g), Comcast shall have
the right to cause the Company or the applicable Company Subsidiary to enter
into the Ordinary Course Related Party Transaction on the terms determined by
the arbitrator; provided that Comcast may
elect in its sole discretion not to enter into such Related Party Transaction on
such terms.
(i) If GE
does not believe an Ordinary Course Related Party Transaction that is not the
subject of an RPT Notice is on Arm’s Length Terms, GE shall have ten Business
Days from the date GE obtains knowledge of the transaction to deliver an RPT
Dispute Notice. In such case, the provisions contained in Sections 10.02(d)
through (h) shall apply mutatis mutandis; provided that if the Ordinary
Course Related Party Transaction in question was entered into before GE
delivered its RPT Dispute Notice, then (x) any provision permitting Comcast to
cause the Company or the applicable Company Subsidiary to enter into a Related
Party Transaction on specific terms shall be deemed to permit the Company or the
applicable Company Subsidiary to continue such Related Party Transaction on such
terms and (y) any provision prohibiting Comcast from entering into a Related
Party Transaction on specific terms shall be deemed to require Comcast to (A)
terminate such Related Party Transaction or (B) amend the terms of such Related
Party Transaction such that it would be on Arms’ Length Terms.
(j) Except as
expressly set forth in Sections 10.02(a) and 10.02(b), the provisions of this
Section 10.02 shall terminate and cease to be of further effect at such time as
GE’s Percentage Interest is less than 10%.
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Section
10.03. Non-Competition.
(a) Except (i) with respect to their ownership of interests in the Company and
(ii) as permitted by this Section 10.03 or by Section 10.06, neither Comcast nor
GE nor any of their respective Subsidiaries will engage in any Company Principal
Business. This Section 10.03 shall cease to be applicable to any Person at such
time as such Person is no longer a Subsidiary of Comcast or GE, as the case may
be, and shall not apply to any Person that purchases assets, operations or a
business from Comcast or GE, or one of their respective Subsidiaries, if such
Person is not a Subsidiary of Comcast or GE, as the case may be, after such
transaction is consummated. This Section 10.03 does not apply to any Subsidiary
of GE or Comcast in which a Person who is not an Affiliate of GE or Comcast, as
the case may be, holds equity interests and with respect to which GE or Comcast
or another of their respective Subsidiaries, as applicable, has contractual or
legal obligations (including fiduciary duties of representatives on the board of
directors or similar body of such Subsidiary) existing as of the date hereof
that limit GE’s or Comcast’s ability to impose on the subject Subsidiary a
non-competition obligation such as that in this Section 10.03.
(b) Notwithstanding
the provisions of Section 10.03(a), and without implicitly agreeing that the
following activities would be subject to the provisions of Section 10.03(a),
nothing in this Agreement shall preclude, prohibit or restrict: (i) GE, or
any of its Subsidiaries, from engaging in any manner in any (A) Financial
Services Business, (B) Existing Business Activities, (C) GE De Minimis Business
or (D) Satellite Business; or (ii) Comcast or any of its Subsidiaries, from
engaging in any manner in any (A) Comcast Permitted Business or (B) Comcast De
Minimis Business.
(c) Notwithstanding
the provisions of Section 10.03(a), GE or any of its Affiliates may make a Mixed
Competing Business Acquisition; provided that if such
acquisition would otherwise be prohibited by this Section 10.03, promptly
following such acquisition, GE, or its Affiliate, as applicable, shall offer the
Company in writing the opportunity to acquire, or invest in, the Company
Principal Business acquired, or invested in, by GE or its Affiliate in such
Mixed Competing Business Acquisition. The writing pursuant to which such offer
is made shall include a summary of the material terms of the offer, including
the price of such offer. Such terms shall include (x) a price that reflects GE’s
reasonable good faith determination of the portion of the aggregate purchase
price paid by GE or its Affiliate in the Mixed Competing Business Acquisition
that was attributable to the Company Principal Business included in such Mixed
Competing Business Acquisition and (y) other commercially reasonable arms’
length terms. In the event that the Company disputes GE’s determination of price
or the commercial reasonableness and arm’s length nature of the other terms
included in such offer, the Company shall provide written notice to GE and the
dispute shall be resolved by a mutually agreed upon appraiser (who shall be an
independent third party with relevant expertise) pursuant to an appraisal
process
96
not to
exceed 30 calendar days and conducted in New York, New York under the Commercial
Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association in effect at the time
of the arbitration, except as they may be modified herein or by agreement of the
parties. If an appraisal process is necessary and Comcast and GE do not mutually
select and appoint such appraiser within five Business Days following delivery
of the notice required pursuant to the preceding sentence, an appraiser shall be
selected and appointed in the manner set forth in the final two sentences of
Section 10.02(f). All fees and disbursements of the Appraiser shall be shared
equally by Comcast and GE.
(d) Promptly
after making a written offer as set forth in Section 10.03(c) above (and in any
event within 10 Business Days thereafter), GE shall provide the Company all
material information available to GE with respect to the Company Principal
Business. GE shall include in any third party confidentiality agreement entered
into in connection with the proposed transaction subject to such offer a
provision permitting GE to comply with its disclosure obligations under this
Section 10.03(d). The Company shall have 10 Business Days from the later of (i)
the date all such information is provided and (ii) the completion of any
appraisal process conducted pursuant to Section 10.03(c) to decide whether to
accept the offer.
(e) If prior
to the expiration of such 10 Business Day period the Company accepts such offer,
the parties shall work together in good faith to complete the Company’s
acquisition of, or investment in, the Company Principal Business as soon as
reasonably practicable, subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals.
Notwithstanding the provisions in Section 4.10(a), HoldCo may not exercise any
rights it may have under Section 4.10(a) that would prohibit or otherwise impede
such Company Principal Business acquisition or investment (including in
connection with the incurrence of any Debt required to complete such acquisition
or investment).
(f) If prior
to the expiration of such 10 Business Day period the Company fails to accept
such offer, and the ownership of the Company Principal Business by GE or its
Affiliates would otherwise be prohibited by this Section 10.03, then GE or its
Affiliate, as the case may be, shall be required to divest the Company Principal
Business within a commercially reasonable period of time.
(g) The
Company’s decision whether to accept such offer (or to grant any consent to
waive any rights of the Company in respect of such offer) shall be made by only
those members of the Board designated by the Comcast Members.
(h) This
Section 10.03 shall terminate and be of no further force and effect upon the
earlier of (i) Comcast and its Subsidiaries no longer holding (directly or
indirectly) any Membership Interests or (ii) GE and its Subsidiaries no longer
holding (directly or indirectly) any Membership Interests.
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Section
10.04. Structuring of an
IPO. (a) Prior to an IPO, the Members will form a corporation (“Holding”) into which each
Member (other than HoldCo) will contribute such Member’s Membership Interests
and into which GE and Comcast or any of their respective Affiliates that own
HoldCo Shares will contribute their respective HoldCo Shares. In lieu of the
contribution by any of the Comcast Members contemplated by the immediately
preceding sentence, Comcast may contribute or cause to be contributed the equity
of such Comcast Member. As a result of such contributions, Comcast and its
Affiliates (in the aggregate), GE and its Affiliates (in the aggregate) and any
Member that is not a Comcast Member or HoldCo will receive shares of Holding
(the “Common Stock”) that correspond to the
relative Percentage Interests of Comcast, GE and such Member, as
applicable. After the formation of Holding and the contributions referred to
above, (i) except where the context clearly requires otherwise, the term,
“Company”, shall refer to Holding, (ii) the terms “Membership Interests” and
“Members” and similar terms that are applicable to limited liability companies
and used in this Agreement shall refer to the Common Stock, the Holding
shareholders and similarly corresponding terms applicable to the corporate form
and (iii) the parties agree to enter into, and to cause Holding to enter into,
an agreement setting forth, to the extent permitted by applicable Law,
shareholder rights and obligations equivalent to those applicable to Members set
forth in this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the registration rights
provided to GE, Comcast and their Affiliates pursuant to Section 10.04(b) shall
be with respect to the Common Stock received in exchange for the contributions
by GE and Comcast described above. The parties shall cause such contributions to
qualify as a transaction described in Section 351 of the Code and shall not take
any action that would be reasonably likely to prevent such contributions from
qualifying as such a transaction.
(b) GE
and Comcast shall be entitled to the registration rights set forth on Exhibit
D.
Section
10.05. Compliance by
Subsidiaries. Each of Comcast and GE shall cause the Comcast Members or
HoldCo, as the case may be, to comply with their obligations under this
Agreement.
Section
10.06. Acquisition of Company
Principal Businesses. (a) Prior to a Stand-alone Competing Business
Acquisition proposed by Comcast or any of its Affiliates or promptly following
any Mixed Competing Business Acquisition by Comcast or any of its Affiliates,
Comcast shall offer (a “Competing Business Offer”) the Company in writing
the opportunity to acquire, or invest in, the Company Principal
Business proposed to be acquired, or invested in, by Comcast or its Affiliate in
such Stand-alone Competing Business Acquisition or acquired, or invested in, by
Comcast or its Affiliate in such Mixed Competing Business Acquisition, as
applicable. The writing pursuant to which a Competing Business Offer is made
shall include a summary of the material terms of the offer,
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including
the price of such offer. In the case of a Stand-alone Competing Business
Acquisition, the terms of the Competing Business Offer shall be the terms
negotiated between Comcast or its Affiliate, on the one hand, and the applicable
third party seller, on the other hand, with respect to the proposed acquisition
of, or investment in, the applicable Company Principal Business. In the case of
a Mixed Competing Business Acquisition, the terms of the Competing Business
Offer shall include (x) a price that reflects Comcast’s reasonable good faith
determination of the portion of the aggregate purchase price paid by Comcast or
its Affiliate in the Mixed Competing Business Acquisition that was attributable
to the Company Principal Business included in such Mixed Competing Business
Acquisition and (y) other commercially reasonable arm’s length terms. In the
event that the Company disputes Comcast’s determination of price or the
commercial reasonableness and arm’s length nature of the other terms included in
any such Competing Business Offer, the Company shall provide written notice to
Comcast and the dispute shall be resolved by a mutually agreed upon appraiser
(who shall be an independent third party with relevant expertise) pursuant to an
appraisal process not to exceed 30 calendar days and conducted in New York, New
York under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration
Association in effect at the time of the arbitration, except as they may be
modified herein or by agreement of the parties. If an appraisal process is
necessary and Comcast and GE do not mutually select and appoint such appraiser
within five Business Days following delivery of the notice required pursuant to
the preceding sentence, an appraiser shall be selected and appointed in the
manner set forth in the final two sentences of Section 10.02(f). All fees and
disbursements of the Appraiser shall be shared equally by Comcast and
GE.
(b) Promptly
after making a Competing Business Offer (and in any event within 10 Business
Days thereafter), Comcast shall provide the Company all material information
available to Comcast with respect to the applicable Company Principal Business.
Comcast shall include in any third party confidentiality agreement entered into
in connection with the proposed transaction subject to the Competing Business
Offer a provision permitting Comcast to comply with its disclosure obligations
under this Section 10.06(b). The Company shall have 10 Business Days from the
later of (i) the date all such information is provided and (ii) the completion
of any appraisal process conducted pursuant to Section 10.06(a) (the “Offering Period”) to decide
whether to accept the Competing Business Offer.
(c) If prior
to the expiration of the applicable Offering Period the Company accepts a
Competing Business Offer, the parties shall work together in good faith to
complete the Company’s acquisition of, or investment in, the Company Principal
Business as soon as reasonably practicable, subject to receipt of required
regulatory approvals. Notwithstanding the provisions in Section 4.10(a), HoldCo
may not exercise any rights it may have under Section 4.10(a) that would
prohibit or otherwise impede such Company Principal Business
99
acquisition
or investment (including in connection with the incurrence of any Debt required
to complete such acquisition or investment), so long as such acquisition or
investment is completed in all material respects on the terms and conditions
approved in accordance with Section 10.06(h).
(d) If prior
to the expiration of the applicable Offering Period the Company fails to accept
a Competing Business Offer made with respect to a Stand-alone Competing Business
Acquisition in which the purchase price for the Company Principal Business
acquisition or investment is less than or equal to $500 million or, if the
applicable Threshold has not been exceeded or would not be exceeded as a result
of such Stand-alone Competing Business Acquisition, greater than $500 million,
Comcast and its Affiliates shall thereafter (subject to Section 10.06(i)) be
permitted to acquire, or invest in, the applicable Company Principal Business on
substantially the same terms as were offered to the Company pursuant to the
Competing Business Offer.
(e) If prior
to the expiration of the applicable Offering Period the Company fails to accept
a Competing Business Offer made with respect to a Stand-alone Competing Business
Acquisition in which the purchase price for the Company Principal Business
acquisition or investment is greater than $500 million and the applicable
Threshold has been exceeded or would as a result of such Stand-alone Competing
Business Acquisition be exceeded, Comcast and its Affiliates shall be prohibited
from acquiring, or investing in, the applicable Company Principal
Business.
(f) If prior
to the expiration of the applicable Offering Period the Company fails to accept
a Competing Business Offer made with respect to a Mixed Competing Business
Acquisition in which the purchase price for the Company Principal Business
acquisition or investment is less than or equal to $500 million or, if the
applicable Threshold has not been exceeded or would not be exceeded as a result
of the Mixed Competing Business Acquisition, greater than $500 million, Comcast
or its Affiliate, as the case may be, shall (subject to Section 10.06(i)) be
permitted to continue to own and operate the applicable Company Principal
Business.
(g) If prior
to the expiration of the applicable Offering Period the Company fails to accept
a Competing Business Offer made with respect to a Mixed Competing Business
Acquisition in which the purchase price for the Company Principal Business
acquisition or investment is greater than $500 million and the applicable
Threshold has been exceeded or would as a result of such Mixed Competing
Business Acquisition be exceeded, Comcast or its Affiliate, as the case may be,
shall be required to divest the applicable Company Principal Business within a
commercially reasonable period of time.
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(h) The
Company’s decision whether to accept a Competing Business Offer (or to grant any
consent to waive any rights of the Company in respect of a Competing Business
Offer) shall be made by only those members of the Board designated by HoldCo. If
the Company fails to accept a Competing Business Offer, for so long as HoldCo or
any of its Affiliates directly or indirectly holds any Membership Interests,
neither HoldCo nor any of its Affiliates may pursue such Competing Business
Offer or acquire or invest in such Company Principal Business in reliance on the
GE De Minimis Business exception pursuant to Section
10.03(b)(i)(C).
(i) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained herein but subject to Section 10.06(j), prior
to the 18-month anniversary of the Closing Date, (x) neither
Comcast nor any of its Affiliates may make a Significant Investment in a Company
Principal Business in a Stand-alone Competing Business Acquisition and (y)
Comcast or one of its Affiliates may make a Significant Investment in a Company
Principal Business in a Mixed Competing Business Acquisition only if such
Company Principal Business is divested within a commercially reasonable period
of time.
(j) Notwithstanding
any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, and without implicitly agreeing
that the following transactions would be subject to the provisions of this
Section 10.06, this Section 10.06 shall not be applicable to (x) any transaction
entered into by Comcast or its Affiliates prior to the date of this Agreement in
accordance with Section 6.22 of the Master Agreement, (y) any acquisition of, or
other investment in, a Comcast Permitted Business or a Comcast De Minimis
Business by Comcast or its Affiliates and (z) the acquisition by Comcast or its
Affiliates of all or a portion of the Weather Channel Business pursuant to
Section 10.07. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and for the
avoidance of doubt, in each such case, the purchase price for any such
transaction shall be disregarded when determining whether the Threshold has been
exceeded or would be exceeded as a result of any other transaction.
(k) Except as
set forth in Section 10.06(h), the provisions of this Section 10.06 shall
terminate and cease to be of further effect at such time as GE’s Percentage
Interest is less than 20% (calculated in accordance with Section
4.10(d)).
Section
10.07. Weather Channel.
(a) If as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the
Master Agreement the Company or any of its Subsidiaries become entitled to
exercise an “NBCU Call Option” pursuant to Section 4.6 of the Weather Channel
Stockholders Agreement or a right of first refusal pursuant to Section 4.4 of
the Weather Channel Stockholders Agreement at an earlier time than the Company
or such Subsidiary would otherwise have been entitled to exercise such right, at
the election of Comcast, the Company or such Subsidiary will, to the extent
permissible, assign such right to Comcast or an
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Affiliate
of Comcast designated by Comcast and, if not permissible, will enter into a
mutually agreeable arrangement with Comcast or such Affiliate so that Comcast or
such Affiliate may acquire the applicable interest in the Weather Channel
Business on the same terms and conditions as the Company or such Subsidiary
would have been able to acquire such interest pursuant to such right; provided, however, that
Comcast shall indemnify the Company and GE for any losses, claims, damages
or liabilities arising out of or in connection with such arrangement.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no such assignment or
arrangement shall be deemed to be a Related Party Transaction, and the
provisions of Section 10.02 shall not apply to any such assignment or
arrangement.
(b) For
the avoidance of doubt, if Comcast or any of its Affiliates purchases an
interest in the Weather Channel Business pursuant to Section 10.07(a), then,
subject to the applicable provisions of the Weather Channel Stockholders
Agreement, Comcast or such Affiliate may exercise any right relating to or in
connection with its ownership of such interest in the Weather Channel Business
in its sole discretion and without regard to any interest of the Company or any
other Person therein and no such exercise of any such right shall be subject to
the provisions of Section 10.02.
ARTICLE
11
FINANCIAL REPORTING
Section
11.01. Annual Financial
Information. (a) The Company agrees that, so long as any member of the GE
Group meets the Equity Method Threshold at any time during any fiscal year, the
Company shall deliver to GE:
(i) within
eight calendar days following the conclusion of such fiscal year, the estimated
consolidated net income of the Company and updated Agreed Adjustments, if
applicable, for such fiscal year;
(ii) in
accordance with the timeframe established by Comcast to satisfy its reporting
requirements, but in no event later than seven Business Days following the
conclusion of such fiscal year, the Corporate Reporting Data and updated Agreed
Adjustments, if applicable, for such fiscal year, subject to adjustment, if any,
pursuant to Section 11.01(b)(ii);
(iii) within
five Business Days prior to the day the Company completes its audited annual
consolidated financial statements (the “Audited Financial
Statements”), and, in any event, prior to the issuance of the Company’s
audit opinion by the Company Auditors (the “Audit Opinion”), a draft of the
final form of the Audited Financial Statements and a draft of the final
form of the Audit Opinion; and
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(iv) upon
completion of the Audited Financial Statements and the Audit Opinion, a copy of
such Audited Financial Statements and the manually signed Audit Opinion.
If
requested by GE, the Company shall take commercially reasonable efforts to
provide to GE the Audited Financial Statements in compliance with Regulation S-
X under the Securities Act and to support the Company Auditors in providing
manually signed reports and consents with respect to the Audited Financial
Statements that are in compliance with Regulation S-X under the Securities Act,
in each case, to enable the GE Group to adhere to the disclosure requirements
therein should the Company qualify as a “significant investee” (as defined in
Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act) of GE. In addition, the
Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide the GE Group with
any other information reasonably requested by GE to enable the GE Group to
timely comply with its reporting requirements under applicable Law and, upon
GE’s reasonable request, the Company shall request that the Company Auditors
provide customary “comfort” letters and consents (at GE’s expense) with respect
to any financial information provided by the Company pursuant to this Article 11
that is included in any securities offering by any member of the GE Group (and
the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to facilitate the
provision thereof).
(b) In all
events, the timeline for the preparation and delivery of the Audited Financial
Statements contemplated by Section 11.01(a)(iii) to GE will be governed by the
timeline set forth by Comcast’s reporting requirements under applicable Law. If
the Audited Financial Statements are expected to be finalized subsequent to the
filing of GE’s Form 10-K for any fiscal year the Company shall (i) upon five
Business Days’ notice by GE, in accordance with the provisions of Section
11.03(a)(iii), deliver the management representation letter referenced therein
to GE prior to the filing date of GE’s Form 10-K for such fiscal year, and
(ii) inform GE
in a timely manner of any issues (and shall promptly respond to any inquiries or
requests relating to such issues made by GE) that arise (whether raised by the
Company Auditors or otherwise) in connection with the preparation of the Audited
Financial Statements to ensure proper financial reporting by GE of its
investment in the Company.
(c) Following
such time when the GE Group no longer meets the Equity Method Threshold, the
Company agrees to furnish to GE as soon as practicable, the Company’s unaudited
(or, if available, audited) consolidated balance sheet as at the end of such
fiscal year and the related unaudited (or, if available, audited) statements of
operations and cash flow for such fiscal year, and for the portion of the fiscal
year then ended, in each case prepared in accordance with GAAP and, if an audit
of the Company is performed, certified by the Company Auditors, together with a
comparison of the figures in such financial statements with the figures for the
previous fiscal year. The provisions of this Section 11.01(c) shall
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terminate
and be of no further force and effect upon the earlier to occur of (i) an IPO
and (ii) the date on which no member of the GE Group holds any Membership
Interests.
Section
11.02. Quarterly Financial
Information. (a) The Company agrees that, so long as any member of the GE
Group meets the Equity Method Threshold at any time during any fiscal quarter,
the Company shall deliver to GE:
(i) within
four calendar days following the conclusion of such fiscal quarter, the
estimated consolidated net income of the Company and updated Agreed Adjustments,
if applicable, for such fiscal quarter;
(ii) in
accordance with the timeframe established by Comcast to satisfy its reporting
requirements, but in no event later than seven Business Days following the
conclusion of such fiscal quarter, the Corporate Reporting Data and updated
Agreed Adjustments, if applicable, for such fiscal quarter, subject to
adjustment, if any, pursuant to Section 11.02(b)(ii); and
(iii) in
accordance with the timeframe established by Comcast to satisfy its reporting
requirements, the unaudited quarterly consolidated financial statements of the
Company (consisting of a balance sheet and statements of operations, changes in
members equity, and comprehensive income).
(b) If the
unaudited quarterly consolidated financial statements of the Company are
expected to be finalized subsequent to the filing of GE’s Form 10-Q for any
fiscal quarter, the Company shall (i) upon five Business Days’ notice by GE, in
accordance with the provisions of Section 11.03(a)(iii), deliver the management
representation letter referenced therein to GE prior to the filing date of GE’s
Form 10-Q for such fiscal quarter, and (ii) inform GE in a timely manner of any
issues (and shall promptly respond to any inquiries or requests relating to such
issues made by GE) that arise in connection with the preparation of the
Company’s unaudited quarterly consolidated financial statements to ensure proper
financial reporting by GE of its investment in the Company.
(c) Following
such time when the GE Group no longer meets the Equity Method Threshold, the
Company agrees to furnish to GE as soon as practicable, the Company’s unaudited
consolidated balance sheet as at the end of each of the first three fiscal
quarters and the related unaudited statement of operations and cash flow for
such quarter and for the portion of the fiscal year then ended, in each case
prepared in accordance with GAAP, together with a comparison of the figures in
such financial statements with the figures for the comparable period of the
previous fiscal year. The provisions of this Section 11.02(c) shall terminate
and be of no further force and effect upon the earlier to occur of (i) an IPO
and
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(ii) the
date on which no member of the GE Group holds any Membership
Interests.
Section
11.03. Certain Other
Provisions Regarding Financial Reporting. (a) The Company agrees that, so
long as any member of the GE Group meets the Equity Method Threshold during any
quarterly or annual period:
(i) Maintenance of Books and
Records. The Company shall, and shall cause each of
its consolidated Subsidiaries to, (A) make and keep books, records and accounts,
which, in the good faith judgment of the Company, in reasonable detail,
accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of
the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries and (B) devise and maintain a
system of internal accounting controls which, in the good faith judgment of the
Company, is sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (x) transactions
are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization,
(y) transactions are recorded as necessary (1) to permit preparation of
financial statements in conformity with GAAP or any other standard applicable to
such statements and (2) to maintain accountability for assets and (z) access to
assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization.
(ii) Internal Audit and Company Auditors
Reports. The Company and Comcast
shall allow GE reasonable access, upon GE’s reasonable request, to reports
and/or results of performance of internal audit procedures performed by the
internal audit functions of Comcast or the Company with respect to the Company
for the purpose of complying with GE’s reporting and disclosure obligations
under applicable Law. Upon GE’s reasonable request, the Company shall deliver
promptly to GE copies of all reports submitted to the Company by the Company
Auditors (including, without limitation, each report submitted to the Company or
any of its subsidiaries concerning its accounting practices and systems and any
comment letter submitted to management in connection with their annual audit and
all responses by management to such reports and letters) to the extent necessary
to facilitate GE’s compliance with its reporting and disclosure obligations
under applicable Law.
(iii) Management Representation
Letters. For so long as the Company qualifies as a
“significant investee” (as defined in Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X under the
Securities Act) of GE, the Company shall provide GE the annual or quarterly
management representation letter, as applicable, in form and substance that is
consistent with the financial reporting practices of Comcast and its
Subsidiaries and reasonably satisfactory to GE, which management representation
letter shall be signed by the President, Chief Financial Officer and Controller
of the Company
105
and
delivered to GE on a timeline that is consistent with the issuance of annual and
quarterly financial statements, as applicable, in accordance with GE’s reporting
schedule.
(iv)
Company Operating
Review. The Company shall promptly deliver to GE any budget or
forecasting reports or updates completed in accordance with the internal
financial reporting processes of Comcast (“Budget and Forecasting
Reports”), together with any adjustments to the Agreed Adjustments in
connection therewith to the extent known by the Company at the time of delivery
of the relevant Budget and Forecasting Reports. The Company agrees to deliver
Budget and Forecasting Reports on at least a quarterly basis.
(b) Fiscal Periods. The Company
shall advise GE if, as of the Closing Date, any Contributed Comcast Subsidiary
(as defined in the Master Agreement) has a fiscal year which ends on a date
other than December 31. Fiscal period ends shall be as determined by Comcast and
shall not be adjusted to reflect any differences between fiscal period ends of
Comcast and GE. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to
maintain a fiscal year which ends on December 31 and, so long as the Company is
required to deliver any financial information pursuant to Sections 11.01 and
11.02, shall provide prompt written notice to GE in the event of any change to
the Company’s fiscal year end.
Section
11.04. GE Annual
Statements. In connection with any GE Group member’s preparation of its
audited annual financial statements and its annual reports to shareholders
(collectively the “GE Annual
Statements”), during any fiscal year in which the members of the GE Group
meet the Equity Method Threshold, the Company agrees as follows:
(a) Coordination of Auditors’
Opinions. Notwithstanding any other provisions hereof, for
so long as the Company qualifies as a “significant investee” (as defined in Rule
3-09 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act) of GE, (i) the Company will use
its commercially reasonable efforts to enable the Company Auditors to complete
their audit and issue their opinion on the Audited Financial Statements in
sufficient time to enable GE to meet its timetable for the printing, filing and
public dissemination of the GE Annual Statements, and (ii) the Company and GE
shall coordinate timing of their respective audits to allow for the
aforementioned timely filing and communication of the GE Annual
Statements.
(b) Access to Audit Personnel and
Working Papers. The Company will request the Company
Auditors to make available to the GE Auditors both the personnel who performed
or are performing the annual audit of the Company and, consistent with customary
professional practice and courtesy of such auditors with respect to the
furnishing of work papers, work papers related to the annual audit
106
of the
Company, in all cases within a reasonable time after the Company Auditors’
opinion date, so that the GE Auditors are able to perform the procedures they
consider necessary as it relates to the GE Auditors’ report on the GE Annual
Statements.
Section
11.05. Access to Management
Personnel and Information. So long as any member of the GE Group meets
the Equity Method Threshold, the Company agrees to permit GE and the GE Auditors
to inspect, at GE’s sole expense, all existing books and records of the Company
and its Subsidiaries, and to provide GE and the GE Auditors reasonable access to
the management and other relevant personnel of the Company and its Subsidiaries,
in each case, during regular business hours for any purpose reasonably related
to GE’s status as a (direct or indirect) holder of Membership Interests; provided that the Company and
its Subsidiaries shall not be required to cooperate with any inspection or
access requests pursuant to this Section 11.05 that would unduly interfere with
their business operations.
Section
11.06. GE Public
Filings. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to assist
GE, to the extent reasonably requested by GE, in the preparation of GE Public
Filings; provided that
such assistance shall be limited to information relating to the Company required
to be disclosed in the relevant GE Public Filing. The Company agrees to provide
to GE information that is required to be disclosed therein under applicable Law
(including financial information and financial statements of the Company and the
Contributed Comcast Businesses (as defined in the Master Agreement)) and, upon
GE’s reasonable request, the Company shall request that the Company Auditors
provide customary “comfort” letters and consents (at GE’s expense) with respect
to any financial information provided by the Company pursuant to this Section
11.06 that is included in any securities offering by any member of the GE Group
(and the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to facilitate the
provision thereof). The Company agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to
provide such information in a timely manner to enable GE to prepare, print and
release GE Public Filings on such dates as GE shall reasonably
determine.
Section
11.07. Compensation for
Providing Information. The party requesting information agrees to
reimburse the other party for the reasonable costs, if any, of creating,
gathering and copying such information, to the extent that such costs are
incurred for the benefit of the requesting party.
Section
11.08. Liability. No
party shall have any liability to any other party in the event that any
information exchanged or provided pursuant to this Agreement which is an
estimate or forecast, or which is based on an estimate or forecast, is found to
be inaccurate in the absence of willful misconduct by the party providing such
information. No party shall have any liability to any other party if any
information is destroyed.
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Section
11.09. Other
Agreements Providing for Exchange of Information. The
rights and obligations granted under this Article 11 are subject to any specific
limitations, qualifications or additional provisions on the sharing, exchange,
retention or confidential treatment of information set forth in any other
provision of this Agreement (including Article 10) or any other Transaction
Agreement.
ARTICLE
12
DISSOLUTION, LIQUIDATION AND TERMINATION
Section
12.01. No Dissolution.
The Company shall not be dissolved by the withdrawal of any Member (subject to
Section 12.02(d)) or the admission of Additional Members in accordance with the
terms of this Agreement.
Section
12.02. Events Causing
Dissolution. The Company shall be dissolved and its affairs shall be
wound up solely upon the first to occur of the following events:
(a) subject
to Section 4.10(a), the determination of the Members, by means of an affirmative
vote of the Members holding a majority of the outstanding Membership Interests,
to dissolve and terminate the Company;
(b) the sale
of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets;
(c) the
entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Company under Section 18-802 of
the Act; or
(d) at any
time when there are no Members, unless the Company is continued in accordance
with the Act.
Section
12.03. Bankruptcy of a
Member. The bankruptcy (within the meaning of Sections 18-101 and 18-304
of the Act) of a Member shall not cause such Member to cease to be a Member, and
upon the occurrence of such event, the Company shall continue without
dissolution. The receivership or dissolution of a Member will not in and of
itself cause the dissolution of the Company, and upon the occurrence of such
event, the Company shall continue without dissolution under the management and
control of the remaining Members, unless there are no remaining Members of the
Company.
Section
12.04. Winding Up. (a)
In the event of the dissolution of the Company pursuant to Section 12.02, the
Company’s affairs shall be wound up by a liquidating trustee of the Company
selected by the Board (in such capacity, the “Liquidating Agent”), which
Liquidating Agent shall be an individual who is knowledgeable about the
Company’s business and operations (to the extent possible) and has substantial
experience in the purchase and sale of businesses.
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(b) Upon
dissolution of the Company and until the filing of a certificate of cancellation
as provided in Section 18-203 of the Act, the Liquidating Agent may, in the name
of, and for and on behalf of, the Company, prosecute and defend lawsuits,
whether civil, criminal or administrative, settle and close the Company’s
business, dispose of and convey the Company’s property or sell the Company (and
its Subsidiaries) as a going concern, discharge or make reasonable provision for
the Company’s liabilities, and distribute to the Members in accordance with
Section 12.05 any remaining assets of the Company, all without affecting the
liability of Members and without imposing any liability on any Liquidating
Agent.
(c) Except as
otherwise provided in this Agreement, the Members shall continue to share
distributions and allocations during the period of liquidation in the same
manner as before the dissolution.
(d) A
reasonable time period shall be allowed for the orderly winding up and
liquidation of the assets of the Company and the discharge of liabilities to
creditors so as to enable the Liquidating Agent to seek to minimize potential
losses upon such liquidation. Subject to the provisions of Section 12.05, the
Liquidating Agent shall have reasonable discretion to determine the time, manner
and terms of any sale or sales of the Company’s property pursuant to such
liquidation. The provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and
effect during the period of winding up and until the filing of a certificate of
cancellation of the Company with the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware.
(e) Upon the
completion of the winding up of the Company, any Director designated by the
Comcast Members or the Liquidating Agent or other duly designated representative
shall file a certificate of cancellation of the Company with the Secretary of
State of the State of Delaware as provided in Section 18-203 of the
Act.
Section
12.05. Distribution of
Assets. (a) As soon as practicable upon dissolution of the Company, the
assets of the Company (or liquidation proceeds) shall be distributed in the
following manner and order of priority (and ratably within each level of
priority):
(i) first, to
creditors of the Company, including Members who are creditors, to the extent
otherwise permitted by Law, in satisfaction of liabilities of the Company
(whether by payment or the making of reasonable provision for payment thereof)
other than liabilities for which reasonable provision has been made and
distributions to Members under Article 8; and
(ii) to the
Members in respect of their Membership Interests pro rata in accordance with the
positive balances in their Capital Accounts,
109
after
giving effect to all contributions, distributions, allocations and adjustments
for all periods.
(b) It is the
intention of the parties that final Capital Account balances of the Members in
respect of their Membership Interests will permit liquidating distributions to
be made (after the satisfaction of the obligations of the Company to creditors
pursuant to Section 12.05(a)(i) hereof) pro rata in accordance with their
respective Membership Percentages. The allocations and distributions provided
for in this Agreement are intended to result in the Capital Account of each
Member in respect of its Membership Interests immediately prior to the
distribution of the Company’s assets pursuant to Section 12.05(a)(ii) (after the
satisfaction of the obligations of the Company to creditors pursuant to Section
12.05(a)(i)) being equal to the amount that would be distributable to such
Member in accordance with its Membership Percentage. The Company is authorized,
to the extent possible, to make appropriate adjustments to the allocation of
items of income, gain, loss and deduction as necessary to cause the amount of
each Member’s Capital Account in respect of its Membership Interests immediately
prior to the distribution of the Company’s assets pursuant to Section
12.05(a)(ii) (after the satisfaction of the obligations of the Company to
creditors pursuant to Section 12.05(a)(i)) to equal the amount that would be
distributable to such Member in respect of its Membership Interests in
accordance with its Membership Percentage. Notwithstanding Section 12.05(a)(ii),
if the Company is unable to make allocations such that the final Capital Account
balances in respect of the Members’ Membership Interests are pro rata in
accordance with the Members’ Membership Percentages, distributions to Members in
respect of their Membership Interests pursuant to Section 12.05(a)(ii) shall be
pro rata in accordance with their respective Membership
Percentages.
(c) The
Liquidating Agent shall have the power to establish any reserves that, in
accordance with sound business judgment, it deems reasonably necessary to pay
all claims and obligations, including all contingent, conditional or unmatured
claims and obligations, which reserves may be paid over to an escrow agent
selected by the Liquidating Agent to be held by such agent for the purpose of
paying out such reserves in payment of the aforementioned contingencies and upon
the expiration of such period as the Liquidating Agent may deem advisable,
making a distribution of the balance thereof to the Members in the manner
provided in this Section 12.05.
Section
12.06. Distributions in Cash
or in Kind. Upon the dissolution of the Company, the Liquidating Agent
shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to liquidate all of the Company
assets in an orderly manner and apply the proceeds of such liquidation as set
forth in Section 12.05; provided that if in the good
faith judgment of the Liquidating Agent, a Company asset should not be
liquidated, the Liquidating Agent shall distribute such asset, on the basis of
its value (determined in good faith by the Liquidating Agent), in accordance
with
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Section
12.05, subject to the priorities set forth in Section 12.05, and provided, further, that the Liquidating
Agent shall in good faith attempt to liquidate sufficient assets of
the Company to satisfy in cash (or make reasonable provision for) the debts and
liabilities referred to in Section 12.05(a).
Section
12.07. Claims of the
Members. The Members and former Members shall look solely to the
Company’s assets for the return of their Capital Contributions, and if the
assets of the Company remaining after payment of or due provision for all debts,
liabilities and obligations of the Company are insufficient to return such
Capital Contributions, the Members and former Members shall have no recourse
against the Company, any Director, any other Member or, for the avoidance of
doubt, Comcast or GE. No Member shall have any obligation to make any Capital
Contribution with respect to such insufficiency, and such insufficiency shall
not be considered a debt owed to the Company or to any other
Person.
ARTICLE
13
MISCELLANEOUS
Section
13.01. Further
Assurances. Each Member, Comcast and GE shall, upon the request from time
to time of the Company and without further consideration, do, execute and
perform all such other acts, deeds and documents as may be reasonably requested
by the Company to carry out fully the purposes and intent of this
Agreement.
Section
13.02. Amendment or
Modification. (a) This Agreement may be amended or modified only with the
written consent of (i) Comcast and (ii) GE; provided that, subject to
Section 13.02(b), the consent of GE will not be required from and after such
time as GE’s Percentage Interest is less than 10%.
(b) In
addition, any amendment or modification of this Agreement that (i) adversely
affects a Member or any of its Affiliates disproportionately to its effect on
the other Members and their Affiliates, (ii) diminishes a Member’s express
rights under the terms of this Agreement, or (iii) imposes obligations on a
Member in a manner contrary to the express provisions of this Agreement, shall,
in each case, require the prior written consent of such
Member.
(c) Notwithstanding
Sections 13.02(a) and 13.02(b), the Board of the Company may amend, without the
consent of Comcast, GE or any of the Members:
(i) this
Agreement solely in order to reflect the fact that a new Member admitted in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement has agreed to become bound by, and
subject to, this Agreement;
111
(ii) this
Agreement and the Certificate of Formation in order to change the name of the
Company to the extent such change of name is permitted pursuant to Section
2.02;
(iii) Schedule
4.01 to this Agreement to reflect changes required pursuant to changes in the
Members (including the admission of Additional Members), Membership Interests,
Membership Percentages, and Percentage Interests of the Members in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement; and
(iv) this
Agreement, to reflect the terms of any equity interests in the Company and the
issuance thereof as provided in Section 3.03(b).
Section
13.03. Waiver; Cumulative
Remedies. Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, any party may
waive any right of such party under this Agreement by an instrument signed in
writing by such party. Except as specifically provided herein, the failure or
delay of any Member to enforce at any time any of the provisions of this
Agreement shall in no way be construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor
in any way to affect the validity of this Agreement or any part hereof or the
right of any Member thereafter to enforce each and every such provision. No
waiver of any breach of or non-compliance with this Agreement shall be held to
be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach or non-compliance. Except as
specifically provided herein, all remedies, either under this Agreement or by
Law or otherwise afforded, will be cumulative and not alternative.
Section
13.04. Entire
Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the
parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and
cancels all prior agreements, understandings, representations and warranties,
both oral and written, between the parties hereto with respect thereto. There
are no agreements, undertakings, representations or warranties of any of the
parties hereto with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby
other than those set forth herein or therein or made hereunder or
thereunder.
Section
13.05. Third Party
Beneficiaries. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended
to confer, nor shall anything herein confer, on any Person other than the
Company and the parties hereto, and their respective successors or permitted
assigns, any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities, except that any
Person who is entitled to exculpation, indemnification or advancement pursuant
to Section 6.01 of this Agreement and is not party to this Agreement shall be a
third-party beneficiary of this Agreement to the extent required for purposes of
such Section 6.01; provided that all claims for
indemnification shall be made only in the name and on behalf of such Person by a
Member.
112
Section
13.06. Non-Assignability;
Binding Effect. The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon
and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors
and permitted assigns; provided that no party may
assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations under
this Agreement without the consent of each other party hereto (including for the
avoidance of doubt in connection with Transfers permitted hereunder) except that
in connection with (i) Transfers made by GE or any of its Affiliates in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement GE may assign or cause to be
assigned rights and obligations of GE and its Affiliates under Section 3.07,
Article 9 and Exhibit D (provided that no such
assignment shall relieve any party of any of its obligations hereunder and provided, further, that if
the Second Comcast Purchase Right has expired without Comcast having exercised
such Comcast Purchase Right or GE having sold or permitted to be sold (or agreed
to sell or permit to sell) any securities representing GE’s Percentage Interest
immediately after the Closing, subject to the last sentence of this Section
13.06, GE may in connection with a Transfer of securities representing all of
GE’s Percentage Interest assign or cause to be assigned all rights and
obligations of GE and its Affiliates under this Agreement), (ii) a Transfer made
by Comcast and its Affiliates of all (but not less than all) of the Membership
Interests held by the Comcast Members in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement Comcast may assign or cause to be assigned all of the rights and
obligations of Comcast and its Affiliates under this Agreement (provided that, except as set
forth in Section 9.01(b)(iv), no such assignment shall relieve any party of any
of its obligations hereunder) and (iii) a Transfer made by Comcast and its
Affiliates of Membership Interests held by the Comcast Members in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement Comcast may assign or cause to be assigned
rights and obligations of Comcast and its Affiliates under Sections 3.07 and
9.07 and Exhibit D (provided that no such
assignment shall relieve any party of any of its obligations hereunder). Prior
to any Transfer (and related assignment) contemplated by the second proviso in
clause (i) of this Section 13.06, the applicable transferee must certify in
writing to Comcast and the Company that, immediately after giving effect to such
Transfer, such transferee and its Affiliates would be in compliance with Section
10.03 and expressly covenant with Comcast and the Company that such transferee
and its Affiliates will comply with Section 10.03. Notwithstanding anything to
the contrary contained in this Agreement, no Transfer of HoldCo Shares otherwise
permitted by the provisions of this Agreement shall become effective unless the
transferee of such HoldCo Shares agrees in writing to be bound as a HoldCo
Shareholder by the provisions of Section 8(g) of the Tax Matters Agreement. For
the avoidance of doubt, any Membership Interests or HoldCo Shares Transferred by
GE or any of its Affiliates (other than shares of Common Stock sold in a Public
Offering or pursuant to a Rule 144 Sale) shall remain subject to the Comcast
Purchase Rights pursuant to Section 9.03 and the rights of Comcast under
Sections 9.06, 9.07 and 9.10 (it being understood that shares of Common Stock
sold in a Public Offering or pursuant to a Rule 144 Sale shall not remain
subject to any such rights), and
113
any
transferee of any such securities shall be obligated to participate in any
Back-End Transaction pursuant to Section 9.08 (either by agreeing to sell all
New HoldCo Common Interests (as defined in Exhibit E-1) held by such transferee
to Comcast in accordance with Exhibit E-1 or by agreeing to receive the same
form and amount of consideration per security as GE and its Subsidiaries) and GE
shall provide Comcast with notice promptly after such Transfer of the manner in
which such transferee has agreed to become obligated to participate in any
Back-End Transaction, in each case, even if any of such Sections do not
reference any of such securities held by the transferees of GE or such Affiliate
or any of such transferees.
Section
13.07. Severability.
Every provision of this Agreement is intended to be severable. If any term or
provision hereof is declared or held illegal or invalid, in whole or in part,
for any reason whatsoever, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the
validity or enforceability of the remainder of the Agreement, and such provision
shall be deemed amended or modified to the extent, but only to the extent,
necessary to cure such illegality or invalidity. Upon such determination of
illegality or invalidity, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to
amend this Agreement to effect the original intent of the parties. In any event,
the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any
jurisdiction shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of
this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of this
Agreement, including that provision, in any other competent
jurisdiction.
Section
13.08. Injunctive
Relief. The parties hereto hereby acknowledge and agree that a violation
of any of the terms of this Agreement will cause the other parties and the
Company irreparable injury for which an adequate remedy at law is not available.
Accordingly, the parties hereto expressly agree that in addition to any other
remedy that each of the parties and the Company may be entitled to in law or in
equity, each of the parties hereto and the Company shall, except as specifically
provided otherwise in this Agreement, be entitled to seek specific performance
of the terms of this Agreement and any injunction, restraining order or other
equitable relief that may be necessary to prevent any breach(es) thereof.
Furthermore, the parties expressly agree that if any of the parties hereto, or
the Company, institutes any action or proceeding to enforce the provisions
hereof, any other party against whom such action or proceeding is brought shall
be deemed to have expressly, knowingly, and voluntarily waived the claim or
defense that an adequate remedy exists at law. Each party hereby waives any
requirement of any posting of bond.
Section
13.09. Governing Law.
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the
provisions of the Act, and other applicable Laws of the State of Delaware,
without regard to its conflicts of law principles.
114
Section
13.10. Submission to
Jurisdiction. For the purposes of any suit, action or other proceeding
arising out of or relating to this Agreement and subject to Sections 9.02 and
10.02, each party to this Agreement irrevocably submits, to the fullest extent
permitted by Law, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Chancery Court of the
State of Delaware (or if unavailable, any federal court sitting in the State of
Delaware or, if unavailable, the Delaware Superior Court) and the appellate
courts having jurisdiction of appeals in such courts. For the purposes of any
suit, action or other proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement,
each party irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent
permitted by Law, any objection to the laying of venue in the Chancery Court of
the State of Delaware (or if unavailable, any federal court sitting in the State
of Delaware or, if unavailable, the Delaware Superior Court), and hereby further
irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent permitted by Law,
and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such action, suit or
proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
Each party irrevocably consents, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, to
service of process in connection with any such suit, action or other proceeding
by registered mail to such party at its address set forth in this Agreement, in
accordance with the provisions of Section 13.12. The consent to jurisdiction set
forth in this Section 13.10 shall not constitute a general consent to service of
process in the State of Delaware and shall have no effect for any purpose except
as provided in this Section 13.10. The parties hereto agree that a final
judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be
enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner
provided by Law.
Section
13.11. Waiver of Jury
Trial. EACH OF THE PARTIES HEREBY KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY WAIVES TRIAL
BY JURY IN ANY JUDICIAL PROCEEDING INVOLVING, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, ANY
MATTERS (WHETHER SOUNDING IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE) IN ANY WAY ARISING OUT
OF, RELATED TO, OR CONNECTED WITH THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED
HEREBY OR THE RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED HEREUNDER.
Section
13.12. Notices. All
notices, requests, claims, demands and other communications under this Agreement
shall be in writing and shall be given or made (and shall be deemed to have been
duly given or made upon receipt) by delivery in person, by overnight courier
service, by facsimile with receipt confirmed (followed by delivery of an
original via overnight courier service) or by registered or certified mail
(postage prepaid, return receipt requested) to the respective parties at the
following addresses:
115
If to
Comcast or any Comcast Member:
Comcast
Corporation
|
||
Xxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
|
||
Xxxxxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
||
Attention:
|
General
Counsel
|
|
Facsimile:
|
(000)
000-0000
|
And a
copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Xxxxx
Xxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP
000
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx
Xxxx, XX 00000
|
||
Attention:
|
Xxxxx
X. Xxxxxx
|
|
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx
|
||
Facsimile:
|
(000)
000-0000
|
|
Telephone:
|
(000)
000-0000
|
If to GE
or HoldCo:
General
Electric Company
0000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, X0X00
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
||
Attention:
|
Senior
Counsel for Transactions
|
|
Facsimile:
|
(000)
000-0000
|
And a
copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Weil,
Gotshal & Xxxxxx LLP
000
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx
Xxxx, XX 00000
|
||
Attention:
|
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx
|
|
R.
Xxx Xxxxx
|
||
Facsimile:
|
(000)
000-0000
|
|
Telephone:
|
(000)
000-0000
|
If to any
other Member: to such addresses reflected in the books and records of the
Company.
By
written notice to the Company, any Member, Comcast or GE may change the address
to which notices shall be directed.
Section
13.13. Counterparts.
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, and delivered by
facsimile or otherwise, each of which shall be deemed an original of this
Agreement and all of which together shall constitute one and the same
instrument.
116
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date
first written above.
COMCAST CORPORATION | ||||
|
By:
|
|||
Name: | ||||
Title: | ||||
[INITIAL COMCAST MEMBER 1] | ||||
|
By:
|
|||
Name: | ||||
Title: | ||||
[INITIAL COMCAST MEMBER 2] | ||||
|
By:
|
|||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
[INITIAL COMCAST MEMBER 3] | ||||
|
By:
|
|||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY | ||||
|
By:
|
|||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
NAVY HOLDINGS, INC. | ||||
|
By:
|
|||
Name: | ||||
Title: |
117