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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
Leap Wireless International, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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On March 10, 2011, Leap Wireless International, Inc. issued the following news release:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Leap Investor & Media Relations
Amy Wakeham 858-882-9876
awakeham@leapwireless.com
Sard Verbinnen & Co
Jim Barron 212-687-8080
Paul Kranhold 415-618-8750 |
Leap Issues Statement Regarding Pentwater Capital Intention to
Nominate Directors at Annual Shareholder Meeting
SAN DIEGO March 10, 2011 Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP), a leading provider
of innovative and value-driven wireless communications services, issued the following statement in
response to todays publicly released letter from Pentwater Capital Management, L.L.C., announcing
its intent to nominate three directors for election to Leaps Board of Directors at the Companys
2011 annual meeting of shareholders.
Leap respects the rights of shareholders to nominate director candidates; however, we strongly
disagree with many of the assertions contained in Pentwaters letter. Leap has a highly-qualified
Board that was strengthened in November 2009 with the addition of three new, independent directors
who brought significant additional experience and strong operating and strategic perspectives to
the Board. The Board is committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders.
In August 2010, Leaps Board and management took actions to transform the Companys business
model, including the introduction of all-inclusive service plans, smartphones at affordable prices
and nationwide 3G data coverage. The changes that we introduced have resulted in significant
operating performance improvements, including unprecedented rates of customer migration to new
service plans, reduced churn and higher ARPU.
In the fourth quarter, smartphones and the accompanying $55 rate plan reached approximately 40% of
the Companys sales mix. In addition, customer churn rates fell to the lowest level we have seen
in nearly ten years and ARPU improved significantly. These dramatically improving ARPU and churn
results are continuing into the first quarter, along with strong improvements in
customer activity. We believe that these trends provide significant momentum and that we are very
well positioned to deliver improved financial performance and increased shareholder value.
About Leap
Leap provides innovative, high-value wireless services to a fast-growing, young and ethnically
diverse customer base. With the value of unlimited wireless services as the foundation of its
business, Leap pioneered its Cricket® service. The Company and its joint ventures now
operate in 35 states and the District of Columbia and hold licenses in 35 of the top 50 U.S.
markets. Through its affordable, flat-rate service plans, Cricket offers customers a choice of
unlimited voice, text, high-speed data and mobile Web services. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif.,
Leap is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol LEAP. For more
information, please visit www.leapwireless.com.
Important Information
Leap, its directors and certain of its executive officers and employees will be participants in the
solicitation of proxies in connection with its 2011 annual meeting of stockholders. Important
information concerning the identity and interests of these persons will be available in Leaps
proxy statement for its 2011 annual meeting of stockholders that will be filed on a Schedule 14A
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).
Leaps proxy statement, any other relevant documents and other materials filed with the SEC
concerning Leap will be, when filed, available free of charge at http://www.sec.gov and
http://investor.leapwireless.com. Stockholders should carefully read the proxy statement
and the accompanying proxy card when they become available before making any voting decision.
Information Regarding Participants
Leap, its directors and certain of its executive officers and employees will be participants in the
solicitation of proxies in connection with its 2011 annual meeting of stockholders. The
participants in the solicitation may include the following individuals: John H. Chapple, John D.
Harkey, Jr., Ronald J. Kramer, Robert V. LaPenta, Mark H. Rachesky, M.D., William A. Roper, Jr. and
Michael B. Targoff, all of whom are current directors of Leap, as well as S. Douglas Hutcheson,
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Walter Z. Berger, Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer, Robert J. Irving, Jr., Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and Amy
Wakeham, Investor Relations. Beneficial ownership information included below is determined in
accordance with the rules of the SEC, which includes any shares over which the individual has sole
or shared voting power or investment power and also any shares which the individual has or will
have the right to acquire within 60 days after the date hereof,
through the exercise of any stock option or other right. As of the date hereof, the participants
own an aggregate of 16,673,353 shares of common stock of Leap, consisting of: (i) 16,024 shares
beneficially owned by John H. Chapple, (ii) 52,805 shares beneficially owned by John D. Harkey, Jr.
(including 2,500 shares which may be acquired pursuant to options), (iii) 16,363 shares
beneficially owned by Ronald J. Kramer, (iv) 42,805 shares beneficially owned by Robert V. LaPenta
(including 12,500 shares which may be acquired pursuant to options), (v) 15,593,581 shares
beneficially owned by Mark H. Rachesky, M.D. (including 40,200 shares which may be acquired
pursuant to options), (vi) 16,134 shares beneficially owned by William A. Roper, Jr., (vii) 20,331
shares beneficially owned by Michael B. Targoff (including 4,500 shares which may be acquired
pursuant to options), (viii) 657,558 shares beneficially owned by S. Douglas Hutcheson (including
334,986 shares which may be acquired pursuant to options), (ix) 127,708 shares beneficially owned
by Walter Z. Berger (including 25,000 shares which may be acquired pursuant to options), (x)
127,737 shares beneficially owned by Robert J. Irving, Jr. (including 41,154 shares which may be
acquired pursuant to options) and (xi) 2,307 shares beneficially owned by Amy Wakeham (including
1,267 shares which may be acquired pursuant to options).
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements reflect managements current expectations
based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information, but are subject to
risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those anticipated in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements
include discussions about customer activity and expected financial and operational performance and
are generally identified with words such as believe, expect, intend, plan, will, could,
may and similar expressions. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could affect our
forward-looking statements include, among other things:
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our ability to attract and retain customers in an extremely competitive marketplace; |
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the duration and severity of the current recession in the United States and changes in
economic conditions, including interest rates, consumer credit conditions, consumer debt
levels, consumer confidence, unemployment rates, energy costs and other macro-economic
factors that could adversely affect demand for the services we provide; |
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the impact of competitors initiatives; |
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our ability to successfully implement product and service plan offerings, expand our
retail distribution and execute effectively on our other strategic activities; |
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our ability to obtain and maintain roaming and wholesale services from other carriers
at cost-effective rates; |
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our ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting;
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our ability to attract, motivate and retain an experienced workforce, including members
of senior management; |
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future customer usage of our wireless services, which could exceed our expectations,
and our ability to manage or increase network capacity to meet increasing customer demand; |
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our ability to acquire additional spectrum in the future at a reasonable cost or on a
timely basis; |
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our ability to comply with the covenants in any credit agreement, indenture or similar
instrument governing any of our existing or future indebtedness; |
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our ability to integrate, manage and operate our new joint venture with Pocket
Communications; |
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failure of our network or information technology systems to perform according to
expectations and risks associated with the upgrade or transition of certain of those
systems, including our billing system; and |
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other factors detailed in the section entitled Risk Factors included in our periodic
reports filed with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2010, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2011. |
All forward-looking statements included in this news release should be considered in the context of
these risks. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investors and
prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
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