UNITED STATES CELLULARCORPORATION (a Delaware corporation) Debt Securities UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

EX-1.1 2 a04-6853_1ex1d1.htm EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

UNITED STATES CELLULAR CORPORATION

(a Delaware corporation)

Debt Securities

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

June 9, 2004

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith

Incorporated

Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

UBS Securities LLC

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC

As representatives of the several underwriters referred to below

c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

1585 Broadway

New York, NY 10036

Ladies and Gentlemen:

United States Cellular Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell up to $300,000,000 aggregate initial public offering price of its debt securities, (the “Securities”) from time to time, in or pursuant to one or more offerings on terms to be determined at the time of sale.

The Securities will be issued in one or more series under an indenture, dated as of June 1, 2002, between the Company and BNY Midwest Trust Company, as trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by the First, Second, Third and Fourth Supplemental Indentures between the Company and the Trustee (as so supplemented, the “Indenture”, which term shall include any indenture entered into by the Company and the Trustee providing for the issuance of any subordinated indebtedness). Each series of Securities may vary, as applicable, as to title, aggregate principal amount, rank, interest rate or formula and timing of payments thereof, stated maturity date, redemption and/or repayment provisions, sinking fund requirements and any other variable terms established by or pursuant to the Indenture.

Whenever the Company determines to make an offering of Securities, the Company will enter into an agreement (each, a “Terms Agreement”) providing for the sale of such Securities to, and the purchase and offering thereof by, the underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters,” which term shall include one underwriter acting as sole Underwriter or as a member of an underwriting syndicate, as well as any Underwriter substituted pursuant to Section 10 hereof). The Terms Agreement relating to the offering of Securities shall specify the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Securities to be initially issued (the “Initial Underwritten Securities”), the name of each Underwriter participating in such offering (subject to substitution

as provided in Section 10 hereof) and the name of any Underwriter acting as manager or co-manager in connection with such offering, the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Initial Underwritten Securities which each such Underwriter severally agrees to purchase, whether such offering is on a fixed or variable price basis and, if on a fixed price basis, the initial offering price, the price at which the Initial Underwritten Securities are to be purchased by the Underwriters, the form, time, date and place of delivery and payment of the Initial Underwritten Securities and any other material variable terms of the Initial Underwritten Securities, as well as the material variable terms of any related Underlying Securities. In addition, if applicable, such Terms Agreement shall specify whether the Company has agreed to grant to the Underwriters an option to purchase additional Securities to cover over-allotments, if any, and the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Securities subject to such option (the “Option Underwritten Securities”). As used herein, the term “Underwritten Securities” shall include the Initial Underwritten Securities and all or any portion of any Option Underwritten Securities. The Terms Agreement, which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, may take the form of an exchange of any standard form of written telecommunication between the Company and an Underwriter, acting for itself and, if applicable, as representative of any other Underwriters. Each offering of Underwritten Securities through an Underwriter as sole Underwriter or through an underwriting syndicate managed by one or more Underwriters (the “Representatives”) will be governed by this Underwriting Agreement, as supplemented by the applicable Terms Agreement. To the extent only one Underwriter is named in the Terms Agreement, the term Representatives as used herein shall mean such Underwriter, and the terms Representatives shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires.

The Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-115847) for the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the offering thereof from time to time in accordance with Rule 415 of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act (the “1933 Act Regulations”). Such registration statement has been declared effective by the Commission and each Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “1939 Act”), and the Company has filed such post-effective amendments thereto as may be required prior to the execution of the applicable Terms Agreement and each such post-effective amendment has been declared effective by the Commission. Such registration statement (as so amended, if applicable), including the information, if any, deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430A(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations (the “Rule 430A Information”) or Rule 434(d) of the 1933 Act Regulations (the “Rule 434 Information”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; and the final prospectus and the final prospectus supplement relating to the offering of the Underwritten Securities, in the form first furnished to the Underwriters by the Company for use in connection with the offering of the Underwritten Securities, are collectively referred to herein as the “Prospectus”; provided, however, that all references to the “Registration Statement” and the “Prospectus” shall also be deemed to include all documents incorporated therein by reference pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), prior to the execution of the applicable Terms Agreement; provided, further, that if the Company files a registration statement with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations (the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), then, after such filing, all references to “Registration Statement” shall also be deemed to include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement; and provided, further, that if the Company elects to rely upon Rule 434 of the 1933 Act Regulations, then all references to “Prospectus” shall also be deemed to include the final or

preliminary prospectus and the applicable term sheet or abbreviated term sheet (the “Term Sheet”), as the case may be, in the form first furnished to the Underwriters by the Company in reliance upon Rule 434 of the 1933 Act Regulations, and all references in this Underwriting Agreement to the date of the Prospectus shall mean the date of the Term Sheet. A “preliminary prospectus” shall be deemed to refer to any prospectus used before the Registration Statement became effective and any prospectus that omitted, as applicable, the Rule 430A Information, the Rule 434 Information or other information to be included upon pricing in a form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations and was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of the applicable Terms Agreement. For purposes of this Underwriting Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Term Sheet or preliminary prospectus or to any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include any copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”).

All references in this Underwriting Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” (or other references of like import) in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary prospectus, as the case may be, prior to the execution of the applicable Terms Agreement; and all references in this Underwriting Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the 1934 Act which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary prospectus, as the case may be, after the execution of the applicable Terms Agreement.

SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties.

(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter named in the applicable Terms Agreement, as of the date thereof, as of the Closing Time (as defined below) and, if applicable, as of each Date of Delivery (as defined below) (in each case, a “Representation Date”), as follows:

(1) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act. The Registration Statement (including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement) has become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement (or such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement) has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with. In addition, each Indenture has been duly qualified under the 1939 Act.

At the respective times the Registration Statement (including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement) and any post-effective amendments thereto (including the filing of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Commission (the “Annual Report on Form 10-K”)) became effective and at each Representation Date, the

Registration Statement (including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement) and any amendments thereto complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the 1939 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1939 Act (the “1939 Act Regulations”) and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. At the date of the Prospectus, at the Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery, if any, neither the Prospectus nor any amendments and supplements thereto included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 434 of the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will comply with the requirements of Rule 434. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.

Each preliminary prospectus and prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of Underwritten Securities will, at the time of such delivery, be identical to any electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(2) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “1934 Act Regulations”) and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, at the date of the Prospectus, at the Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery, if any, did not and will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(3) Independent Accountants. The accountants who certified the consolidated financial statements and any supporting schedules thereto included in or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are independent public accountants with respect to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.

(4) Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, as well as those financial statements, schedules and notes of any other entity included therein, present fairly the financial position and results of operations

of the Company and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, or such other entities, as the case may be, at the respective dates or for the respective periods to which they apply, and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, or such other entities, as the case may be, for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved; and the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. In addition, any pro forma financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and the related notes thereto included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein, have been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines with respect to pro forma financial statements and have been properly compiled on the bases described therein, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein.

(5) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its consolidated subsidiaries, other than those arising in the ordinary course of business, which are material with respect to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise and (C) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.

(6) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under, or as contemplated under, this Underwriting Agreement and the applicable Terms Agreement. The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases substantial properties or in which the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.

(7) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each consolidated subsidiary of the Company (each, a “Subsidiary” and, collectively, the “Subsidiaries”), has been duly incorporated or organized and is validly existing as a corporation, limited liability

company or partnership in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate, limited liability or partnership power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, limited liability or partnership to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases substantial properties or in which the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not have a material adverse affect on the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, limited liability membership interests or partnership interests of each Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued and, with respect to outstanding capital stock, is fully paid and non-assessable, and all shares of capital stock, limited liability membership interests or partnership interests of such Subsidiaries owned by the Company, directly or through one or more Subsidiaries, are owned free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity, except as set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and except for such security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity the enforcement of which, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a material adverse affect on the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise. The only subsidiaries that are “significant subsidiaries” of the Company (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the 1933 Act) are United States Cellular Operating Company LLC and United States Cellular Investment Company.

(8) Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to reservations or agreements referred to in the Prospectus); all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the capital stock of the Company conforms to the description thereof included in or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and, except as set forth in the Prospectus, is not subject to preemptive or other similar rights.

(9) Authorization of this Underwriting Agreement and Terms Agreement. This Underwriting Agreement has been, and the applicable Terms Agreement as of the date thereof will have been, duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(10) Authorization of Securities. The Underwritten Securities have been, or as of the date of such Terms Agreement will have been, duly authorized by the Company for issuance and sale pursuant to this Underwriting Agreement and such Terms Agreement. Such Underwritten Securities, when issued and authenticated in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment of the consideration therefor specified in such Terms Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except to the extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors rights generally or by general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding at

law or in equity) (the “Bankruptcy Exceptions”); such Underwritten Securities will be in the form contemplated by, and each registered holder thereof is entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture.

(11) Authorization of the Indenture. The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except to the extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by the Bankruptcy Exceptions; and the Indenture will conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus.

(12) Descriptions of the Underwritten Securities. The Underwritten Securities being sold pursuant to the applicable Terms Agreement and the Indenture, as of each Representation Date, will conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus and will be in substantially the form filed or incorporated by reference, as the case may be, as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

(13) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or by-laws or other documents of organization, and none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in default in the performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject; the execution, delivery and performance of this Underwriting Agreement, the applicable Terms Agreement and the Indenture and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Underwritten Securities as described under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action by the Company and will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to the terms of, any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or other instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of them may be bound, or to which any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject; nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order, or administrative or court decree; nor will such action conflict with or have an adverse effect on any of the certificates, authorities, licenses or permits of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that enable them to carry on the business and operations now operated by them and which are material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise. As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

(14) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent which would materially adversely effect the business operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.

(15) Absence of Proceedings. There is no action, suit or proceeding before or by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which is required to be disclosed in or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or, except, in the case of (A) and (B) below, as disclosed in the Prospectus, which might (A) result in any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, (B) materially and adversely affect the properties or assets of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, or (C) materially and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Underwriting Agreement, the applicable Terms Agreement or the Indenture; all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any of its consolidated subsidiaries is a party or of which any of their respective properties or assets are the subject which are not described in or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, are, considered in the aggregate, not material to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise; and there are no contracts or documents of the Company or any of its consolidated subsidiaries which are required to be filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the Registration Statement by the 1933 Act or by the 1933 Act Regulations which have not been so filed or incorporated by reference.

(16) Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no contracts or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference therein which have not been so described as required.

(17) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign, is necessary or required for the due authorization, execution and delivery by the Company of this Underwriting Agreement or the applicable Terms Agreement or for the performance by the Company of the transactions contemplated under the Prospectus, this Underwriting Agreement, such Terms Agreement or the Indenture, except such as have been made or obtained under the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act, the 1934 Act Regulations, the 1939 Act and the 1939 Act Regulations or as may be required under state securities laws.

(18) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, the patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information), systems or procedures, trademarks, service marks and trade names currently employed by them in connection with the

business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.

(19) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its Subsidiaries possess such certificates, authorities, licenses or permits issued by the appropriate local, state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the documents incorporated by reference therein; none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authority, license or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would materially and adversely affect the condition, financial or otherwise, or the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.

(20) Title to Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries and good title to all other properties owned by them that are material to the business of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind, except (A) as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or (B) those which do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. All of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries holds properties described in the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such Subsidiary of the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

(21) Commodity Exchange Act. The Underwritten Securities, upon issuance, will be excluded or exempted under, or beyond the purview of, the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “Commodity Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “Commodity Exchange Act Regulations”).

(22) Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and upon the issuance and sale of the Underwritten Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” or

a company “controlled” by an investment company within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

(23) Environmental Laws. To the best of the Company’s knowledge and except as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect the business operations of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, (A) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution, the environment, wildlife or to the use, storage, disposal, transport or handling of hazardous materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its Subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that might reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries relating to any Environmental Laws.

(24) Stabilization. The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to, or that might be reasonably expected to, cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Underwritten Securities. There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any Underwritten Securities or securities similar to the Underwritten Securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the 1933 Act.

(b) Officers’ Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to any Underwriter or to counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Underwritten Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby on the date of such certificate and, unless subsequently amended or supplemented, at each Representation Date subsequent thereto.

SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

(a) Underwritten Securities. The several commitments of the Underwriters to purchase the Underwritten Securities pursuant to the applicable Terms Agreement shall be deemed to have been made on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained and shall be subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth.

(b) Option Underwritten Securities. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company may grant, if so provided in the applicable Terms Agreement, an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase up to the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of the Option Underwritten Securities set forth therein at a price per Option Underwritten Security equal to the price per Initial Underwritten Security, less an amount equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and paid or payable on the Initial Underwritten Securities but not payable on the Option Underwritten Securities. Such option, if granted, will expire 30 days after the date of such Terms Agreement, and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time only for the purpose of covering over-allotments which may be made in connection with the offering and distribution of the Initial Underwritten Securities upon notice by the Representatives to the Company setting forth the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Option Underwritten Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time, date and place of payment and delivery for such Option Underwritten Securities. Any such time and date of payment and delivery (each, a “Date of Delivery”) shall be determined by the Representatives, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time, unless otherwise agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company. If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Underwritten Securities, each of the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, will purchase that proportion of the total number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Option Underwritten Securities then being purchased which the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Initial Underwritten Securities each such Underwriter has severally agreed to purchase as set forth in such Terms Agreement bears to the total number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Initial Underwritten Securities, subject to such adjustments as the Representatives in their discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of a fractional number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Option Underwritten Securities.

(c) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Initial Underwritten Securities shall be made at the offices of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, Bank One Plaza, 10 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, at 10:00 A.M. (Chicago time) on the fifth business day after the date of the applicable Terms Agreement (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10 hereof), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called “Closing Time”). In addition, in the event that the Underwriters have exercised their option, if any, to purchase any or all of the Option Underwritten Securities, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of such Option Underwritten Securities, shall be made at the above-mentioned offices of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, on the relevant Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from the Representatives to the Company.

Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of the Underwritten Securities to be purchased by them. It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives for their account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Underwritten

Securities which it has severally agreed to purchase. The Representatives individually and not as representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Underwritten Securities to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

(d) Denominations; Registration. Certificates for the Underwritten Securities shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request in writing at least one full business day prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be. The certificates for the Underwritten Securities will be made available for examination and packaging by the Representatives in The City of New York not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the last business day prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be.

SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each of the Underwriters participating in the offering of Underwritten Securities, as follows:

(a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests. The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A of the 1933 Act Regulations and/or Rule 434 of the 1933 Act Regulations, if and as applicable, and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, of (i) the effectiveness of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or the filing of any supplement or amendment to the Prospectus, (ii) the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information, and (iv) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Underwritten Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes. The Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424 and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the Prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424 was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file the Prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.

(b) Filing of Amendments. The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations), any Term Sheet or any amendment, supplement or revision to either the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it became effective or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object.

(c) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits

filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein) and as many signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts as the Representatives have requested or shall reasonably request, and will also deliver to the Representatives without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to any electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company will deliver to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter may reasonably request, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to any electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Underwritten Securities as contemplated in this Underwriting Agreement and the applicable Terms Agreement and in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. If at any time when the Prospectus is required by the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement in order that the Registration Statement will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b), such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters, without charge, such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.

(f) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Underwritten Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the date of the applicable Terms Agreement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a

foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Underwritten Securities have been so qualified, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification in effect for a period of not less than one year from the date of such Terms Agreement.

(g) Earnings Statement. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.

(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Underwritten Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds”.

(i) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to effect the listing of the Underwritten Securities, prior to the Closing Time, on any national securities exchange or quotation system if and as specified in the applicable Terms Agreement.

(j) Restriction on Sale of Securities. Between the date of the applicable Terms Agreement and the Closing Time or such other date specified in such Terms Agreement, the Company and its Subsidiaries will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives directly or indirectly, issue, sell, offer or contract to sell, grant any option for the sale or purchase of, or otherwise dispose of, any debt securities; provided, however, that this Section 3(j) shall not be applicable to borrowings under or amendments to any unsecured revolving credit agreement between the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and one or more banks, on the other hand.

(k) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.

SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses. (a) Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Underwriting Agreement and the applicable Terms Agreement, including (i) the printing and filing of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the printing of this Underwriting Agreement, any Terms Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters, the Indenture and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Underwritten Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Underwritten Securities to the Underwriters, including any transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of such securities to the Underwriter, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel and accountants, (v) the qualification of the Underwritten Securities under state securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Surveys and any legal investment survey, (vi) the printing and delivery to the

Underwriters of copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, of each preliminary prospectus, any Term Sheet, and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vii) the fees charged by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations for the rating of the Underwritten Securities, (viii) the fees and expenses incurred with respect to any listing of the Underwritten Securities, (ix) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review, if any, by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the “NASD”) of the terms of the sale of the Underwritten Securities, and (x) the fees and expenses of any Underwriter acting in the capacity of a “qualified independent underwriter” (as defined in Rule 2720(b)(15) of the NASD Conduct Rules), if applicable.

(b) Termination of Agreement. If the applicable Terms Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 or Section 9(b)(i) hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

SECTION 5. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Underwritten Securities pursuant to the applicable Terms Agreement are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or be pending or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus containing information relating to the description of the Underwritten Securities, the specific method of distribution and similar matters shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b)(1), (2), (3), (4) or (5), as applicable (or any required post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and declared effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430A), or, if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 434 of the 1933 Act Regulations, a Term Sheet including the Rule 434 Information shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b)(7).

(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company. At Closing Time, the Underwriters shall have received the opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of each of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP and Holland & Knight, each counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Exhibits B and C hereto, respectively, and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request.

(c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of

the other Underwriters, with respect to certain matters set forth in (1) (as to the Company’s existence and good standing), (6) to (10) and (19) and the paragraph immediately following (20) of Exhibit B hereto. In giving such opinion, such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York, the federal law of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.

(d) Absence of Material Adverse Changes; Officers’ Certificate. At Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date of the applicable Terms Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the Chairman, President or Vice President-Finance of the Company and of the Controller or Treasurer of the Company, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change with respect to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been received by the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, issued and, to the Company’s knowledge, no proceedings for that purpose have been initiated or threatened by the Commission.

(e) Accountant’s Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of the applicable Terms Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(f) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a letter, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section 5, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than five business days prior to the Closing Time.

(g) Ratings. At Closing Time and at any relevant Date of Delivery, the Underwritten Securities shall have the ratings accorded by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations (a “NRSRO”), if and as specified in the applicable Terms Agreement, or shall have ratings higher than those specified in the applicable Terms Agreement.

(h) Approval of Listing. At Closing Time, the Underwritten Securities shall have been approved for listing, subject only to official notice of issuance, if and as specified in the applicable Terms Agreement.

(i) No Objection. If the Registration Statement or an offering of Underwritten Securities has been filed with the NASD for review, the NASD shall not have raised any objection that remains unresolved at Closing Time with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

(j) Lock-up Agreements. On the date of the applicable Terms Agreement, the Representatives shall have received, in form and substance satisfactory to it, each lock-up agreement, if any, specified in such Terms Agreement as being required to be delivered by the persons listed therein.

(k) Over-Allotment Option. In the event that the Underwriters are granted an over-allotment option by the Company in the applicable Terms Agreement and the Underwriters exercise their option to purchase all or any portion of the Option Underwritten Securities, the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein and the statements in any certificates furnished by the Company or any of its subsidiaries hereunder shall be true and correct as of each Date of Delivery, and, at the relevant Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received:

(1) A certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of the Chairman, President or Vice President-Finance of the Company and the Controller or Treasurer of the Company, confirming that the certificate delivered at the Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(d) hereof remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery.

(2) The opinion of each of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP and Holland & Knight, each counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Underwritten Securities and otherwise to the same effect as the opinions required by Section 5(b) hereof.

(3) The favorable opinion of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Underwritten Securities and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof.

(4) A letter from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and dated such Date of Delivery, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Representatives pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof, except that the “specified date” on the letter furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than five business days prior to such Date of Delivery.

(5) Since the time of execution of such Terms Agreement, there shall not have occurred a downgrading in, or withdrawal of, the rating assigned to the Underwritten Securities or any of the Company’s other securities by any such rating organization, and no such rating organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance

or review with possible negative implications its rating of the Underwritten Securities or any of the Company’s other securities.

(l) Additional Documents. At Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Underwritten Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Underwritten Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.

(m) Termination of Terms Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section 5 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, the applicable Terms Agreement (or, with respect to the Underwriters’ exercise of any applicable over-allotment option for the purchase of Option Underwritten Securities on a Date of Delivery after the Closing Time, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Option Underwritten Securities on such Date of Delivery) may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to the Closing Time (or such Date of Delivery, as applicable), and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 6. Indemnification.

(a) Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

(1) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information deemed to be part of the Registration Statement, if applicable, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(2) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and

(3) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including, subject to Section 6(c) hereof, the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representatives), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (1) or (2) above;

provided, however, that (A) this indemnity agreement does not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information deemed to be a part thereof, if applicable, or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) and (B) as to any preliminary prospectus, any preliminary prospectus supplement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, this indemnity agreement shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter on account of any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense arising from the fact that such Underwriter sold Underwritten Securities to a person to whom there was not sent or given, at or prior to the written confirmation of such sale, a copy of the Prospectus (excluding documents incorporated by reference) or of the Prospectus (excluding documents incorporated by reference) as then amended or supplemented in any case where such delivery is required by the 1933 Act if the Company has previously furnished copies thereof to such Underwriter in the quantities requested at a reasonable time prior to the delivery of the written confirmation of such sale and the loss, claim, damage or liability of such Underwriter results from an untrue statement or omission of a material fact contained in such preliminary prospectus, preliminary prospectus supplement, Prospectus (excluding documents incorporated by reference) or amendment or supplement thereto, which the Company has sustained the burden of proving was corrected in the Prospectus (excluding documents incorporated by reference) or in the Prospectus (excluding documents incorporated by reference) as then amended or supplemented.

(b) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions of a material fact, or alleged untrue statements or omissions of a material fact, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information deemed to be a part thereof, if applicable, or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against

it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party, and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein, and to the extent that it may elect by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, provided, however, that if the defendants (including any impleaded party) in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel. Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 6 for any legal fees or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the next preceding sentence (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate counsel (plus any local counsel) representing the indemnified parties under Section 6(a) who are parties to such action); (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action; or (iii) the indemnifying party has authorized the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party; and except that, if clause (i) or (iii) is applicable, such liability shall be only in respect of the counsel referred to in such clause (i) or (iii). No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(d) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested in writing an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(2) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into after the later of (A) 45 days after such indemnified party has mailed (by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid) the aforesaid request to each of the Notice Recipients (as defined below) and (B) if the indemnifying party has not given written

notice to such indemnified party of the receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, 30 days after such indemnified party has mailed (by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid) a second such request to each of the Notice Recipients, provided that such second request is not mailed prior to the 46th day after the request referred to in subclause (i)(A) above is mailed, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, an indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) effected without its consent if such indemnifying party (i) reimburses such indemnified party in accordance with such request to the extent it considers such request to be reasonable and (ii) provides written notice to the indemnified party substantiating the unpaid balance as unreasonable, in each case prior to the date of such settlement. The Notice Recipients are the Chairman and the Assistant General Counsel of the Company. Requests mailed pursuant to this Section 6(d) shall be mailed to LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr., Chairman, United States Cellular Corporation, c/o Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., 30 North LaSalle, Suite 4000, Chicago, IL 60602, with a copy to Stephen P. Fitzell, Esq., General Counsel, United States Cellular Corporation, c/o Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, 10 South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603.

SECTION 7. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Underwritten Securities pursuant to the applicable Terms Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Underwritten Securities pursuant to the applicable Terms Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of such Underwritten Securities (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, or, if Rule 434 is used, the corresponding location on the Term Sheet bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of such Underwritten Securities as set forth on such cover.

The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative

intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Underwritten Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Initial Underwritten Securities set forth opposite their respective names in the applicable Terms Agreement, and not joint.

SECTION 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Underwriting Agreement or the applicable Terms Agreement, or contained in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto or thereto shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or controlling person, or by or on behalf of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Underwritten Securities.

SECTION 9. Termination.

(a) Underwriting Agreement. This Underwriting Agreement (excluding the applicable Terms Agreement) may be terminated for any reason at any time by the Company or by the

Representatives upon the giving of 30 days’ prior written notice of such termination to the other party hereto.

(b) Terms Agreement. The Representatives may terminate the applicable Terms Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Time or any relevant Date of Delivery, if (i) there has been, since the time of execution of such Terms Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto, after the date of the applicable Terms Agreement), any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or, if the Underwritten Securities include Debt Securities denominated or payable in, or indexed to, one or more foreign or composite currencies, in the international financial markets, or any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives impracticable or inadvisable to market the Underwritten Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Underwritten Securities, or (iii) trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the American Stock Exchange, or if trading generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the American Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by either of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the NASD or any other governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, or (iv) a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities or, if the Underwritten Securities include Debt Securities denominated or payable in, or indexed to, one or more foreign or composite currencies, by the relevant authorities in the related foreign country or countries, or (v) there has occurred, since the time of execution of such Terms Agreement, a downgrading in, or withdrawal of, the rating assigned to the Underwritten Securities or any of the Company’s other securities by a NRSRO, or since the time of execution of such Terms Agreement, any such NRSRO shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review with possible negative implications its rating of the Underwritten Securities or any of the Company’s other securities.

(c) Liabilities. If this Underwriting Agreement or the applicable Terms Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 9, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, to purchase the Underwritten Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under the applicable Terms Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), then the Representatives and the Company shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters reasonably acceptable to the Representatives, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts

as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:

(a) if the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Underwritten Securities to be purchased on such date pursuant to such Terms Agreement, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations under such Terms Agreement bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or

(b) if the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of Underwritten Securities to be purchased on such date pursuant to such Terms Agreement, such Terms Agreement (or, with respect to the Underwriters’ exercise of any applicable over-allotment option for the purchase of Option Underwritten Securities on a Date of Delivery after the Closing Time, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase, and the Company to sell, such Option Underwritten Securities on such Date of Delivery) shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.

No action taken pursuant to this Section 10 shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

In the event of any such default which does not result in (i) a termination of the applicable Terms Agreement or (ii) in the case of a Date of Delivery after the Closing Time, a termination of the obligations of the Underwriters and the Company with respect to the related Option Underwritten Securities, as the case may be, either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.

SECTION 11. Notices. Except as otherwise provided in Section 6(d), all notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to the Representatives as follows: Morgan Stanely & Co. Incorporated, Attention: General Counsel, 1575 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, with a copy to Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, Attention: Edward S. Best, 190 South LaSalle, Chicago, IL 60603; notices to the Company shall be directed to LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr. Chairman, United States Cellular Corporation, c/o Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., 30 North LaSalle, Suite 4000, Chicago, IL 60602, with a copy to Stephen P. Fitzell, Esq., General Counsel, United States Cellular Corporation, c/o Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, 10 South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603.

SECTION 12. Parties. This Underwriting Agreement and the applicable Terms Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company, the Representatives and, upon execution of such Terms Agreement, any other Underwriters and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Underwriting Agreement or such Terms Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other

than the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Underwriting Agreement or such Terms Agreement or any provision herein or therein contained. This Underwriting Agreement and such Terms Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof and thereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and thereto and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Underwritten Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

SECTION 13. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME. THIS UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT AND ANY APPLICABLE TERMS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

SECTION 14. Effect of Headings. The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this Underwriting Agreement, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Representatives and the Company in accordance with its terms.

	Very truly yours,

	UNITED STATES CELLULAR CORPORATION


	By:
	Name: LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr.
	Title: Chairman


	By:
	Name: Kenneth R. Meyers
	Title: Executive Vice President–Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH

INCORPORATED

MORGAN STANLEY & CO. INCORPORATED

UBS SECURITIES LLC

WACHOVIA CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC

As Representatives of the Several Underwriters Referred to Below

BY: MORGAN STANLEY & CO. INCORPORATED


By:
Authorized Signatory

Acting on behalf of itself and the other named Underwriters.

[Signature Page to the Underwriting Agreement]

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