Subscriber or to otherwise evidence and substantiate the shareholder’s compliance with this Article IV or any other provisions of these Articles of Restatement.
Section 3. Each shareholder shall provide the Corporation, upon the Corporation’s request from time to time, with all such information and documentation as the Corporation requests in connection with the Corporation considering or exercising any of its rights and options under this Article V, including, without limitation, a copy of the written agreement between the shareholder and the proposed transferee in any Voluntary Sale.
Section 4. A shareholder selling any shares to the Corporation pursuant to this Article V must deliver the certificate or certificates for the shares to the Corporation, duly endorsed for transfer or accompanied by an executed stock power acceptable to the Corporation, before or simultaneously with the Corporation’s payment for such shares.
A shareholder selling any shares to the Corporation pursuant to this Article V shall be deemed to represent and warrant to the Corporation, as a material and integral part of such sale, that the shares are being sold, assigned, transferred and conveyed to the Corporation by the shareholder free and clear of all liens, claims, demands, restrictions on transferability, reservations, security interests, pledge agreements, buy-sell or shareholder agreements, tax liens, charges, contracts of sale, voting agreements, voting trusts, options, proxies and other encumbrances, claims, demands and restrictions whatsoever.
If the Corporation does not purchase some of the shares of a shareholder which are to be sold by the shareholder in a Voluntary Sale, the shareholder may only sell those shares pursuant to and in strict accordance with the terms of the Voluntary Sale as provided to the Corporation.
Section 5. Any Assignment which is not made in compliance with this Article V shall be null and void and of no force or effect whatsoever.
Section 6. The bylaws of the Corporation, as amended and restated from time to time (the “Bylaws”) may also contain provisions prohibiting, restricting, limiting, conditioning or otherwise addressing the Assignment of shares of the Class A Common Stock and/or the Class B Common Stock.
Section 7. The Corporation may place a legend on certificates evidencing the shares of the Class A Common Stock or the Class B Common Stock regarding the provisions of these Articles of Restatement, in form and content acceptable to the Corporation. The Corporation may also make notations in the stock records of the Corporation regarding these Articles of Restatement.
Section 8. The election by the Corporation to not purchase, or the failure by the Corporation to purchase, any shares of any of the Class A Common Stock or the Class B Common Stock shall not discharge those shares from any of the provisions and restrictions contained in these Articles of Restatement, and all such shares shall be and remain subject to all of the provisions of these Articles of Restatement notwithstanding any such election or failure by the Corporation.
-7-
ARTICLE VI
Section 1. The number of directors of the Corporation shall be specified in or fixed in accordance with the Bylaws.
Section 2. The terms of the directors shall be staggered by dividing the total number of directors into three groups, with each group containing one-third of the total number of directors, as near as may be. The directors shall designate the group in which each director shall serve, including in the event of any increase or decrease in the number of the directors. The terms of one group of the directors shall expire each year. The directors shall be elected at each annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation, and each director shall serve a three year term and until the director’s successor shall have been elected and qualified, or until the director’s death or resignation or removal in accordance with applicable law or the Bylaws. No individual may serve more than three consecutive terms, and if an individual has served for three consecutive terms as a director, the individual must be off the board of directors for at least one year before the individual can again be elected as a director.
Section 3. Each director must be the owner of one or more shares of the Class A Common Stock, and a director will automatically cease to be a director, without notice from or other action by the director, the Corporation or any shareholder, effective at the time the director ceases to hold any shares of the Class A Common Stock. Each director must also be at least 18 years of age. A director must also meet and satisfy any qualifications for directors as may be set forth in the Bylaws.
ARTICLE VII
Except as may be otherwise required by applicable law, any number of the votes entitled to be cast on a matter by a voting group of the shareholders of the Corporation constitutes a quorum of that voting group for action on that matter, including with respect to the amendment of these Articles of Restatement. Except as may be otherwise required by applicable law, if any two or more series of the Class A Common Stock, or the Class A Common Stock and the Class B Common Stock, are required by applicable law to vote as separate voting groups on any matter, any number of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter by the voting group constitutes a quorum of that voting group for action on that matter, including with respect to the amendment of these Articles of Restatement.
ARTICLE VIII
The vote of not less than two-thirds of the total number of votes entitled to be cast by the shareholders of the Corporation shall be necessary to take and approve any of the following actions and matters: (i) the merger of the Corporation with or into any other entity; (ii) any share exchange to which the Corporation is a party; (iii) the sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation, other than in the form of or pursuant to any mortgage, pledge, security interest or other grant of any security or collateral interest in the assets, properties or rights of the Corporation; and (iv) the dissolution of the Corporation. The
-8-
vote of not less than two-thirds of the total number of votes entitled to be cast by the shareholders of the Corporation shall be necessary to amend or repeal this Article VIII.
ARTICLE IX
A director of the Corporation shall not be liable to the Corporation or its shareholders for money damages for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, as a director, except liability for any of the following: (i) the amount of a financial benefit received by a director to which the director is not entitled; (ii) an intentional infliction of harm on the Corporation or its shareholders; (iii) a violation of section 490.833 of the Iowa Business Corporation Act; or (iv) an intentional violation of criminal law.
If the Iowa Business Corporation Act or other applicable law is hereafter amended to authorize the additional or further elimination of or limitation on the liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation, in addition to the elimination of and limitation on personal liability provided herein, shall be eliminated and limited to the extent of such amendment, automatically and without any further action, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any repeal or modification of this Article, the Iowa Business Corporation Act or other applicable law shall be prospective only and shall not adversely affect any elimination of or limitation on the personal liability or any other right or protection of a director of the Corporation with respect to any state of facts existing at or prior to the time of such repeal or modification.
ARTICLE X
The Corporation shall indemnify a director for liability (as such term is defined in section 490.850(5) of the Iowa Business Corporation Act) to any person for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, as a director, except liability for any of the following: (i) receipt of a financial benefit to which the director is not entitled; (ii) an intentional infliction of harm on the Corporation or its shareholders; (iii) a violation of section 490.833 of the Iowa Business Corporation Act; or (iv) an intentional violation of criminal law. Without limiting the foregoing, and in addition thereto, the Corporation shall exercise all of its permissive powers as often as necessary to indemnify and advance expenses to its directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Corporation shall also exercise all of its permissive powers as often as necessary to indemnify and advance expenses to its officers to the fullest extent permitted by law.
If the Iowa Business Corporation Act or other applicable law is hereafter amended to authorize broader or additional or further indemnification, then the indemnification obligations of the Corporation shall be deemed to be amended automatically, and without any further action, to require indemnification and advancement of funds to pay for or reimburse expenses of its directors and of its officers to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any repeal or modification of this Article, the Iowa Business Corporation Act or other applicable law shall be prospective only and shall not adversely affect any indemnification and advancement obligations of the Corporation with respect to any state of facts existing at or prior to the time of such repeal or modification.
-9-
Dated this _____ day of February, 2007.
By: ___________________________________
Charles Thatcher, President |
-10-
EXHIBIT C
FINAL LETTER TO FOCUS GROUP
August 14, 2006
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Dear ___________________________:
In re: Proposed Article and Bylaw Changes for Breda Telephone Corp. |
Breda Telephone Corp. is appreciative of the input and discussion that we have received from those of you who participated in our focus groups in the summer of 2005. In anticipation of holding our annual meeting in September 2006, and with the adoption of revised Articles on the ballot for that meeting, we would like your final review of the attached Restated Articles, and your participation in a focus group meeting on Monday, August 21, 2006, to share any final thoughts.
The two main goals of retaining local control, and maximizing the value of the Breda Telephone Corp. shares, served as the framework in the rewrite of these Articles. Some of the other highlights are:
Present Articles | Restated Articles |
1. | One class of stock | Two classes of stock: Class A | |
| would be voting stock; Class B |
| would be non-voting stock but | |
| have the same equity value as | |
| Class A shares. | |
| | | | | |
2. | One subscriber per household. | Two subscribers per household, if | |
| meet the criteria; allows for an adult |
child living in household to inherit shares.
3. | Ownership limited to 1% | Ownership limited to 1% per | |
| (subject to other limitations) | individual (subject to other | |
| limitations) except that a two- | |
| subscriber household is limited | |
| to 2% (subject to other limitations). |
| | | | | | |
Focus Group Attendees | - 2 - | August 14, 2006 |
5. | One-time transfer to family | Transfers of shares to family | |
| members outside the Breda/ | members outside of the Breda/ | |
| Lidderdale exchange only on | Lidderdale exchange allowed | |
| shares owned as of February | within the % ownership | |
| 1995. (subject to % owner- ship limitations) | limitations on all shares (would be Class B, non-voting shares). |
| | | | | | | | |
5. | All present shareholders are | All present shareholders will be | |
| voting shareholders, and | grandfathered in, and will retain | |
| receive one vote per | their present votes, regardless of | |
| subscriber (one vote per | where they live. A) Thus present | |
| household). A few multiple-vote | shareholders having one vote will | |
| subscribers were grandfathered | be designated as Class A, Series 2 | |
| in with the Restated Articles of | shareholders. B) Present share- | |
| 1995. | holders having multiple votes will | |
| be designated as Class A, Series 3 | |
| shareholders. These shares will | |
| retain their voting rights until such |
| time as they are transferred, when | |
| they will then be designated as | |
| either Class A, Series 1 voting | |
| shares, or Class B non-voting | |
| shares. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
6. | Corporation is authorized to | Corporation would be authorized to | |
| issue five million (5,000,000) | issue five million (5,000,000) shares |
| shares of common stock with | of Class A Common Stock, no par | |
| no par value. | Value, and five million (5,000,000) | |
| shares of Class B Common Stock, | |
| no par value. | |
| | | | | | | | |
Please plan to attend this final Revised Articles Focus Group for any additional input before these Articles are included in the Proxy statement and ballot for our annual meeting. The focus group meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Western Iowa Networks, Breda location, on Monday, August 21, 2006.
Focus Group Attendees | - 2 - | August 14, 2006 |
In order for us to plan appropriately for this meeting, please either call Diane Miller at (712) 673-2311 or e-mail her at dmiller@win-4-u.com to let us know if you plan to attend and if you plan to bring or invite additional shareholders.
We look forward to your participation and discussion at this meeting.
Sincerely,
Chuck Thatcher
Board President
CT/jm
Attachment
11/28/2006