UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

 

 

|X| QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2006

 

OR

 

o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from to

 

Commission file number 1-8607

 

BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Georgia

58-1533433

 

 

(State of Incorporation)

(I.R.S. Employer

 

 

Identification Number)

 

 

 

1155 Peachtree Street, N. E.,

30309-3610

 

Atlanta, Georgia

(Zip Code)

 

 

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

 

Registrant's telephone number 404-249-2000

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes X No ___

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer

X

Accelerated filer___

Non-accelerated filer___

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ___ No __X_

 

At July 27, 2006, 1,815,793,584 common shares were outstanding.

 

 



 

 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

 

Item

 

Page

 

Part I

 

1.

Financial Statements

 

 

Consolidated Statements of Income

3

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets

4

 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

5

 

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity and Comprehensive Income

6

 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

7

 

 

 

2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

21

 

 

 

3.

Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures about Market Risk

34

 

 

 

4.

Controls and Procedures

34

 

 

 

 

Part II

 

1.

Legal Proceedings

35

 

 

 

1A.

Risk Factors

35

 

 

 

2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

36

 

 

 

4.

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

36

 

 

 

6.

Exhibits

37

 

 

 



 

 

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

For the Three Months

 

For the Six Months

 

 

Ended June 30,

 

Ended June 30,

 

 

2005

 

2006

 

2005

 

2006

 

Operating revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Communications Group

$ 4,598

 

$ 4,647

 

$ 9,191

 

$ 9,300

 

Advertising & Publishing Group

527

 

543

 

1,015

 

1,046

 

All other

17

 

16

 

27

 

31

 

Total operating revenues

5,142

 

5,206

 

10,233

 

10,377

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of services and products (excludes depreciation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and amortization shown separately below)

1,925

 

1,960

 

3,845

 

4,069

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

943

 

970

 

1,837

 

1,901

 

Depreciation and amortization

916

 

898

 

1,834

 

1,791

 

Provisions for restructuring

8

 

73

 

15

 

65

 

Total operating expenses

3,792

 

3,901

 

7,531

 

7,826

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating income

1,350

 

1,305

 

2,702

 

2,551

 

Interest expense

285

 

279

 

576

 

558

 

Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates

68

 

213

 

(12)

 

352

 

Other income (expense), net

56

 

67

 

112

 

122

 

Income from continuing operations before income taxes

1,189

 

1,306

 

2,226

 

2,467

 

Provision for income taxes

394

 

419

 

748

 

796

 

Income from continuing operations

795

 

887

 

1,478

 

1,671

 

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

 

381

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

$ 795

 

$ 887

 

$ 1,859

 

$ 1,671

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

1,831

 

1,806

 

1,831

 

1,802

 

Diluted

1,835

 

1,813

 

1,835

 

1,809

 

Dividends declared per common share

$ 0.29

 

$ 0.29

 

$ 0.56

 

$ 0.58

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic earnings per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income from continuing operations

$ 0.43

 

$ 0.49

 

$ 0.81

 

$ 0.93

 

Discontinued operations, net of tax

 

 

0.21

 

 

Net income

$ 0.43

 

$ 0.49

 

$ 1.02

 

$ 0.93

 

Diluted earnings per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income from continuing operations

$ 0. 43

 

$ 0.49

 

$ 0.81

 

$ 0.92

 

Discontinued operations, net of tax

 

 

0.21

 

 

Net income*

$ 0.43

 

$ 0.49

 

$ 1.01

 

$ 0.92

 

*Net income per share may not sum due to rounding.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 



 

 

BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

 

 

 

December 31,

June 30,

 

2005

2006

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

427

 

$

259

 

Short-term investments

 

 

 

483

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for uncollectibles of $289 and $274

 

2,555

 

 

2,472

 

Material and supplies

 

385

 

 

408

 

Other current assets

 

842

 

 

932

 

Total current assets

 

4,209

 

 

4,554

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments in and advances to Cingular Wireless

 

21,274

 

 

22,108

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

21,723

 

 

21,920

 

Other assets

 

7,814

 

 

8,250

 

Intangible assets, net

 

1,533

 

 

1,606

 

Total assets

$

56,553

 

$

58,438

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debt maturing within one year

$

4,109

 

$

4,325

 

Accounts payable

 

1,040

 

 

911

 

Other current liabilities

 

3,505

 

 

4,131

 

Total current liabilities

 

8,654

 

 

9,367

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt

 

13,079

 

 

13,047

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noncurrent liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred income taxes

 

6,607

 

 

6,713

 

Other noncurrent liabilities

 

4,679

 

 

4,740

 

Total noncurrent liabilities

 

11,286

 

 

11,453

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock, $1 par value (8,650 shares authorized; 1,798 and 1,812 shares outstanding)

 

2,020

 

 

2,020

 

Paid-in capital

 

7,960

 

 

7,919

 

Retained earnings

 

20,383

 

 

20,965

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

 

(14)

 

 

19

 

Shares held in trust and treasury

 

(6,815)

 

 

(6,352)

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

23,534

 

 

24,571

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$

56,553

 

$

58,438

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 



 

 

BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(IN MILLIONS)

(Unaudited)

 

 

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

 

2005

 

 

2006

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

$

1,859

 

$

1,671

Less income from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

(381)

 

 

Income from continuing operations

$

1,478

 

$

1,671

Adjustments to reconcile income to cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

1,834

 

 

1,791

Provision for uncollectibles

 

165

 

 

147

Net losses (earnings) of equity affiliates

 

12

 

 

(352)

Deferred income taxes

 

117

 

 

58

Pension income

 

(266)

 

 

(261)

Stock-based compensation expense

 

48

 

 

32

Loss on extinguishment of debt

 

42

 

 

Net change in:

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable and other current assets

 

(163)

 

 

(155)

Accounts payable and other current liabilities

 

391

 

 

410

Deferred charges and other assets

 

(40)

 

 

3

Other liabilities and deferred credits

 

204

 

 

195

Other reconciling items, net

 

(2)

 

 

23

Net cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations

 

3,820

 

 

3,562

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash Flows from Investing Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Capital expenditures

 

(1,579)

 

 

(2,031)

Investment in short-term instruments

 

(12)

 

 

(1,105)

Proceeds from sale of short-term instruments

 

28

 

 

622

Proceeds from sale of operations

 

930

 

 

Investments in debt and equity securities

 

(103)

 

 

(343)

Proceeds from sale of debt and equity securities

 

14

 

 

135

Net repayments from (advances to) Cingular Wireless

 

787

 

 

(477)

Other investing activities, net

 

(12)

 

 

(22)

Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities from continuing operations

 

53

 

 

(3,221)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash Flows from Financing Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Net borrowings (repayments) of short-term debt

 

(1,630)

 

 

633

Repayments of long-term debt

 

(1,267)

 

 

(429)

Dividends paid

 

(988)

 

 

(1,046)

Purchase of treasury shares

 

(83)

 

 

(52)

Proceeds from issuing common stock

 

38

 

 

380

Other financing activities, net

 

(23)

 

 

5

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities from continuing operations

 

(3,953)

 

 

(509)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents from continuing operations

 

(80)

 

 

(168)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from discontinued operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

10

 

 

Net cash used for investing activities

 

(125)

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents from discontinued operations

 

(115)

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

(195)

 

 

(168)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

680

 

 

427

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$

485

 

$

259

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 



 

 

BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(IN MILLIONS)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Number of Shares

 

Amount

 

 

 

 

Common Stock

(a)

Shares Held in Trust and Treasury

 

 

 

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid-in Capital

 

 

Retained Earnings

Accum. Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(a)

Shares Held in Trust and Treasury

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2004

 

2,020

(189)

 

$ 2,020

$ 7,840

$ 19,267

$ (157)

$ (5,904)

$ 23,066

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,859

 

 

1,859

Other comprehensive income, net of tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

87

 

    87

Total comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,946

Dividends declared

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,024)

 

 

(1,024)

Purchase of treasury stock

 

 

(3)

 

 

 

 

 

(83)

(83)

Share issuances for employee benefit plans

 

 

4

 

 

(55)

(49)

 

142

38

Stock-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

48

 

 

 

48

Tax benefit related to stock options

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

3

Balance at June 30, 2005

 

2,020

(188)

 

$ 2,020

$ 7,836

$ 20,053

$ (70)

$ (5,845)

$ 23,994

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2005

 

2,020

(222)

 

$ 2,020

$ 7,960

$ 20,383

$ (14)

$ (6,815)

$ 23,534

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,671

 

 

1,671

Other comprehensive income, net of tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

33

 

     33

Total comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,704

Dividends declared

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,042)

 

 

(1,042)

Purchase of treasury stock

 

 

(2)

 

 

 

 

 

(52)

(52)

Share issuances for employee benefit plans

 

 

16

 

 

(81)

(47)

 

515

387

Stock-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

32

 

 

 

32

Tax benefit related to stock options

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

8

Balance at June 30, 2006

 

2,020

(208)

 

$ 2,020

$ 7,919

$ 20,965

$ 19

$ (6,352)

$ 24,571

 

 

(a)

Trust and treasury shares are not considered to be outstanding for financial reporting purposes.

 

 

As of June 30,

 

2005

2006

Shares held in trust

26

17

Shares held in treasury

162

  191

Total

188

208

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

NOTE A - PREPARATION OF INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

In this report, BellSouth Corporation and its subsidiaries are referred to as “we”, “the Company”, or “BellSouth.”

 

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared based upon Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules that permit reduced disclosure for interim periods. In our opinion, these statements include all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the interim periods presented. All adjustments are of a normal recurring nature unless otherwise disclosed. Revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities can vary during each quarter of the year. Therefore, the results and trends in these interim financial statements may not be the same as those for the full year. For a more complete discussion of our significant accounting policies and other information, you should read this report in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.

 

Certain amounts within the prior year’s information have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.

 

NOTE B – RECENTLY ISSSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

 

In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Interpretation No. 48, "Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes" (FIN 48). FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in financial statements in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (SFAS) No. 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes." This Interpretation prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute of tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. This Interpretation is effective for BellSouth beginning January 1, 2007. We are currently evaluating the impact FIN 48 will have on our financial statements.

 

NOTE C - EARNINGS PER SHARE

 

Basic earnings per share are computed based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during each year. Nonvested restricted stock carries dividend and voting rights and, in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), is not included in the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding used to compute basic earnings per share. Diluted earnings per share are based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding plus net incremental shares arising out of employee stock compensation and benefit plans. The earnings amounts used for per-share calculations are the same for both the basic and diluted methods. The following is a reconciliation of the weighted-average share amounts (in millions) used in calculating earnings per share:

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

 

2005

2006

Basic common shares outstanding

1,831

1,806

 

1,831

1,802

Incremental shares from stock-based compensation and benefit plans

4

7

 

4

7

Diluted common shares outstanding

1,835

1,813

 

1,835

1,809

Common stock equivalents excluded from the computation

77

57

 

77

58

 

Options with an exercise price greater than the average market price of the common stock or that have an anti-dilutive effect on the computation are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share. Restricted stock or restricted stock units that have an anti-dilutive effect on the computation are also excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share.

 

NOTE D – DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

 

In March 2004, we signed an agreement with Telefónica Móviles, S.A., the wireless affiliate of Telefónica, S.A., to sell all of our interests in Latin America. During 2004, we closed on the sale of 8 of the 10 properties. During January 2005, we closed on the sale of the operations in the remaining two Latin American countries for gross proceeds of $1,077 and a gain of $390, net of tax. The gain includes the recognition of cumulative foreign currency translation losses of $68.

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

NOTE D – DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Continued)

 

Summarized results of operations for the discontinued operations for the six months ended June 30, 2005 are as follows:

 

 

2005

Revenue

$ 66

Operating loss

(5)

Gain on sale of operations

629

Income before income taxes

616

Income tax expense

235

Income from discontinued operations

$ 381

 

NOTE E - MERGER OF BELLSOUTH AND AT&T

 

On March 4, 2006, we agreed to merge with a subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (AT&T) in a transaction in which each share of BellSouth common stock will be exchanged for 1.325 shares of AT&T common stock. The stock consideration in the transaction is expected to be tax-free to our shareholders. Our shareholders approved the merger in July 2006. The acquisition, which is subject to approval by regulatory authorities, and other customary closing conditions, is currently expected to close in the fall of 2006. However, it is possible that factors outside of our control could require us to complete the merger at a later time or not to complete it at all. The terms of certain of our agreements, including contracts, employee benefit arrangements and debt instruments, have provisions which could result in changes to the terms or settlement amounts of these agreements upon a change in control of BellSouth.

 

NOTE F - INVESTMENTS IN AND ADVANCES TO CINGULAR WIRELESS

 

Investment

We own a 40 percent economic interest in Cingular Wireless, a joint venture with AT&T. Because we exercise influence over the financial and operating policies of Cingular Wireless, we use the equity method of accounting for this investment. Under the equity method of accounting, we record our proportionate share of Cingular Wireless' earnings in our consolidated statements of income. These earnings are included in the caption "Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates."

 

The following table displays the summary financial information of Cingular Wireless. These amounts are shown on a 100 percent basis.

 

 

December 31,  

2005

June 30,

2006

Balance Sheet Information:

 

 

Current assets

$ 6,049

$ 6,339

Noncurrent assets

$ 73,270

$ 72,605

Current liabilities

$ 10,008

$ 9,306

Noncurrent liabilities

$ 23,790

$ 23,171

Minority interest

$ 543

$ 595

Members’ capital

$ 44,978

$ 45,872

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

 

2005

2006

Income Statement Information:

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

$ 8,609

$ 9,218

 

$ 16,838

$ 18,198

Operating income

$ 504

$ 1,017

 

$ 618

$ 1,824

Net income (loss)

$ 147

$ 540

 

$ (93)

$ 894

 

As of June 30, 2006, our book investment exceeded our proportionate share of the net assets of Cingular Wireless by $456.

 

Advance

We have an advance to Cingular Wireless that, with interest, totaled $2,622 at December 31, 2005 and June 30, 2006. This advance earns an interest rate of 6.0 percent per annum and matures on June 30, 2008.

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE F - INVESTMENTS IN AND ADVANCES TO CINGULAR WIRELESS (Continued)

 

Revolving Line of Credit

BellSouth and AT&T provide unsubordinated short-term financing on a pro rata basis for Cingular Wireless’ ordinary course of business cash requirements. Under the terms of the line of credit, Cingular Wireless’ available cash (as defined), if any, is applied first to repay amounts loaned to Cingular Wireless under the line of credit. Remaining available cash is applied to the repayment of the advance described above. Borrowings bear interest at 1-Month LIBOR plus 0.05 percent payable monthly. The line of credit terminates on July 31, 2007. Borrowings from BellSouth under the revolving credit line, including interest, were $204 at December 31, 2005 and $681 at June 30, 2006.

 

Provision of Services

We also generate revenues from Cingular Wireless in the ordinary course of business for the provision of local interconnection services, long distance services, sales agency fees and customer billing and collection fees.

 

Interest and Revenue Earned from Cingular Wireless:

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

 

2005

2006

Revenues

$ 160

$ 196

 

$ 334

$ 393

Interest income on advances

$ 57

$ 48

 

$ 116

$ 91

 

Interest income on advances are offset by a like amount of interest expense recorded by Cingular Wireless and reported in our financial statements in the caption “Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates.”

 

Receivables and payables incurred in the ordinary course of business are recorded on our balance sheets as follows:

 

 

December 31, 2005

June 30, 2006

Receivable from Cingular

$ 51

$ 89

Payable to Cingular

$ 54

$ 50

 

NOTE G - DEBT

 

On January 18, 2005, we redeemed $400 of 40-year, 6.75 percent debentures, due October 15, 2033. The redemption price was 103.33 percent of the principal amount, and resulted in recognition of a loss of $22, or $14 net of tax, which includes $9 associated with fully expensing remaining discount and deferred debt issuance costs.

 

On May 18, 2005 we redeemed $300 of 40-year, 7.625 percent debentures, due May 15, 2035. The redemption price was 103.66 percent of the principal amount, and resulted in recognition of a loss of $20, or $12 net of tax, which includes $9 associated with fully expensing remaining discount and deferred debt issuance costs.

 

NOTE H - WORKFORCE REDUCTION AND RESTRUCTURING

 

Based on competitive activity in the telecommunications industry, continued economic pressures, realignment of our business and productivity improvements, we have periodically initiated workforce reductions and recorded charges for early termination benefits.

 

In December 2005, we announced that we would reduce our management workforce by approximately 1,500 employees. The plan included a voluntary program offering a special termination benefit followed by an involuntary program to the extent necessary to achieve the targeted reductions. As a result of the pending merger of BellSouth and AT&T, we modified the terms of the fourth quarter 2005 announced workforce reduction by eliminating the involuntary component that was scheduled to follow the voluntary offer. Accordingly, in the first quarter of 2006 we reversed the minimum liability accrued (except with respect to the 60 employees who had already accepted under that program). Based on the acceptances of the voluntary offer, we accrued $73 for the second quarter of 2006 and $127 for the first half of 2006. Under the modified plan, we reduced our management workforce by approximately 1,350 employees. This reduction program was substantially complete at the end of June 2006.

 

In addition, we recorded restructuring charges totaling $24 for non-management surpluses announced in the first and second quarters of 2006.

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE H - WORKFORCE REDUCTION AND RESTRUCTURING (Continued)

 

The following table summarizes activity associated with the workforce reduction and restructuring liability for the six months ended June 30, 2006:

 

Balance at December 31, 2005

$ 100

Accruals

151

Cash Payments

(132)

Adjustments

(86)

Balance at June 30, 2006

$ 33

 

Adjustments to the employee separations accrual are due to the reversal noted above as well as estimated demographics being different than actual demographics of employees that separated from the Company.

 

NOTE I - EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PLANS

 

Substantially all of our employees are covered by noncontributory defined benefit pension plans. We provide certain medical, dental and life insurance benefits to substantially all retired employees under various plans and accrue actuarially-determined postretirement benefit costs as active employees earn these benefits. Management employees hired after January 1, 2001 are provided access to medical benefits at retirement but are required to pay 100 percent of the cost.

 

The following details pension and postretirement benefit costs included in operating expenses (in cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expenses) in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income. Approximately 10 percent of these costs are capitalized to property, plant and equipment with labor related to network construction. We account for these costs in accordance with SFAS No. 87, "Employers' Accounting for Pensions" and SFAS No. 106, "Employers' Accounting for Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions." Components of net periodic benefit costs were as follows:

 

 

Pension Benefits

 

Other Benefits

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

 

2005

2006

Service cost

$ 51

$ 49

 

$ 30

$ 32

Interest cost

147

149

 

146

146

Expected return on plan assets

(320)

(318)

 

(84)

(87)

Amortizations:

 

 

 

 

 

Unrecognized net obligation

 

18

13

Unrecognized prior service cost

(11)

(11)

 

57

45

Unrecognized (gain) loss

 

25

28

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

$ (133)

$ (131)

 

$ 192

$ 177

 

 

Pension Benefits

 

Other Benefits

 

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

 

2005

2006

Service cost

$ 103

$ 98

 

$ 61

$ 63

Interest cost

294

299

 

292

292

Expected return on plan assets

(642)

(637)

 

(168)

(174)

Amortizations:

 

 

 

 

 

Unrecognized net obligation

 

36

26

Unrecognized prior service cost

(21)

(21)

 

113

90

Unrecognized (gain) loss

 

51

57

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

$ (266)

$ (261)

 

$ 385

$ 354

 

Employer Contributions

Due to the funded status of our pension plans, we do not expect to make contributions to these plans in 2006. Consistent with prior years, we expect to contribute cash to the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association trusts to fund other benefit payments. During the six months ended June 30, 2006, we contributed $179 to fund these other benefits and expect to contribute approximately $150 to $200 during the remainder of 2006.

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE I - EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PLANS (Continued)

 

Cash Balance Pension Plans

In July 2003, a Federal district court in Illinois ruled that the benefit formula used in International Business Machines Corporation's (IBM) cash balance pension plan violated the age discrimination provisions of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Subsequent opinions of several other U.S. district courts have conflicted with that court’s view, while others have agreed. Congress is presently considering legislation that could clarify the legal status of cash balance plans under the applicable age discrimination rules. At this time, it is unclear what effect, if any, these decisions or possible Congressional action may have on our tax-qualified cash balance pension plans or our financial condition.

 

NOTE J - STOCK COMPENSATION PLANS

 

We have granted stock-based compensation awards to key employees under several plans. One share of BellSouth common stock is the underlying security for any award under these plans. Under the stock plan approved by shareholders in 2004, the maximum number of shares available for future grants is limited to 80 million reduced by awards granted and increased by shares tendered in option exercises. In 2003, we used the retroactive restatement method provided by SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation – Transition and Disclosure,” to adopt the expense recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” (SFAS No. 123) by restating all periods beginning on or after January 1, 1995 (the effective date of SFAS No. 123). Effective January 1, 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123 (Revised 2004), “Share-Based Payment,” (SFAS No. 123R) using the modified prospective application of its provisions; therefore, our financial statements for prior periods will not be restated. The cumulative effect of adopting SFAS No. 123R was immaterial. Because we previously adopted the expense recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123, the impact of adopting SFAS No. 123R resulted in essentially three changes: (1) use of an estimated forfeiture rate versus recognition of actual forfeitures as incurred, (2) use of fair value to measure expense for awards classified as liabilities, and (3) use of the alternative transition method to calculate the pool of excess tax benefits available to absorb tax deficiencies in future years, which increased the pool by $130. Effective with the adoption of SFAS No. 123R, we instituted a policy of recognizing expense for awards with graded vesting provisions using the straight-line method of expense attribution.

 

Given trends in long-term compensation awards and market conditions, over the last few years we have moved toward granting a mix of restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance share units in lieu of stock options. The table below summarizes the total compensation cost and the related total tax benefit included in our results of operations for each type of award:

                                                            

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

Compensation cost:

2005

2006

2005

2006

Stock options

$ 9

$ 2

$ 23

$ 7

Restricted stock and restricted stock units

13

13

26

24

Performance share units

14

39

30

76

Total compensation cost

36

54

79

107

Income tax benefit

(13)

(21)

(29)

(41)

Compensation cost net of income tax benefit

$ 23

$ 33

$ 50

$ 66

 

Stock Option Awards

Stock options granted under the plans entitle recipients to purchase shares of BellSouth common stock within prescribed periods at a price either equal to, or in excess of, the fair market value on the date of grant. Options generally become exercisable at the end of three to five years, have a term of ten years, and provide for accelerated vesting if there is a change in control (as defined in the plans). The grant date fair value of each option granted, which is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing formula, is expensed over the vesting period. A summary of option activity under the plans is presented below:

 

 

Number of options

Weighted- average option prices per common share

Weighted- average remaining contractual term in years

Aggregate intrinsic value

Outstanding at December 31, 2005

96,802,789

$36.12

 

 

Granted

 

 

Exercised

(16,325,450)

$24.08

 

 

Forfeited or expired

(1,832,724)

$37.53

 

 

Outstanding at June 30, 2006

78,644,615

$38.57

4.14

$202

Exercisable at June 30, 2006

76,526,278

$38.87

4.07

$185

 

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE J - STOCK COMPENSATION PLANS (Continued)

 

As of June 30, 2006, total compensation cost related to unvested stock options of $3 is expected to be amortized by the end of 2006. Information related to stock option exercises is provided below:

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

2005

2006

Total value received by employees for options exercised

$ 7

$ 47

$ 17

$ 137

Tax benefit realized for options exercised

$ 2

$ 17

$ 6

$ 51

Cash received for options exercised

$ 19

$ 120

$ 38

$ 380

 

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit Awards

Restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards granted to key employees under the plans are settled by issuing shares of common stock at the vesting date. Generally, the restrictions lapse in full on the third anniversary of the grant date, or on a pro rata basis on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date. The vesting of restricted stock and restricted stock units accelerates if there is a change in control (as defined in the plans) and the employee is terminated or resigns for good cause within two years of the change in control. The grant date fair value of the restricted stock and restricted stock units, which is the stock price on the grant date, is expensed over the period during which the restrictions lapse. The shares represented by restricted stock awards (but not restricted stock unit awards) are considered outstanding at the grant date, as the recipients are entitled to dividends and voting rights. A summary of restricted stock and restricted stock unit activity under the plans is presented below:

 

 

Number of shares & units

Weighted-average grant date fair value

Unvested at December 31, 2005

4,270,080

$27.02

Granted

1,601,986

$31.86

Vested

(830,466)

$27.54

Forfeited

(158,123)

$28.55

Unvested at June 30, 2006

4,883,477

$28.47

 

The weighted-average grant date fair value of restricted stock and restricted stock units granted during the three months ended June 30, 2005 and 2006 was $26.47 and $34.13, respectively. The weighted-average grant date fair value of restricted stock and restricted stock units granted during the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2006 was $26.05 and $31.86, respectively. As of June 30, 2006, the total unrecognized compensation cost for unvested restricted stock and restricted stock units of $76 is expected to be amortized over a weighted-average period of approximately 17 months. Information related to shares vested is provided below:

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

2005

2006

Total value received by employees for shares vested

$ 1

$ 5

$ 15

$ 27

Tax benefit realized for shares vested

$ –

$ 1

$ 4

$ 8

 

Performance Share Unit Awards

Performance share units granted to key employees are settled in cash based on an average stock price at the end of the three-year performance period multiplied by the number of units earned. The number of performance share units actually earned by recipients is based on the achievement of certain performance goals as defined by the terms of the awards, and can range from 0% to 150% of the number of units granted. At the end of the performance period, recipients also receive a cash payment equal to the dividends paid on a share of BellSouth stock during the performance period for each performance share unit earned. Vesting accelerates and the performance period is modified if there is a change in control (as defined in the plans). For awards granted prior to 2006, performance share unit expense is generally recognized over the performance period; for awards granted in 2006, performance share unit expense is recognized over the vesting period, which approximates the performance period. Since performance share units are settled in cash, our obligations related to these awards are classified as liabilities. A summary of performance share unit activity under the plans is presented below:

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE J - STOCK COMPENSATION PLANS (Continued)

 

 

Number of units

Unvested at December 31, 2005

5,857,605

Granted

2,254,375

Vested

Forfeited

(79,050)

Unvested at June 30, 2006

8,032,930

 

Effective with the adoption of the provisions of SFAS No. 123R on January 1, 2006, the amount of expense recognized for all unvested performance share units is based on the fair value of the performance shares at each reporting date and, as applicable, the expected outcome of performance conditions. The fair value of each performance share unit is determined at the grant date and at each reporting date using a Monte Carlo simulation model. The simulation model includes ranges of assumptions for stock price volatility, risk-free interest rates, and expected dividends. Expected volatilities for the three unvested awards are estimated based on a blend of historical volatility of our stock and implied volatilities from traded options on our stock and are currently estimated at 19%. The risk-free interest rate for periods within each performance period is based on the US Treasury yield curve in effect at the valuation date and currently ranges from 5.10% to 5.24%. Expected dividends are estimated based on historical patterns of increases.

 

The weighted-average fair value of unvested performance share units as of June 30, 2006 was $40.57, and the total unrecognized compensation cost of $183, based on this value, is expected to be amortized over a weighted-average period of approximately 18 months. Information related to performance share units vested and paid is provided below:

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

2005

2006

Total value received by employees for units vested and paid

$ –

$ –

$ 7

$ 21

Tax benefit realized for units vested and paid

$ –

$ –

$ 2

$ 8

 

NOTE K - SEGMENT INFORMATION

 

We have three reportable operating segments: (1) Communications Group; (2) Wireless; and (3) Advertising & Publishing Group. We own a 40 percent economic interest in Cingular Wireless, and share joint control of the venture with AT&T. We account for the investment under the equity method. For management purposes we evaluate our Wireless segment based on our proportionate share of Cingular Wireless’ results. Accordingly, results for our Wireless segment reflect the proportional consolidation of 40 percent of Cingular Wireless’ results.

 

The Company’s chief decision makers evaluate the performance of each business unit based on segment net income, exclusive of internal charges for use of intellectual property and adjustments for unusual items that may arise. Unusual items are transactions or events that are included in reported consolidated results but are excluded from segment results due to their nonrecurring or nonoperational nature.

 

The following table provides information for each operating segment:

 

 

 

For the Three Months

 

 

For the Six Months

 

 

Ended June 30,

 

 

Ended June 30,

 

 

2005

 

 

2006

 

 

2005

 

 

2006

Communications Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

External revenues

$

4,598

 

$

4,647

 

$

9,191

 

$

9,300

Intersegment revenues

 

27

 

 

26

 

 

52

 

 

52

Total segment revenues

 

4,625

 

 

4,673

 

 

9,243

 

 

9,352

Segment operating income

 

1,090

 

 

1,164

 

 

2,207

 

 

2,269

Segment net income

$

660

 

$

698

 

$

1,324

 

$

1,352

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total segment revenues

$

3,443

 

$

3,687

 

$

6,735

 

$

7,279

Segment operating income

 

462

 

 

606

 

 

746

 

 

1,166

Segment net income

$

168

 

$

276

 

$

235

 

$

519

 

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE K - SEGMENT INFORMATION (Continued)

 

 

 

For the Three Months

 

 

For the Six Months

 

 

Ended June 30,

 

 

Ended June 30,

 

 

2005

 

 

2006

 

 

2005

 

 

2006

Advertising & Publishing Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

External revenues

$

527

 

$

543

 

$

1,015

 

$

1,046

Intersegment revenues

 

4

 

 

4

 

 

7

 

 

7

Total segment revenues

 

531

 

 

547

 

 

1,022

 

 

1,053

Segment operating income

 

245

 

 

252

 

 

476

 

 

478

Segment net income

$

154

 

$

156

 

$

295

 

$

296

 

RECONCILIATION TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

 

 

For the Three Months

 

 

For the Six Months

 

 

Ended June 30,

 

 

Ended June 30,

 

 

2005

 

 

2006

 

 

2005

 

 

2006

Operating revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total reportable segments

$

8,599

 

$

8,907

 

$

17,000

 

$

17,684

Cingular proportional consolidation

 

(3,443)

 

 

(3,687)

 

 

(6,735)

 

 

(7,279)

Corporate, eliminations and other

 

(14)

 

 

(14)

 

 

(32)

 

 

(28)

Total consolidated

$

5,142

 

$

5,206

 

$

10,233

 

$

10,377

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total reportable segments

$

1,797

 

$

2,022

 

$

3,429

 

$

3,913

Cingular proportional consolidation

 

(462)

 

 

(606)

 

 

(746)

 

 

(1,166)

Hurricane Katrina-related expenses, net

 

 

 

(25)

 

 

 

 

(119)

AT&T merger costs

 

 

 

(27)

 

 

 

 

(27)

Severance charges

 

 

 

(73)

 

 

 

 

(73)

Corporate, eliminations and other

 

15

 

 

14

 

 

19

 

 

23

Total consolidated

$

1,350

 

$

1,305

 

$

2,702

 

$

2,551

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total reportable segments

$

982

 

$

1,130

 

$

1,854

 

$

2,167

Wireless merger intangible amortization

 

(91)

 

 

(80)

 

 

(191)

 

 

(165)

Wireless merger integration costs

 

(42)

 

 

(38)

 

 

(63)

 

 

(94)

Hurricane Katrina-related expenses, net

 

 

 

(15)

 

 

 

 

(73)

AT&T merger costs

 

 

 

(17)

 

 

 

 

(17)

Severance charges

 

 

 

(45)

 

 

 

 

(45)

Early extinguishment of debt

 

(12)

 

 

 

 

(26)

 

 

Discontinued operations

 

 

 

 

 

381

 

 

Corporate, eliminations and other

 

(42)

 

 

(48)

 

 

(96)

 

 

(102)

Total consolidated

$

795

 

$

887

 

$

1,859

 

$

1,671

 

NOTE L - OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) is comprised of the following components:

 

 

December 31, 2005

 

June 30, 2006

Cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments

$ (2)

 

$ (2)

Minimum pension liability adjustment

(133)

 

(128)

Net unrealized gains on derivatives

5

 

5

Net unrealized gains on securities

116

 

144

 

$ (14)

 

$ 19

 

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE L - OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Continued)

 

Total comprehensive income details are presented in the table below:

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

 

2005

2006

 

Net Income

$ 795

$ 887

 

$ 1,859

$ 1,671

 

Other comprehensive income, net of tax:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjustments

(3)

 

10

 

Sale of foreign entities

 

68

 

 

(3)

 

78

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minimum pension liability adjustment, net of tax

2

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred gains on derivatives:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred gains

4

 

11

 

Reclassification adjustment for (gains) losses included in net income

 

 

 

4

 

11

 

Unrealized gains (losses) on securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrealized holdings gains (losses)

9

(18)

 

(1)

26

 

Reclassification adjustment for (gains) losses included in net income

3

 

(1)

2

 

 

9

(15)

 

(2)

28

 

Other comprehensive income

10

(13)

 

87

33

 

Total comprehensive income

$ 805

$ 874

 

$ 1,946

$ 1,704

 

 

NOTE M - CONTINGENCIES

 

GUARANTEES

In most of our sale and divestiture transactions, we indemnify the purchaser for various items including labor and general litigation as well as certain tax matters. Generally, the terms last one to five years for general and specific indemnities and for the statutory review periods for tax matters. The events or circumstances that would require us to perform under the indemnity are transaction and circumstance specific. We regularly evaluate the probability of having to incur costs associated with these indemnifications and have accrued for expected losses that are probable. In addition, in the normal course of business, we indemnify counterparties in certain agreements. The nature and terms of these indemnities vary by transaction. Historically, we have not incurred significant costs related to performance under these types of indemnities.

 

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

Regulatory-related claims

In May 2005, we sued AT&T in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for unpaid access charges associated with AT&T’s prepaid calling cards and its “IP in the middle” services that use Internet Protocol technology for internal call processing but use the public switched network to originate and terminate calls. The lawsuit follows two separate rulings by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), one in April 2004 concerning “IP in the middle’’ services and one in February 2005 concerning prepaid card services, that each service was a telecommunications service subject to access charges. AT&T estimated in securities filings that it had “saved’’ $340 in access charges on its prepaid card services and $250 in access charges on its “IP in the middle’’ services. We believe that some of the improperly avoided access charges should have been paid to us for the use of our network. AT&T appealed the FCC’s decision relating to the prepaid card services to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which denied the appeal in July 2006. If the U.S. District Court lawsuit in Georgia progresses, we expect to obtain information from AT&T and other sources that will determine the amount of BellSouth access charges AT&T avoided. In addition, AT&T has asserted certain defenses against BellSouth and has filed the New York lawsuit described below in an effort to reduce any amount it may owe to BellSouth. In April 2006, BellSouth and AT&T agreed to stay the U.S. District Court lawsuit in Georgia until the earlier of 12 months or the consummation or termination of the Merger Agreement between BellSouth and AT&T. At this time, the likely outcome of the case cannot be predicted, nor can a reasonable estimate of the amount of gain, if any, be made. Accordingly, no revenue has been recognized with respect to this matter in our consolidated financial statements.

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE M - CONTINGENCIES (Continued)

 

On November 4, 2005, AT&T sued BellSouth Long Distance, Inc. (BSLD) and Qwest Communications Corporation (Qwest) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. AT&T has asserted claims of breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment against BSLD and related claims against Qwest. AT&T’s claims arise from a contract with BSLD pursuant to which BSLD purchased wholesale long distance minutes that it resold to Qwest. The complaint does not specify the amount of damages sought by AT&T. The parties have agreed to stay the New York lawsuit pending the arbitration of the dispute between AT&T and BSLD. To date, no arbitration has been initiated by AT&T. At this time, the likely outcome of the case cannot be predicted, nor can a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss, if any, be made.

 

In June 2004, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed the District Court’s dismissal of most of the antitrust and state law claims brought by a plaintiff competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) in a case captioned Covad Communications Company, et al v. BellSouth Corporation, et al. The appellate court, however, permitted a price squeeze claim and certain state tort claims to proceed. In November 2005, Covad dismissed with prejudice the civil action and then contemporaneously filed complaints with the public service commissions of Florida and Georgia and filed an informal complaint with the FCC. The commission complaints allege breaches of our interconnection contracts approved by the state commissions, including failure to provide collocation, mishandling of orders, ineffective support systems, and failure to provide unbundled loops. The complaints also allege improper solicitation of Covad customers. These claims are similar to the claims raised in the civil action dismissed by Covad. The complaints seek credits and equitable relief. Covad has asked the state commissions to stay proceedings on its complaints pending resolution of its FCC complaint. At this time, the likely outcome of the case cannot be predicted, nor can a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss, if any, be made.

 

Employment claim

On April 29, 2002, five African-American employees filed a putative class action lawsuit, captioned Gladys Jenkins et al. v. BellSouth Corporation, against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The complaint alleges that BellSouth discriminated against current and former African-American employees with respect to compensation and promotions in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 42 USC Section 1981. Plaintiffs purport to bring the claims on behalf of two classes: a class of all African-American hourly workers employed by BellSouth Telecommunications at any time since April 29, 1998, and a class of all African-American salaried workers employed by BellSouth Telecommunications at any time since April 29, 1998 in management positions at or below Job Grade 59/Level C. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified amounts of back pay, benefits, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as injunctive relief. At this time, the likely outcome of the case cannot be predicted, nor can a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss, if any, be made.

 

Securities and ERISA claims

From August through October 2002, several individual shareholders filed substantially identical class action lawsuits against BellSouth and three of its senior officers alleging violations of the federal securities laws. The cases have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and are captioned In re BellSouth Securities Litigation. Pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the court has appointed a Lead Plaintiff. The Lead Plaintiff filed a Consolidated and Amended Class Action Complaint in July 2003 on behalf of two putative classes: (1) purchasers of BellSouth stock during the period November 7, 2000 through February 19, 2003 (the class period) for alleged violations of Sections 10(b) and 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and (2) participants in BellSouth’s Direct Investment Plan during the class period for alleged violations of Sections 11, 12 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933. Four outside directors were named as additional defendants. The Consolidated and Amended Class Action Complaint alleged that during the class period the Company (1) overstated the unbilled receivables balance of its Advertising & Publishing subsidiary; (2) failed to properly implement Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 101 with regard to its recognition of Advertising & Publishing revenues; (3) improperly billed CLECs to inflate revenues; (4) failed to take a reserve for refunds that ultimately came due following litigation over late payment charges; and (5) failed to properly writedown goodwill of its Latin American operations.

 

On February 8, 2005, the District Court dismissed the Exchange Act claims, except for those relating to the writedown of Latin American goodwill. On that date, the District Court also dismissed the Securities Act claims, except for those relating to the writedown of Latin American goodwill, the allegations relating to unbilled receivables of the Company’s Advertising & Publishing subsidiary, the implementation of SAB 101 regarding recognition of Advertising & Publishing revenues and alleged improper billing of CLECs. The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of damages, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. At this time, the likely outcome of the case cannot be predicted, nor can a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss, if any, be made.

 

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

NOTE M - CONTINGENCIES (Continued)

 

In February 2003, a similar complaint was filed in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia on behalf of participants in BellSouth’s Direct Investment Plan alleging violations of Section 11 of the Securities Act. Defendants removed this action to federal court pursuant to the provisions of the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1998. In July 2003, the federal court issued a ruling that the case should be remanded to Fulton County Superior Court. The Fulton County Superior Court has stayed the case pending resolution of the federal case. The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of damages, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. At this time, the likely outcome of the case cannot be predicted, nor can a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss, if any, be made.

 

In September and October 2002, three substantially identical class action lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against BellSouth, its directors, three of its senior officers, and other individuals, alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The cases have been consolidated and on April 21, 2003, a Consolidated Complaint was filed. The plaintiffs, who sought to represent a putative class of participants and beneficiaries of BellSouth’s 401(k) plans (the Plans), allege in the Consolidated Complaint that the company and the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties in violation of ERISA, by among other things, (1) failing to provide accurate information to the Plans’ participants and beneficiaries; (2) failing to ensure that the Plans’ assets were invested properly; (3) failing to monitor the Plans’ fiduciaries; (4) failing to disregard Plan directives that the defendants knew or should have known were imprudent and (5) failing to avoid conflicts of interest by hiring independent fiduciaries to make investment decisions. In October 2005, plaintiffs’ motion for class certification was denied. The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of damages, injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees and costs. Certain underlying factual allegations regarding BellSouth’s Advertising & Publishing subsidiary and its former Latin American operation are substantially similar to the allegations in the putative securities class action captioned In re BellSouth Securities Litigation, which is described above.

 

Subject to approval of the court, the parties have reached a settlement of the ERISA lawsuits. The settlement is on behalf of the Plans and certain participants who brought claims individually and on behalf of the Plans pursuant to ERISA section 502(a)(2). BellSouth does not expect the settlement to have a material effect on the Company. The principal terms of the settlement increase the minimum levels below which Company matching contributions may not fall for a three-year period. The settlement does not require any other unreimbursed cash payments by the Company.

 

Antitrust claims

In December 2002, a consumer class action alleging antitrust violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act was filed against BellSouth, Verizon, AT&T (formerly known as SBC) and Qwest, captioned William Twombly, et al v. Bell Atlantic Corp., et al, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaint alleged that defendants conspired to restrain competition by agreeing not to compete with one another and to impede competition with others. The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of treble damages and injunctive relief, as well as attorneys’ fees and expenses. In October 2003, the district court dismissed the complaint for failure to state a claim. In October 2005, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the District Court’s decision and remanded the case to the District Court. In June 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the defendants’ petition for writ of certiorari. At this time, the likely outcome of the case cannot be predicted, nor can a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss, if any, be made.

 

Merger-related claims

On March 9, 2006, two putative class action lawsuits, entitled Williams v. BellSouth Corporation, et al., Case No. 2006CV113858 (March 9, 2006) and Jannett v. BellSouth Corporation, et al., Case No. 2006CV113861 (March 9, 2006), were filed against BellSouth and its directors in the Superior Court of Georgia, Fulton County. The complaints, as subsequently amended and consolidated, purported to be brought on behalf of all BellSouth shareholders (excluding defendants and their affiliates). The plaintiffs alleged that BellSouth's directors violated their fiduciary obligations to BellSouth's shareholders in approving the merger agreement, and by failing to provide material information or by providing materially misleading information in connection with the preliminary proxy statement filed by BellSouth and AT&T with the SEC on March 31, 2006. The consolidated complaint sought various forms of relief, including injunctive relief to prevent the completion of the merger, unspecified compensatory damages, and attorneys' fees and expenses. In July 2006, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the suit.

 

Other claims

We are subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of business involving allegations of personal injury, breach of contract, anti-competitive conduct, employment law issues, regulatory matters and other actions. BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. is also subject to claims attributable to pre-divestiture events, including environmental liabilities, rates and contracts. Certain contingent liabilities for pre-divestiture events are shared with AT&T. While complete

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

NOTE M - CONTINGENCIES (Continued)

 

assurance cannot be given as to the outcome of these claims, we believe that any financial impact would not be material to our results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

 

NOTE N - SUBSIDIARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

We have fully and unconditionally guaranteed all of the outstanding debt securities of BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. (BST), which is a 100 percent owned subsidiary of BellSouth. In accordance with SEC rules, we are providing the following condensed consolidating financial information. BST is listed separately because it has debt securities, registered with the SEC, that we have guaranteed. The Other column represents all other wholly owned subsidiaries excluding BST and BST subsidiaries. The Adjustments column includes the necessary amounts to eliminate the intercompany balances and transactions between BST, Other and Parent and to consolidate wholly owned subsidiaries to reconcile to our consolidated financial information.

 

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Income

 

 

For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2005

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjustments

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total operating revenues

 

$

4,212

 

 

$

1,808

 

 

$

 

 

$

(878)

 

 

$

5,142

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

3,778

 

 

 

1,314

 

 

 

(5)

 

 

 

(1,295)

 

 

 

3,792

 

Operating income (loss)

 

 

434

 

 

 

494

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

417

 

 

 

1,350

 

Interest expense

 

 

128

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

221

 

 

 

(71)

 

 

 

285

 

Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates

 

 

287

 

 

 

68

 

 

 

884

 

 

 

(1,171)

 

 

 

68

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

(12)

 

 

 

57

 

 

 

52

 

 

 

(41)

 

 

 

56

 

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

 

 

581

 

 

 

612

 

 

 

720

 

 

 

(724)

 

 

 

1,189

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

 

91

 

 

 

212

 

 

 

(75)

 

 

 

166

 

 

 

394

 

Income (loss) from continuing operations

 

 

490

 

 

 

400

 

 

 

795

 

 

 

(890)

 

 

 

795

 

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

490

 

 

$

400

 

 

$

795

 

 

$

(890)

 

 

$

795

 

 

 

 

For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2006

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjustments

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total operating revenues

 

$

4,206

 

 

$

1,850

 

 

$

 

 

$

(850)

 

 

$

5,206

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

3,800

 

 

 

1,312

 

 

 

28

 

 

 

(1,239)

 

 

 

3,901

 

Operating income (loss)

 

 

406

 

 

 

538

 

 

 

(28)

 

 

 

389

 

 

 

1,305

 

Interest expense

 

 

156

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

231

 

 

 

(115)

 

 

 

279

 

Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates

 

 

279

 

 

 

213

 

 

 

988

 

 

 

(1,267)

 

 

 

213

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

8

 

 

 

46

 

 

 

83

 

 

 

(70)

 

 

 

67

 

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

 

 

537

 

 

 

790

 

 

 

812

 

 

 

(833)

 

 

 

1,306

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

 

76

 

 

 

257

 

 

 

(75)

 

 

 

161

 

 

 

419

 

Income (loss) from continuing operations

 

 

461

 

 

 

533

 

 

 

887

 

 

 

(994)

 

 

 

887

 

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

461

 

 

$

533

 

 

$

887

 

 

$

(994)

 

 

$

887

 

 

 

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2005

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjustments

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total operating revenues

 

$

8,402

 

 

$

3,519

 

 

$

 

 

$

(1,688)

 

 

$

10,233

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

7,478

 

 

 

2,561

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

(2,517)

 

 

 

7,531

 

Operating income (loss)

 

 

924

 

 

 

958

 

 

 

(9)

 

 

 

829

 

 

 

2,702

 

Interest expense

 

 

246

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

446

 

 

 

(123)

 

 

 

576

 

Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates

 

 

563

 

 

 

(10)

 

 

 

1,675

 

 

 

(2,240)

 

 

 

(12)

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

(30)

 

 

 

105

 

 

 

109

 

 

 

(72)

 

 

 

112

 

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

 

 

1,211

 

 

 

1,046

 

 

 

1,329

 

 

 

(1,360)

 

 

 

2,226

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

 

212

 

 

 

360

 

 

 

(149)

 

 

 

325

 

 

 

748

 

Income (loss) from continuing operations

 

 

999

 

 

 

686

 

 

 

1,478

 

 

 

(1,685)

 

 

 

1,478

 

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

 

 

 

 

381

 

 

 

381

 

 

 

(381)

 

 

 

381

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

999

 

 

$

1,067

 

 

$

1,859

 

 

$

(2,066)

 

 

$

1,859

 

 

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE N - SUBSIDIARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Continued)

 

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Income (Continued)

 

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2006

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjustments

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total operating revenues

 

$

8,422

 

 

$

3,746

 

 

$

 

 

$

(1,791)

 

 

$

10,377

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

7,732

 

 

 

2,699

 

 

 

(36)

 

 

 

(2,569)

 

 

 

7,826

 

Operating income (loss)

 

 

690

 

 

 

1,047

 

 

 

36

 

 

 

778

 

 

 

2,551

 

Interest expense

 

 

303

 

 

 

15

 

 

 

464

 

 

 

(224)

 

 

 

558

 

Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates

 

 

550

 

 

 

352

 

 

 

1,820

 

 

 

(2,370)

 

 

 

352

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

10

 

 

 

96

 

 

 

154

 

 

 

(138)

 

 

 

122

 

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

 

 

947

 

 

 

1,480

 

 

 

1,546

 

 

 

(1,506)

 

 

 

2,467

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

 

113

 

 

 

488

 

 

 

(125)

 

 

 

320

 

 

 

796

 

Income (loss) from continuing operations

 

 

834

 

 

 

992

 

 

 

1,671

 

 

 

(1,826)

 

 

 

1,671

 

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

834

 

 

$

992

 

 

$

1,671

 

 

$

(1,826)

 

 

$

1,671

 

 

Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2005

 

June 30, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjust-

ments

 

Total

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjust-

ments

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$         98

 

$       141

 

$       138

 

$          50

 

$       427

 

$ 5

 

$ 92

 

$ 114

 

$ 48

 

$ 259

Short-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

483

 

 

483

Accounts receivable, net

25

 

2,058

 

4,510

 

(4,038)

 

2,555

 

50

 

1,053

 

4,076

 

(2,707)

 

2,472

Other current assets

537

 

531

 

39

 

120

 

1,227

 

591

 

502

 

28

 

219

 

1,340

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current assets

660

 

2,730

 

4,687

 

(3,868)

 

4,209

 

646

 

1,647

 

4,701

 

(2,440)

 

4,554

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments in and advances to Cingular Wireless

 

21,069

 

205

 

 

21,274

 

 

21,427

 

681

 

 

22,108

Property, plant and equipment, net

21,045

 

644

 

3

 

31

 

21,723

 

21,250

 

619

 

2

 

49

 

21,920

Deferred charges and other assets

9,117

 

611

 

34,322

 

(36,236)

 

7,814

 

9,419

 

518

 

35,223

 

(36,910)

 

8,250

Intangible assets, net

1,040

 

400

 

3

 

90

 

1,533

 

1,132

 

388

 

2

 

84

 

1,606

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets

$ 31,862

 

$   25,454

 

$   39,220

 

$    (39,983)

 

$   56,553

 

$ 32,447

 

$ 24,599

 

$ 40,609

 

$ (39,217)

 

$ 58,438

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debt maturing within one year

$ 5,003

 

$       270

 

$     3,985

 

$     (5,149)

 

$     4,109

 

$ 3,707

 

$ 197

 

$ 4,258

 

$ (3,837)

 

$ 4,325

Other current liabilities

3,307

 

1,437

 

1,113

 

(1,312)

 

4,545

 

4,104

 

1,133

 

947

 

(1,142)

 

5,042

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

8,310

 

1,707

 

5,098

 

(6,461)

 

8,654

 

7,811

 

1,330

 

5,205

 

(4,979)

 

9,367

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt

2,931

 

99

 

10,571

 

(522)

 

13,079

 

2,897

 

96

 

10,550

 

(496)

 

13,047

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noncurrent liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred income taxes

5,032

 

1,927

 

(574)

 

222

 

6,607

 

4,895

 

1,948

 

(329)

 

199

 

6,713

Other noncurrent liabilities

3,185

 

757

 

591

 

146

 

4,679

 

3,226

 

709

 

612

 

193

 

4,740

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total noncurrent liabilities

8,217

 

2,684

 

17

 

368

 

11,286

 

8,121

 

2,657

 

283

 

392

 

11,453

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity

12,404

 

20,964

 

23,534

 

(33,368)

 

23,534

 

13,618

 

20,516

 

24,571

 

(34,134)

 

24,571

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$   31,862

 

$   25,454

 

$   39,220

 

$    (39,983)

 

$   56,553

 

$ 32,447

 

$ 24,599

 

$ 40,609

 

$ (39,217)

 

$ 58,438

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS AND AS OTHERWISE INDICATED)

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE N - SUBSIDIARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Continued)

 

Condensed Consolidating Cash Flow Statements

 

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjustments

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from continuing operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from operating activities

 

$

3,945

 

 

$

724

 

 

$

1,423

 

 

$

(2,272)

 

 

$

3,820

 

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

(1,527)

 

 

 

(258)

 

 

 

1,311

 

 

 

527

 

 

 

53

 

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

(2,414)

 

 

 

(657)

 

 

 

(2,676)

 

 

 

1,794

 

 

 

(3,953)

 

Cash flows from discontinued operations

 

 

 

 

 

(115)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(115)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash

 

$

4

 

 

$

(306)

 

 

$

58

 

 

$

49

 

 

$

(195)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjustments

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from continuing operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from operating activities

 

$

3,067

 

 

$

1,168

 

 

$

1,071

 

 

$

(1,744)

 

 

$

3,562

 

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

(2,042)

 

 

 

(54)

 

 

 

(1,014)

 

 

 

(111)

 

 

 

(3,221)

 

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

(1,118)

 

 

 

(1,163)

 

 

 

(81)

 

 

 

1,853

 

 

 

(509)

 

Cash flows from discontinued operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash

 

$

(93)

 

 

$

(49)

 

 

$

(24)

 

 

$

(2)

 

 

$

(168)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Data

 

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2005

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjustments

 

Total

Depreciation and amortization expense

 

$

1,687

 

$

122

 

 

$

1

 

 

$

24

 

 

$

1,834

 

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

1,511

 

$

58

 

 

$

2

 

 

$

8

 

 

$

1,579

 

 

 

 

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2006

 

 

BST

 

Other

 

Parent

 

Adjustments

 

Total

Depreciation and amortization expense

 

$

1,644

 

$

125

 

 

$

1

 

 

$

21

 

 

$

1,791

 

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

1,906

 

$

111

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

14

 

 

$

2,031

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL

CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

For a more complete understanding of our industry, the drivers of our business and our current period results, you should read the following Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in conjunction with our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 and our other filings with the SEC.

 

Overview

We are a Fortune 500 company with annual revenues of over $20 billion. Our core businesses are wireline and wireless communications and our largest customer segment is the retail consumer. We have interests in wireless communications through our ownership of 40 percent of Cingular Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless company based on number of customers and revenue. We also operate one of the largest directory advertising businesses in the United States. The majority of our revenues are generated based on monthly recurring services.

 

We operate much of our wireline business in one of the country’s strongest regional economies, where the population is increasing, real income growth is outpacing the national average and a diverse mix of businesses require advanced information and communication technology solutions. The Southeast is a positive net migration region, with net migration averaging almost 500,000 annually. The region’s real income growth is expected to exceed the national average over the next five years.

 

INDUSTRY DYNAMICS

 

Demand in the traditional voice business has been negatively impacted by the proliferation of wireless services led by one-rate pricing plans that include a large bucket of minutes and free roaming and long-distance, the popularity of e-mail and instant messaging, and technological advances such as broadband. After a period of significant growth in the 1990s, access lines, a key driver of our business, have declined steadily since 2001.

 

While the last mile connectivity to the customer remains essential, the communications industry is transitioning from a network-centric circuit-based infrastructure to an applications-centric IP infrastructure, which could create uncertainty around traditional business models. Further, industry consolidation, such as the recent combinations of SBC and AT&T, Verizon and MCI, and Sprint and Nextel, and the pending merger of BellSouth and AT&T, are creating large competitors with global reach and economies of scale.

 

Based on comparisons to penetration rates in other parts of the world, there is still significant growth potential in the wireless market in the United States. There are currently four national wireless companies engaging in aggressive competition in a growing market. The intense competition has driven down pricing, increased costs due to customer churn and increased wireless usage as companies attempt to differentiate their service plans. Meanwhile, significant capital is being invested in networks to meet increasing demand and to upgrade capabilities in anticipation of the development of new data applications.

 

REGULATION AND COMPETITION

Our core businesses are subject to regulation, and all of our businesses are subject to vigorous competition.

 

Changes to federal law in the early 1990s generally preempted states from regulating the market entry or rates of a wireless carrier, while allowing states to regulate other terms and conditions of wireless service. Wireless carriers are also subject to regulation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which allocates the spectrum used by wireless carriers, and adopts and enforces other policies relating to wireless services.

 

Our wireline business is subject to dual state and federal regulation. The FCC has historically engaged in heavy regulation of our interstate services. In recent years, it has granted increasing pricing flexibility for our interstate telecommunications services because of the additional competition to which those services are subject, though nearly all of the services remain subject to tariffing requirements. Separately, in response to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC initially required us to share our network extensively with local service competitors, and prescribed a pricing policy (TELRIC) that has not permitted fair cost recovery. These sharing (unbundling) rules were invalidated by the courts on three separate occasions, but not before the invalid policies had been generally implemented in our contracts with competitors. In February 2005, the FCC issued rules that cut back significantly on some of the anticompetitive sharing requirements. The new rules essentially eliminated the unbundled network platform, or UNE-P, a combination of unbundled elements that replicate local service at unfairly low prices.

 

During 2005 and early 2006, we transitioned most former UNE-P customers to a similar platform service at commercially negotiated terms and prices. Our completion of the FCC-ordered phase out is being litigated before certain state commissions.

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

 

The FCC provided additional relief when it released new broadband rules effective in November 2005 that responded to a U.S. Supreme Court decision. The new rules are designed to provide our high speed Internet access services with regulation equivalent to that of our competition, particularly cable modem providers. The new rules are scheduled to be fully phased in by the third quarter of 2006, although the FCC reserved the right to extend the transition.

 

The states in our region continue to exert economic regulation over much of the revenue generated by our traditional narrowband wireline telecommunications services, though that regulation has been lessening. During the past two years, state legislatures and state regulatory commissions have taken action that moved regulation toward equivalence with our telecommunications competitors by prohibiting state regulation of broadband services, rebalancing rates, and reducing regulation of service bundles.

 

Despite these successes, our wireline business remains more regulated than competing businesses that use cable, wireless or non-facilities based technologies. While we welcome the reforms, the transition of our wireline business regulation from the comprehensive, utility-like regulation of previous years to standard business regulation is not complete, and adjusting to each individual change requires significant management attention. We will accordingly continue to encourage regulatory reform in every appropriate forum.

 

Competition in the yellow pages industry continues to intensify. Major markets are seeing multiple competitors, with many different media competing for advertising revenue. We continue to respond to the increasing competition and the dynamic media environment with investments in product enhancements, multiple delivery options, local promotions, customer value plans, increased advertising and sales execution.

 

MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS

 

On March 4, 2006, we agreed to merge with a subsidiary of AT&T. In the merger, shareholders of BellSouth will receive 1.325 shares of AT&T common stock for each share of BellSouth common stock. The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors and shareholders of each company. The transaction is subject to review by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and approval by the FCC and various other regulatory authorities. We currently expect the transaction to close in the fall of 2006. We expect the combined company to be a more effective and efficient provider in the wireless, broadband, video, voice and data markets. It will also put control of Cingular Wireless in one company.

 

We have completed the exit of our international operations and increased our investment in the wireless market through Cingular Wireless’ acquisition of AT&T Wireless. The addition of AT&T Wireless filled in Cingular Wireless’ national coverage footprint, added depth to its licensed spectrum position, and added size and scale to compete more effectively. Cingular Wireless’ new advertising campaigns combined with improvements in customer service and network coverage are driving customer loyalty and growth. Customer churn has reduced appreciably, integration efforts are well underway and cost synergies are contributing to margin expansion. This acquisition substantially increases BellSouth’s participation in the wireless industry, bringing wireless to over 40 percent of our proportional revenues including Cingular Wireless. As Cingular completes its integration of AT&T Wireless and executes its strategy, we expect its contribution to BellSouth’s earnings to increase.

 

HIGHLIGHTS AND OUTLOOK

 

Consolidated revenues, which do not include our share of Cingular, increased 1.2 percent in the second quarter of 2006 and 1.4 percent year-to-date compared to the same periods of 2005, attributable to growth in both the Communications Group and Advertising & Publishing Group. Revenue growth driven by DSL, long distance and wholesale wireless transport services, as well as by electronic media and print services, effectively offset revenue declines from retail residence and wholesale voice access line losses. We added 128,000 net DSL customers and 120,000 long distance customers during the second quarter of 2006. We served nearly 3.3 million total DSL customers and approximately 7.5 million long distance customers at June 30, 2006. At June 30, 2006 we had more than 5 million residential packages with 86 percent of packages including long distance and 49 percent having either FastAccess DSL or BellSouth dial-up Internet.

 

Seasonal loss patterns, technology substitution and competition from cable telephony providers continued to drive access line losses in the second quarter of 2006. Total retail access lines were down 279,000, which included 251,000 of lines losses in consumer and positive retail small business line growth of 25,000 offset by a 48,000 decline in retail large business. Wholesale access lines declined 181,000 compared to March 31, 2006 influenced by the change in regulatory position towards UNE-P.

 

Our cost structure is heavily weighted towards labor and fixed asset related costs. We have adjusted our workforce due to shifts in market share of access lines. Since the beginning of 2001, we have reduced our domestic workforce by slightly more than 19,000 employees, or 24 percent. Excluding the impacts of hurricanes, our year-to-date wireline operating margins have improved year-over-year. Sustaining our margins will require continued market penetration of new services and improvements in productivity to manage our costs as competition and technology substitution intensifies.

 

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

Operating cash flow from continuing operations of $3,562 for the first half of 2006 was $258 lower than the same period in 2005. Capital expenditures were $2,031 for the first half of 2006 and $1,579 for the first half of 2005. The increase in capital expenditures compared to the prior period relates primarily to increased spending for broadband investments in infrastructure and systems and expenditures of approximately $265 for Hurricane Katrina restoration efforts in the first half of 2006. Operating cash flows in the second half of 2006 will be negatively impacted by higher federal income tax payments.

 

Cingular Wireless

 

Cingular Wireless added nearly 1.5 million net customers in the second quarter of 2006, bringing its nationwide customer base to 57.3 million customers. Customer churn of 1.7 percent in the second quarter of 2006 decreased 50 basis points compared to the same period in the prior year. Year-over-year revenue growth exceeded 7 percent driven by subscriber growth partially offset by a decline in average revenue per user (ARPU). Operating margin has been improving due to revenue growth and operating efficiencies from integration synergies and rationalization efforts, reduced network costs related to the T-Mobile joint venture unwind, and declining customer list amortization.

 

Consolidated Results of Operations

 

Key financial and operating data for BellSouth Corporation for the three and six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2006 are set forth below. All references to earnings per share are on a diluted basis. The discussion of consolidated results should be read in conjunction with the discussion of results by segment directly following this section.

 

Following Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), we use the equity method of accounting for our investment in Cingular Wireless. We record and present our proportionate share of Cingular Wireless’ earnings as net earnings of equity affiliates in our consolidated income statements. Additionally, our financial statements reflect results for our former Latin American operations and other associated activities as Discontinued Operations.

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

 

Percent

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

Percent

 

2005

2006

Change

2005

2006

Change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating revenues

$ 5,142

$ 5,206

1.2%

$ 10,233

$ 10,377

1.4%

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of services and products

1,925

1,960

1.8%

3,845

4,069

5.8%

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

943

970

2.9%

1,837

1,901

3.5%

Depreciation and amortization

916

898

-2.0%

1,834

1,791

-2.3%

Provisions for restructuring

          8

        73

*

        15

        65

*

Total operating expenses

3,792

3,901

2.9%

7,531

7,826

3.9%

Operating income

1,350

1,305

-3.3%

2,702

2,551

-5.6%

Interest expense

285

279

-2.1%

576

558

-3.1%

Net (losses) earnings of equity affiliates

68

213

*

(12)

352

*

Other income (expense), net

       56

       67

19.6%

      112

      122

8.9%

Income from continuing operations before income taxes

1,189

1,306

9.8%

2,226

2,467

10.8%

Provision for income taxes

     394

     419

6.3%

     748

      796

6.4%

Income from continuing operations

795

887

11.6%

1,478

1,671

13.1%

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax

381

*

Net income

$ 795

$ 887

11.6%

$ 1,859

$ 1,671

-10.1%

* Not meaningful.

 

Operating revenues

 

Consolidated operating revenues increased $64 in the second quarter of 2006 and $144 year-to-date compared to the same periods in 2005 reflecting growth in DSL, long distance, wholesale wireless transport services and electronic media and print services. These increases were partially offset by the impact of revenue declines associated with retail residence and wholesale voice access line losses due to competition and technology substitution. Combined revenues from DSL and long distance increased $178 in the second quarter and $328 year-to-date compared to the same periods last year. Electronic media and print revenues grew $16 in the second quarter of 2006 and $31 year-to-date compared to the same periods last year. Other voice and access line-related revenues declined $135 in the second quarter of 2006 and $228 year-to-date compared to the same periods in 2005.

 

Revenue trends are discussed in more detail in the Communications Group and Advertising & Publishing Group segment results sections.

 

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

Operating expenses

 

Total operating expenses increased $109 in the second quarter of 2006 and $295 year-to-date compared to the same periods of the prior year. Expenses were impacted by $65 of incremental severance-related costs in the second quarter of 2006, $50 year-to-date, associated with recently completed voluntary management workforce reductions as well as $27 of costs directly associated with the pending merger with AT&T. Additionally, $25 of incremental service restoration and network repair costs were incurred in the second quarter of 2006, $198 year-to-date, from weather-related damage. These weather-related costs are net of $20 in insurance recoveries for the second quarter of 2006, $40 year-to-date, as well as a $13 adjustment to the reserve for Hurricane Katrina-related uncollectibles. Business expansion costs at the Advertising & Publishing Group and incremental uncollectibles drove $9 of higher expenses in the second quarter of 2006 and $29 year-to-date compared to the same periods of 2005. The year-over-year operating expense comparison benefited from $18 lower depreciation and amortization in the second quarter of 2006 and $43 year-to-date associated with reduced depreciation rates.

 

Operating expense trends are discussed in more detail in the Communications Group and Advertising & Publishing Group segment results sections.

 

Interest expense

 

 

For the Three Months Ended June 30,

 

For the Six months Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

Change

2005

2006

Change

Interest expense – debt

$     260

$ 258

$ (2)

$ 523

$ 510

$ (13)

Interest expense – other

25

21

(4)

53

48

(5)

Total interest

$     285

$ 279

$ (6)

$ 576

$ 558

$ (18)

Average debt balances

$18,405

$17,521

$(884)

$19,039

$17,432

$(1,607)

Effective rate

5.7%

5.9%

20 bps

5.5%

5.9%

40 bps

                

Interest expense associated with interest-bearing debt was lower in the second quarter and year-to-date periods of 2006 compared to the same periods of the prior year. This was primarily the result of lower average debt balances, substantially offset by higher interest rates on variable rate debt. The higher average debt balances in 2005 were due to the incremental borrowings in late 2004 associated with our equity contributions to Cingular to fund its acquisition of AT&T Wireless.

 

Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates

 

 

For the Three Months Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30,

 

2005

2006

Change

2005

2006

Change

Cingular

$ 58

$ 215

$ 157

$ (36)

$ 357

$ 393

Other equity investees

10

(2)

(12)

24

(5)

(29)

Total

$ 68

$ 213

$ 145

$ (12)

$ 352

$ 364

 

The increase in earnings from Cingular Wireless in 2006 was attributable to growth in the customer base and merger synergies associated with its increased scale and integration of the former AT&T Wireless operations. See the Wireless segment results section for a further discussion of operational drivers. The decline in earnings from other equity investees is due to the sale of our interest in Cellcom in the third quarter of 2005.

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

For the Three Months Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

2005

2006

Change

2005

2006

Change

Interest income

$ 6

$ 10

$ 4

$ 10

$ 15

$ 5

Interest on advances to Cingular

57

48

(9)

116

91

(25)

Loss on early extinguishment of debt

(20)

20

(42)

42

Other, net

13

9

(4)

28

16

(12)

Total other income (expense), net

$ 56

$ 67

$ 11

$ 112

$ 122

$ 10

 

The decline in interest on advances to Cingular was attributable to principal repayments, partially offset by rate increases. Interest income on advances to Cingular is offset by a like amount of interest expense recorded by Cingular and reported in our financial statements in the caption “Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates.”

 

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

Provision for income taxes

 

 

For the Three Months Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

2005

2006

Change

2005

2006

Change

Provision for income taxes

$ 394

$ 419

$ 25

$ 748

$ 796

$ 48

Effective tax rate

33.1%

32.1%

(100 bps)

33.6%

32.3%

(130 bps)

 

The lower effective rate in both periods of 2006 reflects year-over-year increases in tax benefits associated with the dividends received deduction for our investment in Cingular, the release of a valuation allowance against state net operating losses, the Medicare Part D subsidy, and a tax benefit for production activities conducted within the U.S. Current year increases in these benefits were partially offset by the tax impacts of a state law change enacted during the second quarter of 2006.

 

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

In the first quarter of 2005, we sold the final two of the ten Latin American properties, which resulted in a $390 gain, net of tax.

 

Results by Segment

 

Our reportable segments reflect strategic business units that offer similar products and services and/or serve similar customers. We have three reportable operating segments:

 

Communications Group;

Wireless; and

Advertising & Publishing Group.

 

The Company’s chief decision makers evaluate the performance of each business unit based on net income, exclusive of internal charges for use of intellectual property and adjustments for unusual items that may arise. Unusual items are transactions or events that are included in reported consolidated results but are excluded from segment results due to their nonrecurring or nonoperational nature. Such items are listed in the table of summary results for each segment. In addition, when changes in our business affect the comparability of current versus historical results, we adjust historical operating information to reflect the current business structure. See Note K to our consolidated financial statements for a reconciliation of segment results to the consolidated financial information.

 

The following discussion highlights our performance in the context of these segments. For a more complete understanding of our industry, the drivers of our business, and our current period results, you should read this discussion in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, including the related notes.

 

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

Communications Group

 

The Communications Group is our core domestic business and it includes all domestic wireline voice, data, broadband, long distance, Internet services and advanced voice features. The Communications Group provides these services to an array of customers, including residential, business and wholesale.

 

BellSouth continues to focus its marketing on long distance and BellSouth® FastAccess® DSL, encouraging customers to purchase packages containing multiple telecommunications services. We also continue to experience access line market share loss due to competition and technology substitution, and we expect these overall trends to continue throughout 2006.

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

Percent

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

Percent

 

2005

2006

Change

2005

2006

Change

Segment operating revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voice

$ 3,155

$ 3,102

-1.7%

$ 6,309

$ 6,231

-1.2%

Data

1,165

1,282

10.0%

2,325

2,546

9.5%

Other

    305

    289

-5.2%

    609

    575

-5.6%

Total segment operating revenues

4,625

4,673

1.0%

9,243

9,352

1.2%

Segment operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of services and products

1,850

1,848

-0.1%

3,703

3,794

2.5%

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

775

771

-0.5%

1,513

1,513

0.0%

Depreciation and amortization

    910

    890

-2.2%

  1,820

  1,776

-2.4%

Total segment operating expenses

3,535

3,509

-0.7%

7,036

7,083

0.7%

Segment operating income

1,090

1,164

6.8%

2,207

2,269

2.8%

Segment net income

$ 660

$ 698

5.8%

$ 1,324

$ 1,352

2.1%

Unusual items excluded from segment net income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurricane Katrina-related expenses

(16)

*

(74)

*

Severance charges

(45)

*

(45)

*

AT&T merger costs

(17)

*

(17)

*

Early extinguishment of debt costs

(12)

*

(26)

*

Segment net income including unusual items

$ 648

$ 620

-4.3%

$ 1,298

$ 1,216

-6.3%

 

Key Indicators (000s except where noted)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switched access lines (1):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Residence retail:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary

 

 

 

11,595

11,022

-4.9%

Additional

 

 

 

1,257

1,089

-13.4%

Total retail residence

 

 

 

12,852

12,111

-5.8%

Residential wholesale voice lines

 

 

 

1,840

1,251

-32.0%

Total residence

 

 

 

14,692

13,362

-9.1%

Business retail

 

 

 

5,254

5,301

0.9%

Business wholesale voice lines

 

 

 

758

590

-22.2%

Total business

 

 

 

6,012

5,891

-2.0%

Other retail/wholesale lines (primarily payphones)

 

 

96

86

-10.4%

Total Switched access lines

 

 

 

20,800

19,339

-7.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSL customers (retail and wholesale)

 

 

 

2,473

3,273

32.3%

Retail long distance customers

 

 

 

6,771

7,478

10.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switched access and local minutes of use (millions)

15,638

14,954

-4.4%

31,768

30,278

-4.7%

Retail long distance minutes of use (millions)

6,301

6,548

3.9%

12,312

13,174

7.0%

Total access minutes of use (millions)

21,939

21,502

-2.0%

44,080

43,452

-1.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital expenditures

$ 826

$ 946

14.5%

$ 1,568

$ 2,018

28.7%

* Not meaningful.

 

(1)

Prior period operating data are often revised at later dates to reflect updated information. The above information reflects the latest data available for the periods indicated.

 

 

 

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

Segment operating revenues

 

In the second quarter of 2006, growth in consumer long distance and DSL revenue was partially offset by retail residential access line losses, resulting in a 2.5 percent year-over-year increase in consumer revenue. Revenue for our small business unit increased 9.8 percent in the second quarter of 2006 when compared to the same period in 2005. We continue to reacquire and retain customers with competitively priced term agreements while also increasing customer ARPU with FastAccess DSL and long distance packages. Revenue for our large business segment was essentially flat in the second quarter of 2006 compared to the same period last year. We experienced revenue growth in emerging data products and long distance offsetting declines in core voice and data products. Pricing pressures and, to a lesser extent, volume pressure contributed to the decline in the core product groups. Wholesale revenue decreased 5.0 percent in the second quarter of 2006 compared to the same period in the prior year as a lower UNE-P access line base led to revenue erosion. These negative trends were somewhat offset by growth in wireless transport.

 

Voice

Voice revenues decreased $53 in the second quarter of 2006 and $78 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005. Access line-related revenues declined $94 in the second quarter of 2006 and $172 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005 due to total switched access line losses of 1,461,000, or 7.0 percent. The access line decline was the result of continued share loss, wireless and broadband technology substitution and, to a lesser extent, losses to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers. Wholesale lines totaled almost 1.9 million at June 30, 2006, down 760,000 year over year. Wholesale lines consist primarily of both the grandfathered service provided under invalidated FCC rules (UNE-P) and successor service provided under commercial contracts at negotiated rates. Commercial contracts covered predominately all of the wholesale lines at June 30, 2006.

 

In efforts to combat share loss, we continue to further penetrate our customer base with package services. At the end of the second quarter of 2006, we had more than 5 million residential packages, representing a nearly 46 percent penetration of our retail primary line residence base. As of June 30, 2006, 86 percent of our package customers had long distance in their package and 49 percent had either FastAccess DSL or BellSouth dial-up Internet.

 

Long distance voice revenue increased $82 in the second quarter of 2006 and $150 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005, driven primarily by growth in interLATA retail revenues and wholesale long distance services sold to Cingular. InterLATA retail revenues increased $57 in the second quarter and $109 year-to-date reflecting continued market share gains driven by marketing efforts and the BellSouth Unlimited Long Distance Plans. At June 30, 2006, we had nearly 7.5 million retail long distance customers and a mass-market penetration rate of over 61 percent of our retail customer base.

 

Switched access revenues decreased $20 in the second quarter of 2006 and $30 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005. Declines in volumes were offset by intrastate usage. Our entry into interLATA long distance shifted switched access minutes from other carriers to our service, resulting in a transfer from wholesale switched access revenues to retail long distance revenue. Excluding our retail long distance traffic, switched access and local minutes of use decreased 4.4 percent in the second quarter when compared to the same period in 2005. The decrease is due to access line losses and alternative communications services, primarily wireless and e-mail.

 

Data

Data revenues increased $117 in the second quarter of 2006 and $221 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005. Data revenues were driven primarily by strong growth from the sale of BellSouth® FastAccess® DSL service. Combined wholesale and retail DSL revenues of $400 in the quarter and $782 year-to-date were up $113 and $202, respectively, when compared to the same period in 2005 due primarily to a larger customer base partially offset by lower ARPU. As of June 30, 2006, we had nearly 3.3 million DSL customers, an increase of 800,000 customers compared to June 30, 2005. DSL net subscriber additions were 128,000 in the second quarter of 2006. More than 25 percent of BellSouth’s broadband customers subscribe to the Company’s premium service offerings -- FastAccess DSL Xtreme and FastAccess DSL Xtreme 6.0.

 

Revenue from other retail data products increased $12 in the second quarter of 2006 and $27 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005. Revenue from our long distance offerings in complex business and emerging data services, particularly BellSouth Metro Ethernet Service and BellSouth Virtual Private Network, were the primary drivers. While pricing pressures continue to impact legacy products, the rate of price declines is moderating.

 

Revenue from the sale of wholesale data transport services, including long distance companies and competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC), declined $10 in the second quarter of 2006 and $9 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005. Data transport sold to inter-exchange carriers declined as they continue to reduce their network costs in response to declining volumes. In addition, dial-up Internet Service Provider (ISP) traffic revenue declined as volumes declined. These declines were offset by revenue growth in transport sold to wireless carriers as wireless subscribers and volumes continue to expand.

 

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

Other

Other revenues decreased $16 in the second quarter of 2006 and $34 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005 reflecting wholesale long distance volume declines.

 

Segment operating expenses

 

Cost of services and products

Cost of services and products decreased $2 in the second quarter of 2006 and increased $91 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005. The second quarter decrease includes a $19 decrease in fees related to penalties associated with CLEC parity requirements and contributions to the Universal Service Fund (USF) and a decrease of $14 in labor costs. These decreases were offset by increases of $16 in contract services predominately related to network repairs associated with damage caused by Hurricane Wilma which struck southern Florida in late October 2005, and $15 in materials and supplies related to increased fuel costs and DSL modems.

 

The year-to-date increase reflects a $106 increase in contract services predominately related to network repairs associated with damage caused by Hurricane Wilma, $26 in materials and supplies related to increased fuel costs and DSL modems, and $19 in cost of goods sold driven by higher volumes in long distance service. These increases were partially offset by a $46 reduction in penalties associated with CLEC parity requirements, USF contributions and access fees.

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

Selling, general, and administrative expenses decreased $4 in the second quarter of 2006 and remained flat year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005. The second quarter decrease reflects a $12 decrease in uncollectibles and a $12 decrease in right-to-use fees partially offset by a $10 increase in sales commissions due to increased volumes.

 

The year-to-date expenses remained flat as increases in contract services, advertising and sales commissions were offset by decreases in labor, uncollectibles and fees.

 

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense decreased $20 during the second quarter of 2006 and $44 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005 reflecting reduced depreciation rates under the group life method of depreciation partially offset by depreciation expense on new capital expenditures in the previous 12 months.

 

Wireless

 

We own a 40 percent economic interest in Cingular Wireless, a joint venture with AT&T. Because we exercise influence over the financial and operating policies of Cingular Wireless, we use the equity method of accounting for this investment. Under the equity method of accounting, we record our proportionate share of Cingular Wireless' earnings in our consolidated statements of income. These earnings are included in the caption "Net earnings (losses) of equity affiliates." For management purposes, we evaluate our Wireless segment based on our proportionate share of Cingular Wireless’ results. Accordingly, results for our Wireless segment reflect the proportional consolidation of 40 percent of Cingular Wireless’ financial results.

 

The wireless industry continued its strong growth trajectory seen in 2005 during the first half of 2006. Despite industry consolidation, competition continues to be intense among the current four national competitors, their affiliates and the smaller regional carriers. Cingular Wireless’ ARPU declined 3.3 percent in the second quarter of 2006 and 2.8 percent year-to-date from the corresponding prior year periods driven primarily by lower voice ARPU partially offset by increased data ARPU. Data revenue continues to play an increasingly important role in revenue composition, rising from 8.2 percent of ARPU during the second quarter of 2005 to 11.8 percent of ARPU in the second quarter of 2006.

 

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

Percent

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

Percent

 

2005

2006

Change

2005

2006

Change

Segment operating revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service revenues

$ 3,087

$ 3,318

7.5%

$ 6,055

$ 6,520

7.7%

Equipment revenues

     356

     369

3.7%

     680

    759

11.6%

Total segment operating revenues

3,443

3,687

7.1%

6,735

7,279

8.1%

Segment operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of services and products

1,401

1,511

7.9%

2,776

2,963

6.7%

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

1,151

1,097

-4.7%

2,310

2,216

-4.1%

Depreciation and amortization

    429

    473

10.3%

    903

    934

3.4%

Total segment operating expenses

2,981

3,081

3.4%

5,989

6,113

2.1%

Segment operating income

462

606

31.2%

746

1,166

56.3%

Segment net income

$ 168

$ 276

64.3%

$ 235

$ 519

120.9%

Unusual items excluded from segment net income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merger integration costs

(42)

(38)

*

(63)

(94)

*

Wireless merger intangible amortization

(91)

(80)

*

(191)

(165)

*

Segment net income including unusual items

$ 35

$ 158

*

$ (19)

$ 260

*

 

Key Indicators (100% Cingular):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cellular/PCS Customers (000s)

 

 

 

51,442

57,308

11.4%

Wireless service average monthly revenue per customer – Cellular/PCS

$ 50.51

$ 48.84

-3.3%

$ 50.06

$ 48.66

-2.8%

Capital Expenditures

$ 2,188

$1,582

-27.7%

$ 3,159

$3,023

-4.3%

* Not meaningful

 

Segment operating revenues

 

Cingular Wireless had net additions of 1.5 million during the second quarter of 2006, up from 1.0 million during the second quarter of 2005 and 3.2 million net additions year-to-date up from 2.3 million in the corresponding prior year period. This resulted in 57.3 million cellular/PCS customers on June 30, 2006. Gross customer additions during the second quarter of 2006 totaled 4.4 million and totaled 9.2 million year-to-date, up slightly from the same periods a year ago. The slight increase in gross customer additions was primarily driven by new prepaid offerings launched in mid-2005 and strong reseller gross additions, partially offset by decreased postpaid additions due to planned distribution rationalization such as the reduction of retail stores and agents.

 

The cellular/PCS churn rate was 1.7 percent for the second quarter of 2006 and 1.8 percent year-to-date, down from 2.2 percent in both corresponding prior year periods. Postpaid churn for both the second quarter of 2006 and year-to-date was 1.5 percent, down from 1.8 percent and 1.9 percent in the corresponding prior year periods. The decline in cellular/PCS churn was driven by a 12.7 percent reduction in disconnects in the second quarter of 2006 and a 10.1 percent reduction in disconnects year-to-date in comparison to the same periods of 2005, which Cingular believes is attributed primarily to better network quality and coverage.

 

Cellular/PCS ARPU declined 3.3 percent to $48.84 in the second quarter and 2.8 percent to $48.66 year-to-date, down from $50.51 and $50.06 in the corresponding prior year periods. This decline was driven by adding a disproportionately higher percentage of lower-ARPU prepaid and reseller customers than postpaid customers over the past three quarters, an increase in the number of customers on plans allowing free mobile-to-mobile calling, and a higher percentage of customers on lower access revenue FAMILYTALK® plans. These factors were partially offset by incremental revenue drivers related to data products such as ring tones and messaging.

 

Segment operating revenues, consisting of service revenue and equipment sales, increased $244 in the second quarter of 2006 and $544 year-to-date when compared with the same periods of 2005. The growth in service revenue of $231 during the second quarter of 2006 and $465 year-to-date was primarily due to the increases in local service voice and data revenues partially offset by decreases to roaming and other revenue. The local service voice component of total service revenues includes recurring monthly access charges, airtime usage, including prepaid service, and charges for optional features and services, such as voice mail, mobile-to-mobile calling, roadside assistance, caller ID and handset insurance. It also includes billings to Cingular Wireless’ customers for the USF and other regulatory fees and taxes. The key driver of the $118 increase in local service voice revenues in the second quarter of 2006, $254 year-to-date, was an increase of 11.3 percent for the second quarter of 2006 and 10.9 percent year-to-date in the average number of cellular/PCS subscribers. This volume-based increase was partially offset by the incremental impact of a disproportionate amount of lower-ARPU prepaid and reseller customers added to the base.

 

 

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

Increases in data revenues also favorably impacted total service revenues. Data revenues, which increased $134 in the second quarter of 2006 and $255 year-to-date over the same prior year periods driven by greater data service penetration and usage of short message service (SMS) messaging and other data services by Cingular Wireless’ cellular/PCS customers.

 

Roaming revenues decreased $28 in the second quarter of 2006 and $41 year-to-date when compared with amounts from the corresponding prior year periods. Roaming revenues continue to be unfavorably impacted by the bundling of “free” roaming minutes with all-inclusive regional and national rate plans.

 

Long distance revenues for the second quarter of 2006 increased $9 from the corresponding prior year period due primarily to an increase in international long distance revenues. Long distance revenue year-to-date increased $14 from the corresponding prior year period due to an increase in both international and domestic long distance revenues.

 

Equipment sales, comprised of product, accessory and upgrade sales, contributed $13 during the second quarter of 2006 and $79 year-to-date to the increase in total operating revenues. The increase in both periods was primarily driven by a higher volume of upgrades and higher priced handsets despite lower postpaid gross additions and related equipment volumes compared to the corresponding prior year periods.

 

Segment operating expenses

 

Cost of services and products

Cost of services and products increased $110 in the second quarter of 2006 and $187 year-to-date when compared to the same periods of 2005 primarily driven by increased network usage and sales of higher-end, higher cost customer handsets.

 

The local systems component increased $38 in the second quarter of 2006 and $67 year-to-date when compared to the corresponding prior year periods. Both increases resulted primarily from higher interconnection fees of $26 associated with a 19.2 percent growth in system minutes in the second quarter of 2006 and $68 associated with a 20.9 percent growth in system minutes year-to-date over the prior year corresponding periods; an increase in USF fees from a higher contribution rate of $17 in second quarter of 2006 and $2 year-to-date; and an increase in local network system costs of $14 in second quarter of 2006 and $24 year-to-date primarily related to increased network system usage and associated expansion costs. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in reseller services expense of $17 in the second quarter of 2006 and $26 year-to-date in comparison to the corresponding prior year periods. The decrease in reseller services expense was driven by decreases in minutes of use on the T-Mobile network of 49 percent in the second quarter of 2006 and 46 percent year-to-date offset by higher handset insurance claims in both periods when compared to the same periods of the prior year.

 

Third-party network system costs increased $24 for the second quarter of 2006 resulting from a $6 increase in roaming expense and $18 increase in long distance expense over the corresponding prior year period. Third-party network system costs increased $60 year-to-date when compared to the same period of the prior year resulting from increases of $26 in roaming expense and $34 of long distance expense compared to the prior year period. Roaming costs increased due to increased volumes and prices over the comparable prior periods. Increases in long distance were driven by higher volumes of minutes of use resulting from the increased number of average subscribers, partially offset by rate decreases.

 

Equipment sales expenses grew $48 in second quarter 2006 and $60 year-to-date when compared to the same periods of the prior year primarily due to an increase in the average cost per unit sold of product, accessory and upgrade equipment driven by higher-end handsets, despite a lower volume of postpaid gross additions.

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

Selling, general, and administrative expenses decreased $54 in the second quarter of 2006 and $94 year-to-date when compared to the same periods of 2005. Selling expenses decreased $6 in the second quarter of 2006 and $7 year-to-date compared to the prior year corresponding periods driven by advertising and net commissions decreases. Costs for maintaining and supporting Cingular Wireless’ customer base decreased $41 in the second quarter of 2006 and $65 year-to-date when compared to the same periods of 2005 principally due to a decrease in bad debt primarily from improved collections driving lower net write-offs, and a decrease in customer service costs due to reduced outsourced professional services at call centers in both periods. Additionally, administrative expenses decreased primarily as a result of headcount reductions and a federal excise tax refund accrued in the second quarter of 2006 pursuant to guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

 

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation expense increased $48 in the second quarter of 2006 and $39 year-to-date when compared to the same periods in 2005 primarily due to Cingular Wireless’ increased network investment and reduction in depreciation expense recorded in 2005 from the revaluation of acquired AT&T Wireless assets pursuant to the network rationalization plans substantially offset by the impact of assets being fully depreciated in 2006. Amortization expense decreased $4 for the

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

second quarter of 2006 and $8 year-to-date primarily due to amortization associated with intangible assets that became fully amortized during 2005.

 

Advertising & Publishing Group

 

Our Advertising & Publishing Group is comprised of companies in the US that publish, print, and sell advertising in and perform related services concerning alphabetical and classified telephone directories and electronic media offerings.

 

In the second quarter of 2006, our Advertising & Publishing Group continued to see the favorable impact from strategic initiatives implemented in prior years, partially offset by continued competitive pressures and delayed publication in the New Orleans market.

 

 

 

For the Three Months

Ended June 30,

Percent

Change

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

Percent

Change

 

2005

2006

2005

2006

Segment operating revenues

$ 531

$ 547

3.0%

$ 1,022

$ 1,053

3.0%

Segment operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of services and products

99

97

-2.0%

189

190

0.5%

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

180

191

6.1%

343

370

7.9%

Depreciation and amortization

7

7

14

15

7.1%

Total segment operating expenses

286

295

3.1%

546

575

5.3%

Segment operating income

245

252

2.9%

476

478

0.4%

Segment net income

$ 154

$ 156

1.3%

$ 295

$ 296

0.3%

Unusual items excluded from segment net income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurricane Katrina-related credits

1

*

1

*

Segment net income including unusual items

$ 154

$ 157

1.9%

$ 295

$ 297

0.7%

Capital Expenditures

$ 3

$ 4

33.3%

$ 12

$ 13

8.3%

* Not meaningful

 

Segment operating revenues

 

Segment operating revenues increased $16 in the second quarter of 2006 and $31 year-to-date compared to the same periods of 2005. These increases include an improvement in print revenues as a result of core print growth and new products and growing electronic media revenues.

 

Segment operating expenses

 

Cost of services and products decreased $2 in the second quarter of 2006 compared to the same period of the prior year primarily reflecting the two-month delay of publication in the New Orleans market. Cost of services and products was essentially flat year-to-date compared to the same period of the prior year. Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $11 in the second quarter of 2006 and $27 year-to-date compared to the same periods of the prior year primarily driven by increases in selling, advertising and facilities for sales growth and expansion initiatives and an increase in bad debt.

 

Liquidity and Financial Condition

 

BellSouth’s cash generation and financial position enable it to reinvest in its business while distributing substantial cash to its shareholders. BellSouth’s priorities for the use of cash are to fund investment opportunities, maintain a capital structure that balances a low weighted-average cost of capital against an appropriate level of financial flexibility, and distribute cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.

 

Sources and uses of cash

 

Our primary source of cash flow is dividends from our consolidated operating subsidiaries. Our subsidiaries generate sufficient cash flow to fund their capital expenditures. Generally, we do not permit these subsidiaries to accumulate cash, but require them to distribute cash to us in the form of dividends. Our subsidiaries no longer issue external debt, and they redeem existing debt as it matures. Any subsidiary financing needs are provided by BellSouth, either through available cash or through external financing. In addition, after funding capital expenditures and redeeming maturing debt, Cingular Wireless distributes 40 percent of its remaining cash, reflecting our ownership percentage, to BellSouth.

 

Our sources of funds — primarily from operations and, to the extent necessary, from readily available external financing arrangements — are sufficient to meet all current obligations on a timely basis. We believe that these sources of funds will

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

be sufficient to meet the operating needs of our business for at least the next twelve months. Information about the Company’s cash flows, by category, is presented in the consolidated statement of cash flows.

 

Net cash provided by (used for):

 

 

For the Six Months

Ended June 30,

 

 

 

 

 

2005

 

 

2006

 

Change

Continuing Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating activities

$

3,820

 

$

3,562

$

(258)

(6.8%)

Investing activities

$

53

 

$

(3,221)

$

(3,274)

*

Financing activities

$

(3,953)

 

$

(509)

$

3,444

*

Discontinued Operations

$

(115)

 

$

$

115

*

 

*Not meaningful

 

Cash generated by operations declined $258 in the first half of 2006 compared to the same period in the prior year due primarily to higher incremental cash expenses associated with network restoration from hurricane damage sustained in late 2005 and severance payments under the 2006 workforce reduction. Partially offsetting this negative impact was higher operating income (absent hurricane-related expense) and positive changes in working capital.

 

Operating cash flows in the second half of 2006 will be negatively impacted by higher federal income tax payments.

 

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

 

Capital expenditures consist primarily of (a) gross additions to property, plant and equipment having an estimated service life of one year or more, plus incidental costs of preparing the asset for its intended use, and (b) gross additions to capitalized software. Our capital expenditures of $2,031 during the first half of 2006 and of $1,579 during the first half of 2005 were incurred to support our wireline network, to promote the introduction of new products and services and to increase operating efficiency and productivity. The increase in capital expenditures compared to the prior period relates primarily to increased spending for broadband investments in infrastructure and systems and expenditures of approximately $265 for Hurricane Katrina restoration efforts in the first half of 2006.

 

WIRELESS

 

In general, Cingular Wireless funds its capital and operating cash requirements from operations. To the extent additional funding is required, BellSouth and AT&T provide unsubordinated short-term financing on a pro rata basis. As of June 30, 2006, BellSouth had outstanding advances under the line of credit of $681. During 2006, we expect Cingular Wireless to utilize its operating cash flow after capital expenditures primarily to pay its maturing third-party debt.

 

Cingular Wireless made a refundable deposit to the FCC in July 2006 in connection with qualifying for the auction of 90 MHz of spectrum in the 1700 and 2100 MHz frequency bands to begin in August 2006. If they are successful in bidding, their cash requirements may increase potentially impacting BellSouth’s pro rata portion of financing.

 

DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS

 

Dividends

 

Our Board of Directors considers the cash dividend on a quarterly basis. BellSouth has paid a dividend each quarter since it began operations in 1984. Over the last three years, BellSouth increased its quarterly dividend 45 percent from 20 cents per common share to 29 cents per common share. Under the merger agreement with AT&T, without AT&T’s prior written consent, BellSouth is not permitted to pay a quarterly dividend in excess of 29 cents per share.

 

Share repurchases

 

BellSouth uses share repurchases to help manage cash distributions to shareholders. In October 2005, BellSouth’s board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $2 billion of BellSouth’s common shares through 2007. Under this plan, we repurchased nearly $1 billion through December 31, 2005 and approximately $42 during the first half of 2006. Under the merger agreement with AT&T, without AT&T’s prior written consent, BellSouth is not permitted to repurchase shares other than those necessary to offset shares issued in connection with employee benefit plans or the direct investment plan. Further, share repurchases may not exceed $500 per fiscal quarter.

 

EXTERNAL FINANCING

 

Credit ratings

 

At June 30, 2006, our long-term debt rating was A2 from Moody’s Investor Service and A from Standard and Poor’s. Our short-term debt rating at June 30, 2006 was P-1 from Moody’s and A-1 from Standard and Poor’s. In January 2006,

 



(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts and as Otherwise Indicated)

 

 

Standard and Poor’s placed BellSouth’s short- and long-term credit ratings on CreditWatch with negative implications. Standard and Poor’s indicated that its action resulted from its concern over the increasing uncertainty of the business prospects of the local wireline business. BellSouth remains on CreditWatch with negative implications following the March 2006 announcement of the pending merger between BellSouth and AT&T. On July 27, 2006, Moody’s confirmed the A2 senior unsecured and P-1 short-term ratings of BellSouth.

 

Financing arrangements

 

As of June 30, 2006, our authorized commercial paper program was $10.5 billion, with $2.0 billion outstanding. We believe that we have ready access to the commercial paper market in the event we need funding in excess of our operating cash flows. We also have an effective registration statement on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission under which we could issue $3.1 billion of long-term debt securities. The merger agreement with AT&T provides that we cannot incur additional indebtedness in excess of $1.5 billion in the aggregate without AT&T’s prior written consent.

 

BellSouth and BellSouth Telecommunications currently have debt outstanding under various indentures that we have entered into over the past thirteen years. None of these indentures contain any financial covenants. They do contain limitations that restrict the Company’s (or the affiliate of the company that is a party to the indenture) ability to create liens on their properties or assets (but not the properties or assets of their subsidiaries) except in specified circumstances. None of these indentures contains any provisions that are tied to the ratings assigned to the Company or its affiliates by an external debt rating agency. Further, none of these indentures contains cross-default provisions.

 

Effective April 29, 2005, we entered into a syndicated line of credit in the amount of $3.0 billion. This line of credit serves as a backup facility for our commercial paper program and will expire on April 29, 2008. We do not have any balances outstanding under the line of credit.

 

Except as described in this paragraph, the line of credit contains no financial covenants or requirements for compensating balances. Further, the line of credit does not contain any provisions that are tied to the ratings assigned to us or our affiliates by an external debt rating agency. The line of credit limits the debt of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries to 300 percent of consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the preceding four quarters. During the first half of 2006, this debt to earnings ratio was approximately 215 percent. In addition, the line of credit prohibits the Company and its significant subsidiaries from permitting liens to be placed on their properties or assets except in specified circumstances. If BellSouth or any of our subsidiaries defaults on any outstanding debt in excess of $200, an event of default will occur under the line of credit.

 

Market Risk

 

For a complete discussion of our market risks, you should refer to the caption “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005. Our primary exposure to market risks relates to unfavorable movements in interest rates and changes in equity investment prices. We do not anticipate any significant changes in our objectives and strategies with respect to managing such exposures.

 

In order to limit our risk from fluctuations in interest rates, we enter into interest rate swap agreements to exchange fixed and variable rate interest payment obligations without the exchange of the underlying principal amounts.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Aggregate Contractual Obligations

 

Other than repayments of debt as discussed in the Liquidity and Financial Condition Section, there are no material changes with respect to off-balance sheet arrangements and aggregate contractual obligations as presented in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.

 

In most of our sale and divestiture transactions we indemnify the purchaser for various items including labor and general litigation as well as certain tax matters. Generally, the terms last one to five years for general and specific indemnities and for the statutory review periods for tax matters. The events or circumstances that would require us to perform under the indemnity are transaction and circumstance specific. We regularly evaluate the probability of having to incur costs associated with these indemnifications and have accrued for expected losses that are probable. In addition, in the normal course of business, we indemnify counter parties in certain agreements. The nature and terms of these indemnities vary by transaction. Historically, we have not incurred significant costs related to performance under these types of indemnities.

 

We do not have transactions, arrangements or relationships with “special purpose” entities, and we do not have any off-balance sheet debt.

 



 

 

Item 3. Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

See the caption labeled "Market Risk" in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

 

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management necessarily applied its judgment in assessing the costs and benefits of such controls and procedures, which, by their nature, can provide only reasonable assurance regarding management’s control objectives. We also have investments in certain unconsolidated entities. As we do not control or manage these entities, our disclosure controls and procedures with respect to such entities are necessarily more limited than those we maintain with respect to our consolidated subsidiaries.

 

The Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls can prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. There are inherent limitations in all control systems, including the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of one or more persons. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and, while our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to be effective under circumstances where they should reasonably be expected to operate effectively, there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Because of the inherent limitations in any control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

 

As of the end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer along with the Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b). Based upon the foregoing, the Chief Executive Officer along with the Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective at providing reasonable assurance that all material information relating to BellSouth (including consolidated subsidiaries) required to be included in our Exchange Act reports is reported in a timely manner. In addition, based on such evaluation we have identified no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

 

In addition to historical information, this document contains forward-looking statements regarding business prospects, financial trends and accounting policies that may affect our future operating results, financial position and cash flows. From time to time, we also may provide oral or written forward-looking statements in other materials we release to the public. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historic or current facts. They use words such as “will,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “target,” “forecast” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. In particular, they include statements relating to future actions, prospective products and services, future performance or results of current and anticipated products and services, sales efforts, capital expenditures, expenses, interest rates, the outcome of contingencies, such as legal proceedings, and financial results.

 

These statements are based on our assumptions and estimates and are subject to risks and uncertainties. For these statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

 

There are possible developments that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forecast or implied in the forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward- looking statements, which are current only as of the date of this filing. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

While the below list of cautionary statements is not exhaustive, some factors, in addition to those contained throughout this document, that could affect future operating results, financial position and cash flows and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are:

 

 

the impact and the success of Cingular Wireless, our wireless joint venture with AT&T, including marketing and product development efforts, technological changes and financial capacity;

 

 



 

 

 

Cingular Wireless’ failure to realize, in the amounts and within the timeframe contemplated, the capital and expense synergies and other financial benefits expected from its acquisition of AT&T Wireless as a result of technical, logistical, regulatory and other factors;

 

 

changes in laws or regulations, or in their interpretations, which could result in the loss, or reduction in value, of our licenses, concessions or markets, or in an increase in competition, compliance costs or capital expenditures;

 

 

continued pressures on the telecommunications industry from a financial, competitive and regulatory perspective;

 

 

the intensity of competitive activity and its resulting impact on pricing strategies and new product offerings;

 

 

changes in the federal and state regulations governing the terms on which we offer retail and wholesale services;

 

 

the impact on our business of consolidation in the wireline and wireless industries in which we operate;

 

 

the impact on our network and our business of adverse weather conditions;

 

 

the issuance by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other accounting bodies of new accounting standards or changes to existing standards;

 

 

changes in available technology that increase the likelihood of our customers choosing alternate technology to our products (technology substitution);

 

 

higher than anticipated start-up costs or significant up-front investments associated with new business initiatives;

 

 

the outcome of pending litigation; and

 

 

unanticipated higher capital spending from, or delays in, the deployment of new technologies.

PART II -- OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

 

For a description of material developments relating to certain pending legal proceedings, see Note M to the consolidated financial statements.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

 

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Part I, "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 and the factor set forth below, all of which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. These described risks are not the only risks facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.

 

The pending merger with AT&T may create uncertainty for our customers, employees and suppliers.

 

On March 5, 2006, we announced that we had entered into a merger agreement with AT&T. Completion of the merger requires certain regulatory approvals. The merger is currently expected to close in the fall of 2006. Current employees may experience uncertainty about their post-merger roles with AT&T. This may materially adversely affect the ability of BellSouth to attract and retain key management, sales, marketing, technical and other personnel. In addition, key employees may depart because of issues relating to the uncertainty and difficulty of integration or a desire not to remain with AT&T following the merger. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that we will be able to attract or retain key employees to the same extent as we have in the past. Further, diversion of attention from ongoing operations on the part of management and employees could adversely affect our customers, suppliers and other parties with whom we have relationships. While the merger is pending, customers and strategic partners may delay or defer decisions to use BellSouth services, which could adversely affect our revenues and earnings, as well as the market price of our common shares.

 

In addition, customers may experience uncertainty about their BellSouth services, including network integration, pricing, and customer service, after the closing of the merger. This may materially adversely affect the ability of BellSouth to gain new customers and retain existing customers.

 

 

 



 

 

Item 2.               Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

The following table contains information about our purchases of our equity securities during the second quarter of 2006.

 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

 

 

Period

 

Total Number of

Shares Purchased(1)

 

Average Price

Paid per Share

Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of a

Publicly

Announced Plan

Approximate Dollar

Value that May Yet Be Purchased  

Under the Plan (2)

April 1 - 30, 2006

4,521

$ 33.67

$ 1,012,540,000

May 1 - 31, 2006

41,036

$ 33.38

$ 1,012,540,000

June 1 - 30, 2006

6,383

$ 35.05

$ 1,012,540,000

Total

51,940

$ 33.61

$ 1,012,540,000

(1) Represents shares purchased from employees to pay taxes related to the vesting of restricted shares, at an average price of $33.61. Excludes shares purchased from employees to pay taxes related to the exercise of stock options.

(2) On October 25, 2005, we announced that the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $2 billion of common stock through the end of 2007. Under the merger agreement with AT&T, share repurchases may not exceed $500 million per fiscal quarter. Furthermore, BellSouth may not repurchase shares other than as necessary to offset shares issued in connection with employee benefit plans or the direct investment plan.

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Our annual meeting of shareholders was held on April 24, 2006. The voting results were as follows:

Number of Shares Outstanding as of Record Date: 1,818,177,955

Number of Shares Present: 1,515,955,978

Percent of Shares Present: 83.38%

 

Proposal Number 1:

Election of Directors

 

For                          

Withheld                

F. Duane Ackerman

1,472,651,498

43,304,480

 

Reuben V. Anderson

1,411,028,914

104,927,064

 

James H. Blanchard

1,420,276,729

95,679,249

 

J. Hyatt Brown

1,197,950,909

318,005,069

 

Armando M. Codina

1,418,913,321

97,042,657

 

Mark L. Feidler

1,474,878,101

41,077,877

 

Kathleen F. Feldstein

1,484,862,487

31,093,491

 

James P. Kelly

1,485,070,906

30,885,072

 

Leo F. Mullin

1,428,621,387

87,334,591

 

Robin B. Smith

1,477,180,103

38,775,875

 

William S. Stavropoulos

1,471,798,507

44,157,471

 

 

 

Proposal Number 2:

Ratify the Appointment of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

For                                          

Against                  

Abstain                  

1,484,271,648

18,006,657

13,677,673

 

 

 

Proposal Number 3:

Shareholders’ Proposal re: Political Contribution Disclosure

 

For                                          

Against                  

Abstain                  

Broker Non-Votes                

140,666,969

1,025,145,466

116,117,420

234,026,123

 

 

 

 



 

 

Item 6. Exhibits

Exhibit

 

 

Number

 

 

 

 

 

 

4a

 

 

No instrument which defines the rights of holders of our long- and intermediate-term debt is filed herewith pursuant to Regulation S-K, Item 601(b)(4)(iii)(A). Pursuant to this regulation, we agree to furnish a copy of any such instrument to the SEC upon request.

 

10gg-7

 

 

Seventh Amendment dated May 7, 2006 to the BellSouth Retirement Savings Plan.

 

11

 

 

Computation of Earnings Per Common Share.

 

12

 

 

Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges.

 

31a

 

 

Section 302 certification of F. Duane Ackerman.

 

31b

 

 

Section 302 certification of W. Patrick Shannon.

 

32

 

 

Statement Required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 



 

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

BELLSOUTH CORPORATION

 

By /s/ Raymond E. Winborne, Jr.

RAYMOND E. WINBORNE, JR.

Controller

(Principal Accounting Officer)

 

August 1, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit

 

 

Number

 

 

 

 

 

 

4a

 

 

No instrument which defines the rights of holders of our long- and intermediate-term debt is filed herewith pursuant to Regulation S-K, Item 601(b)(4)(iii)(A). Pursuant to this regulation, we agree to furnish a copy of any such instrument to the SEC upon request.

 

10gg-7

 

 

Seventh Amendment dated May 7, 2006 to the BellSouth Retirement Savings Plan.

 

11

 

 

Computation of Earnings Per Common Share.

 

12

 

 

Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges.

 

31a

 

 

Section 302 certification of F. Duane Ackerman.

 

31b

 

 

Section 302 certification of W. Patrick Shannon.

 

32

 

 

Statement Required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.