DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES
The Initial Notes were, and the Exchange Notes will be, issued pursuant to a supplemental indenture to the indenture, dated as of October 4, 2002, as amended to date, between us and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee. The term “indenture” when used in this prospectus will refer to the indenture as amended by all supplemental indentures executed and delivered on or prior to the date on which the Notes are issued and sold. The terms of the Notes include those stated in the indenture and those made part of the indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
On March 24, 2006, we issued $1,700,000,000 of our 6.125% Senior Bonds due 2036 (hereafter referred to as the series E bonds), on May 11, 2007, we issued $550,000,000 of our 5.95% Senior Bonds due 2037 (hereafter referred to as the series F bonds), on August 28, 2007, we issued $1,000,000,000 of our 6.50% Senior Bonds due 2037 (hereafter referred to as the series G bonds), on November 8, 2013, we issued $500,000,000 of our 3.75% Senior Notes due 2023 (hereafter referred to as the series L notes) and $750,000,000 of our 5.15% Senior Notes due 2043 (hereafter referred to as the series M notes), on December 4, 2014, we issued $400,000,000 of our 3.50% Senior Notes due 2025 (hereafter referred to as the series O notes) and $750,000,000 of our 4.50% Senior Notes due 2045 (hereafter referred to as the series P notes), on January 2, 2018, we issued $400,000,000 of our 2.800% Senior Notes due 2023 (hereafter referred to as the series R notes), $600,000,000 of our 3.250% Senior Notes due 2028 (hereafter referred to as the series S notes) and $750,000,000 of our 3.800% Senior Notes due 2048 (hereafter referred to as the series T notes), on July 24, 2018, we issued $1,000,000,000 of our 4.450% Senior Notes due 2049 (hereafter referred to as the series U notes), on March 24, 2020, we issued $1,250,000,000 of our 4.050% Senior Notes due 2025 (hereafter referred to as the series V notes), on March 27, 2020, we issued $1,100,000,000 of our 3.700% Senior Notes due 2030 (hereafter referred to as the series W notes) and $900,000,000 of our 4.250% Senior Notes due 2050 (hereafter referred to as the series X notes), on October 29, 2020, we issued $500,000,000 of our 1.650% Senior Notes due 2031 (hereafter referred to as the series Y notes) and $1,500,000,000 of our 2.850% Senior Notes due 2051 (hereafter referred to as the series Z notes), and on April 21, 2022, we issued $1,000,000,000 of our 4.600% Senior Notes due 2053, in each case pursuant to the indenture. Unless otherwise indicated, references hereafter to the “securities” in this prospectus include any series E bonds that remain outstanding, the series F bonds, any series G bonds that remain outstanding, the series L notes, the series M notes, the series O notes, the series P notes, the series R notes, the series S notes, the series T notes, the series U notes, the series V notes, the series W notes, the series X notes, the series Y notes, the series Z notes and the Notes (and any other series of notes or other securities hereafter issued and outstanding under a supplemental indenture or otherwise pursuant to the indenture). The following description is a summary of the material provisions of the indenture and the related Registration Rights Agreement. It does not restate those agreements in their entirety. We urge you to read the indenture and the Registration Rights Agreement because they, and not this description, define your rights as a holder of the Notes. The definitions of certain capitalized terms used in the following summary are set forth below under “—Definitions.”
General
The indenture does not limit the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities that may be issued thereunder and provides that debt securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series.
The Initial Notes were initially offered in the aggregate principal amount of $1,000,000,000. We may, without the consent of the holders, increase such principal amount in the future on the same terms and conditions (except for the issue date and offering price and, if applicable, the initial interest payment date and the initial interest accrual date) and with the same CUSIP number(s) as the Notes being offered hereby; provided that any additional notes that are not fungible with such Notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes shall have a separate CUSIP or other identifying number from such Notes.
The Initial Notes bear, and the Exchange Notes will bear, interest at the rate of 4.600% per annum and will mature on May 1, 2053. Interest was and will be payable on the Notes semi-annually in arrears on each May 1
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