Description of TDS' Securities

As of December 31, 2019, Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. has five classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): (1) our Common Stock; (2) our 6.625% Senior Notes due 2045; (3) our 6.875% Senior Notes due 2059; (4) our 7.000% Senior Notes due 2060; and (5) our 5.875% Senior Notes due 2061.

The following description of our Common Stock is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) and our Restated Bylaws, as amended (the “Bylaws”), each of which are incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of which this Exhibit 4.12 is a part. We encourage you to read our Certificate of Incorporation, our Bylaws and the applicable provisions of Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended, for additional information.

Our authorized capital shares consist of 265,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Common Stock”), 25,000,000 shares of series A common stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Series A Stock”), 4,720,599 shares of undesignated stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Undesignated Stock”) and 279,401 shares of series preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”). The outstanding shares of our Common Stock are fully paid and nonassessable.

In the election of directors, holders of Common Stock have one vote per share and vote in the election of 25% of the total number of directors for the TDS Board of Directors rounded up to the next whole number. The holders of Series A Stock elect the remaining directors.

In matters other than the election of directors, the per share voting power of the Common Stock varies and is calculated in accordance with Section B.9. of Article IV of the Certificate of Incorporation. In matters other than the election of directors, the per share voting power of the Series Stock is ten votes per share.

In addition, the TDS Voting Trust controls a majority of the voting power of TDS in matters other than the election of certain directors. In general, only the affirmative vote of the TDS Voting Trust will be required to amend the TDS Restated Certificate of Incorporation, approve the sale of substantially all of the assets of TDS, approve the dissolution of TDS or approve any other matter required to be voted on by shareholders, except as required under the TDS Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Delaware General Corporation Law. Certain matters on which shareholders would vote could involve a divergence or the appearance of a divergence of the interests between the holders of classes of common stock. Holders of Common Stock would not have a class vote in such matters except as required by law.

The merger or consolidation of TDS requires the approval of a majority of the voting power of Common Stock and Series A Stock, each voting separately as a class.

In matter other than the election of directors, the aggregate voting percentage of Series A Stock cannot increase above approximately 56.7% and the percentage could decrease because of the conversion of Series A Stock to Common Stock.

Our Common Stock does not have cumulative voting rights.

Subject to the rights of holders of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock or Undesignated Stock, if any, the holders of Common Stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the Board of Directors in its discretion out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends.

Subject to any preferential rights of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock or Undesignated Stock, if any, holders of Common Stock and Series A Stock will share ratably in all assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders in the event of dissolution.

Our Common Stock has no sinking fund provisions or preemptive, conversion or exchange rights.

Our Common Stock may be subject to redemption if, in the judgment of the Board such action is necessary to prevent the loss or secure the reinstatement of any license of franchise from any governmental agency held by TDS or any of its subsidiaries. The redemption price is the fair market value of such Common Stock as calculated in accordance with Section B.11. of Article IV of the Certificate of Incorporation.

Holders of Common Stock may act by written consent if shares representing not less than 90% of the voting power of the shares that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of capital stock of TDS entitled to vote thereon were present and voted.

The rights of holders of Common Stock may be materially limited or qualified by the rights of holders of Preferred Stock and Undesignated Stock that we may issue in the future.

The Board may, without further shareholder action, authorize the issuance of up to 4,720,599 of Undesignated Stock into common or preferred shares, in one or more classes or series, and to fix the designations, relative rights, preferences and limitations, including the dividend rate, redemption and sinking fund provisions, liquidation preferences, conversion rights and voting rights of each class or series.

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“Delaware Section 203”). In general, the law prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless:

Under Delaware Section 203, “Business combination” includes mergers, consolidations, asset sales and certain other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to a stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is defined generally as a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns (or, within the prior three years, did own) 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock. Our Certificate of Incorporation does not exclude us from the restrictions imposed under Delaware Section 203 and Delaware Section 203 could prohibit or delay the accomplishment of mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts with respect to us and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire us.

Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that, to the full extent authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, directors of TDS will not be personally liable to the TDS or its shareholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director.

The Common Stock is traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “TDS.”

The following description of our 6.625% Senior Notes due 2045 (the “2045 Notes”), our 6.875% Senior Notes due 2059 (the “2059 Notes”), our 7.000% Senior Notes due 2060 (the “2060 Notes”), and our 5.875% Senior Notes due 2061 (the “2061 Notes” and, together with our 2045 Notes, 2059 Notes and 2060 Notes, the “notes”), is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Indenture for Senior Debt Securities between TDS and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (the “Trustee”), formerly known as The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., as successor to BNY Midwest Trust Company (BNY) dated November 1, 2001 (the “Base Indenture”), as supplemented in the case of the 2045 Notes by the third supplemental indenture dated March 31, 2005, as supplemented in the case of the 2059 Notes by the fourth supplemental indenture dated November 16, 2010, as supplemented in the case of the 2060 Notes by the fifth supplemental indenture dated March 21, 2011, and as supplemented in the case of the 2061 Notes by the sixth supplemental indenture dated November 26, 2012 (the Base Indenture, as supplemented by the third, fourth, fifth and sixth supplemental indentures, the “indenture”), which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of which this Exhibit 4.12 is a part. The 2045 Notes, the 2059 Notes, the 2060 Notes and the 2061 Notes are each traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbols of “TDI,” “TDE,” “TDJ” and “TDA,” respectively.

We encourage you to read the above referenced indenture, as supplemented, for additional information.

The following is a description of certain of the specific terms and conditions of the indenture supplements with respect to each of the notes.

The 2045 Notes were issued in an aggregate principal amount of $116,250,000, which remains the aggregate principal amount outstanding. The 2059 Notes were issued in an aggregate principal amount of $225,000,000, which remains the aggregate principal amount outstanding. The 2060 Notes were issued in an aggregate principal amount of $300,000,000, which remains the aggregate principal amount outstanding. The 2061 Notes were issued in an aggregate principal amount of $195,000,000, which remains the aggregate principal amount outstanding.

The notes are senior unsecured obligations and rank equally with our other unsecured and unsubordinated debt from time to time outstanding. However, in certain circumstances the notes, other than the 2045 Notes, may become effectively subordinated to the claims of the of the holders of the 2045 Notes which have the benefit of covenants limiting secured debt and sale and leaseback transactions similar to, but more restrictive than, the limitations on secured debt and sale and leaseback transactions in the other notes. In the event TDS incurs secured debt or enters into a sale and leaseback transaction that is excepted from the covenant protection provided to the holders of the notes but not the 2045 Notes, the notes (other than the 2045 Notes) may become effectively subordinated to the claims of the holders of the 2045 Notes up to the value of the assets subject to the lien or sale and leaseback transaction In addition, because TDS is a holding company which conducts substantially all of its operations through subsidiaries, the right of creditors of TDS, including the holders of the notes, to participate in any distribution of the assets of any subsidiary upon its liquidation or reorganization or otherwise is subject to the prior claims of creditors of the subsidiary, except to the extent that claims of TDS itself as a creditor of the subsidiary may be recognized. As of December 31, 2019, our subsidiaries had approximately $1,552 million of long-term debt.

The maturity date of the 2045 Notes is March 31, 2045. The maturity date of the 2059 Notes is November 15, 2059. The maturity date of the 2060 Notes is March 15, 2060. The maturity date of the 2061 Notes is December 1, 2061.

The notes will be subject to legal defeasance and covenant defeasance as provided under the “Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance” section set forth below.

The notes were issued in a form of one or more fully registered global securities, without coupons, in the name of a nominee of The Depository Trust Company (the “Depositary”), in denominations of $25.

TDS may redeem the notes, in whole or in party, at any time at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. TDS is not required to establish a sinking fund prior to redemption.

The Base Indenture does not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue under the Base Indenture and provides that debt securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series.

The 2045 Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 6.625% per annum and interest is paid quarterly on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year until maturity. The 2059 Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 6.875% per annum and interest is paid quarterly on February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15 of each year until maturity. The 2060 Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 7% per annum and interest is paid quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year until maturity. The 2061 Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 5.875% per annum and interest is paid quarterly on March 1, June 1, September 1 and December 1 of each year until maturity. Each of the above dates is referred to as an “interest payment date”. We will pay interest on the notes to the persons in whose names the notes are registered at the close of business on the day immediately preceding the related interest payment date. Interest on the notes will be computed on the basis of twelve 30-day months and a 360-day year. If any interest payment date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions in the City of New York are authorized by law to close, then payment of interest will be made on the next succeeding business day and no additional interest will accrue because of the delayed payment, except that, if such business day is in the next succeeding calendar year, such payment will be made on the immediately preceding business day, with the same force and effect as if made on such date.

At any time prior to the maturity date of the notes, we will have the right at our option to redeem the notes, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time, on at least 30 days’ but not more than 60 days’ prior notice, at a redemption price, calculated by us, equal to 100% of the principal amount redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. The notes are not subject to any sinking fund provision.

The notes were issued in book-entry form through the facilities of the Depositary. Book-entry debt securities represented by a global security are not be exchangeable for certificated notes and will not otherwise be issuable as certificated notes.

Beneficial interests in the global securities are represented, and transfers of such beneficial interest are effected, through accounts of the Depositary acting on behalf of beneficial owners as direct or indirect participants.

Beneficial interests in the global securities will be shown on, and transfers of beneficial interests in the global securities are made only through, records maintained by the Depositary.

So long as the Depositary or its nominee is the registered owner of the global security, the Depositary or its nominee will be considered the sole owner or holder of the notes represented by such global security for all purposes under the notes and the Base Indenture and supplemental indenture pursuant to which the notes were issued. Except as provided below or as we may otherwise agree in our sole discretion, owners of beneficial interests in a global security will not be entitled to have notes represented by the global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of notes in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders thereof under the Base Indenture or supplemental indenture pursuant to which the notes were issued. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in the global security must rely on the procedures of the Depositary and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which that person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the Base Indenture or supplemental indenture. Principal and interest payments on notes registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee will be made to the Depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the global security representing such notes. None of TDS, the Trustee, any paying agent or the registrar for the Notes will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial interests in such global security for such notes or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial interests.

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. is the trustee under the indentures governing the notes. The Trustee is a national banking association organized under and governed by the laws of the United States of America, and provides trust services and acts as indenture trustee for numerous corporate securities issuances, including for other series of debt securities of which we are the issuer. The Trustee is an affiliate of The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., which is one of a number of banks with which TDS and its subsidiaries maintain ordinary banking relationships including, in certain cases, credit facilities. In connection therewith, we utilize or may utilize some of the banking and other services offered by The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. or its affiliates, including The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., in the normal course of business, including securities custody services.

The Base Indenture and the notes are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Illinois.

With the Consent of Security holders. The Base Indenture contains provisions permitting TDS and the Trustee, with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of debt securities of each series that are affected by the modification, to modify the Base Indenture or any supplemental indenture affecting that series or the rights of the holders of that series of debt securities.

However, no such modification, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding security affected thereby, may:

Without the Consent of Security holders. In addition, TDS and the Trustee may execute, without the consent of any holder of debt securities, any supplemental indenture for certain other usual purposes, including:

The Base Indenture does not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate with or into any other corporation, sell or convey all or substantially all of our assets to any person, firm or corporation or otherwise engage in restructuring transactions.

The Base Indenture provides that any one or more of the following described events, which has occurred and is continuing, constitutes an ‘‘Event of Default’’ with respect to each series of debt securities:

Except as may otherwise be set forth in a prospectus supplement, the Trustee or the holders of not less than 33% in aggregate outstanding principal amount of any particular series of debt securities may declare the principal due and payable immediately upon an Event of Default with respect to such series. Holders of a majority in aggregate outstanding principal amount of such series may annul any such declaration and waive the default with respect to such series if the default has been cured and a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest and principal otherwise than by acceleration and any premium has been deposited with the Trustee.

The holders of a majority in aggregate outstanding principal amount of any series of debt securities have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee for that series.

Subject to the provisions of the Base Indenture relating to the duties of the Trustee in case an Event of Default will occur and be continuing, the Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the Base Indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the debt securities, unless such holders will have offered to the Trustee indemnity satisfactory to it.

The holders of a majority in aggregate outstanding principal amount of any series of debt securities affected thereby may, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of such series, waive any past default, except as discussed in the following paragraph.

The holders of a majority in aggregate outstanding principal amount of any series of debt securities affected thereby may not waive a default in the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest when due otherwise than by

We are required to file annually with the trustee a certificate as to whether or not we are in compliance with all the conditions and covenants under the Base Indenture.

Debt securities of any series may be defeased in accordance with their terms and, unless the supplemental indenture or company order establishing the terms of such series otherwise provides, as set forth below.

We at any time may terminate as to a series our obligations with respect to the debt securities of that series under any restrictive covenant which may be applicable to that particular series, commonly known as ‘‘covenant defeasance.’’ All of our other obligations would continue to be applicable to such series.

We at any time may also terminate as to a series substantially all of our obligations with respect to the debt securities of such series and the Base Indenture, commonly known as ‘‘legal defeasance.’’ However, in legal defeasance, certain of our obligations would not be terminated, including our obligations with respect to the defeasance trust and obligations to register the transfer or exchange of a security, to replace destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities and to maintain agencies in respect of the debt securities.

We may exercise our legal defeasance option notwithstanding our prior exercise of any covenant defeasance option.

If we exercise a defeasance option, the particular series will not be accelerated because of an event that, prior to such defeasance, would have constituted an Event of Default.

To exercise either of our defeasance options as to a series, we must irrevocably deposit in trust with the Trustee or any paying agent money, certain eligible obligations as specified in the Base Indenture, or a combination thereof, in an amount sufficient to pay when due the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, due and to become due on the debt securities of such series that are outstanding.

Such defeasance or discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of counsel stating that:

The amount of money and eligible obligations on deposit with the Trustee may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the debt securities of that series at the time of an acceleration resulting from an Event of Default if: