Windstream 2011 Annual Report Download - page 82

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charters for our Audit, Compensation, and Governance Committees. We will provide to any stockholder a copy of the
Governance Board Guidelines and the Committee charters, without charge, upon written request to Investor Relations,
Windstream Corporation, 4001 Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 72212.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
We claim the protection of the safe-harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995 for this annual report on Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties that could cause
actual future events and results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking
statements include, but are not limited to, statements about expected levels of support from universal service funds or other
government programs, expected rates of loss of voice lines or intercarrier compensation, expected increases in high-speed
Internet and business data connections, our expected ability to fund operations, expected required contributions to our pension
plan, capital expenditures and certain debt maturities from cash flows from operations, expected synergies and other benefits
from completed acquisitions, expected effective federal income tax rates and forecasted capital expenditure amounts. These and
other forward-looking statements are based on estimates, projections, beliefs, and assumptions that we believe are reasonable
but are not guarantees of future events and results. Our actual future events and results may differ materially from those
expressed in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of important factors.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in our forward looking statements include,
among others:
• further adverse changes in economic conditions in the markets served by us;
• the extent, timing and overall effects of competition in the communications business;
• the impact of new, emerging or competing technologies;
• the uncertainty regarding the implementation of the Federal Communications Commission's ("FCC") rules on
intercarrier compensation in 2011, and the potential for the adoption of further rules by the FCC or Congress on
intercarrier compensation and/or universal service reform proposals that result in a significant loss of revenue to us;
• the risks associated with the integration of acquired businesses or the ability to realize anticipated synergies, cost
savings and growth opportunities;
• for certain operations where we lease facilities from other carriers, adverse effects on the availability, quality of
service and price of facilities and services provided by other carriers on which our services depend;
• the availability and cost of financing in the corporate debt markets;
• the potential for adverse changes in the ratings given to our debt securities by nationally accredited ratings
organizations;
• the effects of federal and state legislation, and rules and regulations governing the communications industry;
• material changes in the communications industry that could adversely affect vendor relationships with equipment and
network suppliers and customer relationships with wholesale customers;
• unfavorable results of litigation;
• continued access line loss;
• unfavorable rulings by state public service commissions in proceedings regarding universal service funds, inter-carrier
compensation or other matters that could reduce revenues or increase expenses;
• the effects of work stoppages;
• the impact of equipment failure, natural disasters or terrorist acts;
• earnings on pension plan investments significantly below our expected long term rate of return for plan assets or a
significant change in the discount rate;
• and those additional factors under the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this annual report.