Exhibit
3.2
SHENANDOAH
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
Edinburg,
Virginia
AMENDED
AND RESTATED BYLAWS
(Effective
as of November 16, 2009)
ARTICLE
I
MEETINGS OF
SHAREHOLDERS
SECTION
1. Places of Meetings -
All meetings of the shareholders shall be held at the principal office of the
company in Edinburg, Virginia, or at such other place or places in Shenandoah
County, Virginia, as may from time to time, be fixed by the Board of
Directors.
SECTION
2. Annual Meetings
- -
(a) Subject
to the ability of the Board of Directors to postpone a meeting under Virginia
law, the annual meeting of shareholders shall be held on the first (1st)
Tuesday after the third (3rd)
Monday in April of each year, or such other date and time as may be fixed by the
Board of Directors and stated in the notice of meeting. The annual
meeting shall be held for the purpose of electing directors and for the
transaction of only such other business as is properly brought before the
meeting in accordance with these Bylaws. To be properly brought
before an annual meeting, business must be: (i) specified in the
notice of annual meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the
direction of the Board of Directors; (ii) otherwise properly brought before the
annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors; or (iii)
otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by a
shareholder.
(b) For
nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by
a shareholder pursuant to this Section 2, the shareholder must have given
timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the company and any such
business other than the nominations of persons for election to the Board of
Directors must constitute a proper matter for shareholder action. To
be timely, a shareholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at the
principal executive offices of the company not later than the close of business
on the one hundred twentieth (120th) day
nor earlier than the close of business on the one hundred fiftieth (150th) day
prior to the first (1st)
anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the
event that the date of the annual meeting is more than thirty (30) days before
or more than seventy (70) days after such anniversary date, notice by the
shareholder must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the
one hundred fiftieth (150th) day
prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the
later of the one hundred twentieth (120th) day
prior to such annual meeting or the tenth (10th) day
following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is
first made by the company. In no event shall the public announcement
of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting commence a new time
period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as
described above. Such shareholder’s notice shall set
forth: (i) as to each person whom the shareholder proposes to
nominate for election as a director (A) all information relating to such
person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election
of directors in an election contest, or is otherwise required, in each case
pursuant to and in accordance with Regulation 14A under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), (B) a description of
all arrangements, understandings or relationships between such person and the
shareholder and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons)
pursuant to which the nomination or nominations are to be made by the
shareholder, and (C) such person’s written consent to being named in the
proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected;
(ii) as to any other business that the shareholder proposes to bring before
the meeting, a brief description of the business desired to be brought before
the meeting, the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any
resolutions proposed for consideration and, in the event that such business
includes a proposal to amend the Bylaws of the company, the language of the
proposed amendment), the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and
any material interest in such business of such shareholder and the beneficial
owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; and (iii) as to the
shareholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf
the nomination or proposal is made (A) the name and address of such
shareholder, as they appear on the company’s books, and of such beneficial
owner, (B) the class and number of shares of capital stock of the company
which are owned beneficially and of record by such shareholder and such
beneficial owner, (C) a representation that the shareholder is a holder of
record of stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to
appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such business or
nomination, and (D) a representation whether the shareholder or the
beneficial owner, if any, intends or is part of a group which intends
(x) to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at
least the percentage of the company’s outstanding capital stock required to
approve or adopt the proposal or elect the nominee and/or (y) otherwise to
solicit proxies from shareholders in support of such proposal or
nomination. The foregoing notice requirements shall be deemed
satisfied by a shareholder if the shareholder has notified the company of his or
her intention to present a proposal at an annual meeting in compliance with
Rule 14a-8 (or any successor thereof) promulgated under the Exchange Act
and such shareholder’s proposal has been included in a proxy statement that has
been prepared by the company to solicit proxies for such annual
meeting. The company may require any proposed nominee to furnish such
other information as it may reasonably require to determine the eligibility of
such proposed nominee to serve as a director of the company.
(c) Notwithstanding
anything in the second sentence of paragraph (b) of this Section 2 to
the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the
Board of Directors of the company at an annual meeting is increased and there is
no public announcement by the company naming the nominees for the additional
directorships at least one hundred (100) days prior to the first (1st)
anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a shareholder’s notice
required by this Section 2 shall also be considered timely, but only with
respect to nominees for the additional directorships, if it shall be delivered
to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the company not later
than the close of business on the tenth (10th) day
following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the
company.
(d) In
the event that a shareholder attempts to bring the nomination of persons for
election to the Board of Directors and/or proposed business before an annual
meeting without complying with the provisions of this Section 2, the
chairman of the meeting shall declare to the shareholders present at the meeting
that the business was not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with
the foregoing procedures, and such nominations and/or business shall not be
considered at the meeting.
SECTION
3. Special Meetings -
Special meetings of the shareholders may be called at any time by the Chairman
of the Board or by a majority of the Board of Directors. At a special
meeting of shareholders, no business shall be transacted and no corporate action
shall be taken other than that stated in the notice of the meeting.
SECTION
4. Notice of Meetings -
Written notice stating the place, day and hour of a shareholders’ meeting and
the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall be given not less
than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting,
except as hereinafter provided, either personally or by mail, by or at the
direction of the president, the secretary, or the officer or persons calling the
meeting, to each shareholder of record entitled to vote at such
meeting. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be given when
deposited in the United States mail, addressed to the shareholder at his address
as it appears on the stock transfer books of the company, with postage thereon
prepaid. Notice of a shareholders’ meeting to act on an amendment of
the Articles of Incorporation, a plan of merger, share exchange, domestication
or entity conversion, a proposed sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of
the company’s assets (other than a disposition described in Virginia Code
Section 13.1-723) that would leave the company without a significant continuing
business activity (as defined in Virginia Code Section 13.1-724), or the
dissolution of the company, shall be given in the manner provided above, not
less than twenty-five (25) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the
meeting.
SECTION
5. Quorum - Any number
of shareholders together holding at least a majority of the shares of the
capital stock of the company entitled to vote in respect to the business to be
transacted, who shall be present in person or represented by proxy at any
meeting duly called, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business,
except where by law a greater interest is required. If less than a
quorum shall be in attendance at the time for which a meeting shall have been
called, the meeting may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of the
shareholders present or represented by proxy without notice other than by
announcement at the meeting until a quorum shall attend. When a
quorum is present at any meeting, the affirmative vote of the majority of the
shares represented at the meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter
shall be the act of the shareholders, unless the question is one upon which by
express provision of law a larger or different vote is required, in which case
such expressed provision shall govern and control the decision of such question,
except that in the election of directors those receiving the greater numbers of
votes shall be deemed elected even though not receiving a majority.
SECTION
6. Voting - At any
meeting of the shareholders each common shareholder shall have one (1) vote, in
person or by proxy, for each share of common stock standing in such
shareholder’s name on the books of the company on the date, not more than
seventy (70) days prior to such meeting, fixed by the Board of Directors as the
record date for the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to
vote.
SECTION
7. Waiver of Notice -
Any shareholder may waive and shall be treated as having waived the notice
hereinabove in this article required, either by signing a written waiver of such
notice or by attending such meeting in person or by proxy. A waiver
of notice in writing, whether signed before or after the time stated therein,
shall be equivalent to the giving of such notice.
ARTICLE
II
DIRECTORS
SECTION
1. Powers - The
property, affairs and business of the company shall be managed by the Board of
Directors, and except as otherwise expressly provided by law or by the charter,
as amended, or by these Bylaws all of the powers of the company shall be vested
in said Board. The Board of Directors shall have power to determine
what constitutes net earnings, profit and surplus, respectively, what amount
shall be reserved for working capital and for any other purposes, and what
amount shall be declared as dividends, and such determination by the Board of
Directors shall be final and conclusive.
SECTION
2. Number and
Qualification - The Board of Directors shall be nine (9) in
number. Such number may be increased or decreased by amendment to
this section of the Bylaws. Directors need not be
shareholders. No person shall be a member of the Board of Directors
after the end of the term of such member’s class (as provided in Article VI of
the Articles of Incorporation of the company) in which such member reaches the
age of seventy-two (72).
SECTION
3. Election of Directors
- - At each annual meeting of shareholders (or any meeting held in lieu of the
annual meeting for that purpose) the successors to the class of directors whose
term shall then expire shall be elected to hold office for a term expiring at
the third (3rd)
proceeding annual meeting and until their successors shall be elected and
qualified.
SECTION
4. Meetings of Directors
- - Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at places within or without
the Commonwealth of Virginia and at times fixed by resolution of the Board, or
upon call of the Chairman of the Board or president; and the secretary or
officer performing his duties shall give at least two (2) days’ notice by
electronic or facsimile transmission, telephone, letter or in person of all
meetings of the directors, provided that notice need not be given of regular
meetings held at time and places fixed by resolution of the
Board. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of,
any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors need be specified in
the notice or waiver of notice of such meeting. Meetings may be held
at any time without notice if all of the directors are present, or if those not
present waive notice in writing either before or after the
meeting. The secretary or officer performing his duties shall call
special meetings of the Board whenever requested in writing to do so by two (2)
or more directors, such request to specify the object of the
meeting. Directors may be allowed, by resolution of the Board, a
reasonable fee and expenses for attendance at all meetings.
SECTION
5. Quorum - A quorum at
any meeting shall consist of a majority of the entire membership of the
Board. A majority of such quorum shall decide any question which may
come before the meeting.
SECTION
6. Chairman and Vice Chairman
of the Board - The Chairman of the Board shall preside over the meetings
of the Board of Directors and of the shareholders at which he shall be present
and shall in general oversee all of the business and affairs of the Board of
Directors. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board, the Vice
Chairman of the Board shall preside at such meetings at which he shall be
present. The Chairman of the Board and the Vice Chairman of the Board
shall be appointed by a majority of the Board of Directors and shall serve in
such capacities until a successor is designated or until his earlier
resignation, removal from office, death or incapacity. The positions
of Chairman of the Board and Vice Chairman of the Board shall not be officer
positions of the company.
ARTICLE
III
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
SECTION
1. Designation of
Committee - The Board of Directors may, whenever it sees fit, by a
majority vote of the whole Board, designate an Executive Committee which shall
consist of at least three (3) directors, one of whom shall be the Chairman of
the Board. The members of the Executive Committee shall serve until
their successors are designated by the Board of Directors or until removed or
until the Executive Committee is dissolved by the Board of
Directors. All vacancies which may occur in the Executive Committee
shall be filled by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors
shall have the power at any time to change the membership of or to dissolve the
Executive Committee.
SECTION
2. General Powers - The
Executive Committee, when the Board of Directors is not in session, shall have
and may exercise all of the authority of the Board of Directors, except to
approve an amendment of the articles of incorporation, a plan of merger or
consolidation, a plan of exchange under which the corporation would be acquired,
the sale, lease or exchange, or the mortgage or pledge for a consideration other
than money, of all, or substantially all, the property and assets of the
corporation otherwise than in the usual and regular course of its
business, or the filing or revocation of voluntary dissolution
proceedings. The Executive Committee shall report at the next regular
or special meeting of the Board of Directors all action which the Executive
Committee may have taken since the last regular or special meeting of the Board
of Directors.
SECTION
3. Meetings of the Executive
Committee - Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at such
places and at such times fixed by resolution of the Committee, or upon call of
the chairman of the Committee. Due notice shall be given by letter,
electronic or facsimile transmission, telephone, or in person, of all meetings
of the Executive Committee, provided that notice need not be given of regular
meetings held at times and places fixed by resolution of the committee and that
meetings may be held at any time without notice if all of the members of the
committee are present or if those not present waive notice either before or
after the meeting. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the
purpose of any regular or special meeting of the Executive Committee need be
specified in the notice or waiver of notice of such meeting. A
majority of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for
the transaction of business. Members of this Committee may be
allowed, by resolution of the Board, a reasonable fee and expenses for attending
Executive Committee meetings without regard to any compensation received by them
as officers, directors or employees of the company.
ARTICLE
IV
OFFICERS
SECTION
1. Election - The
officers of the company shall consist of a president, a secretary, a treasurer,
and such other officers as may be elected as provided in Section 3 of this
Article, and shall be elected by the Board of Directors after its election by
the shareholders; and a meeting may be held without notice for this purpose
immediately after the annual meeting of the shareholders and at the same
place.
SECTION
2. Removal of Officers -
All officers and agents elected or appointed by the Board of Directors may be
removed at the pleasure of the Board, and directors may fix the compensation of
all officers and agents of the company. All vacancies may be filled
at any meeting of the Board of Directors.
SECTION
3. Other Officers -
Other officers, including one or more vice presidents, one or more assistant
secretaries and assistant treasurers, may from time to time be elected by the
Board of Directors, and shall hold office for such term as may be designated by
the said Board of Directors.
SECTION
4. Eligibility of
Officers - No person shall be an officer of the company after the end of
the calendar year in which he reaches the age of seventy-two (72).
SECTION
5. Vacancies - If the
office of any officer or agent, one or more, becomes vacant by reason of death,
resignation, removal, disqualification or otherwise, the directors at the time
in office, if a quorum, may by a majority vote, choose a successor or successors
who shall hold office for the unexpired term.
SECTION
6. Duties - The officers
of the company shall have such duties as generally pertain to their offices,
respectively, as well as such powers and duties as are hereinafter provided and
as from time to time shall be conferred by the Board of
Directors. The Board of Directors may require any officer to give
such bond for the faithful performance of his duties as it may see
fit.
SECTION
7. Duties of the
President – In the absence of the Chairman of the Board and the Vice
Chairman of the Board, the president shall preside at all meetings of the Board
of Directors and shareholders. He shall be the chief executive
officer to whom all other officers shall report. He shall have the
overall supervision of the affairs of the company, including the day-to-day
responsibilities for the operation of the company and have direct charge of the
employees thereof and such other duties as may be delegated to him by the Board
of Directors or the Executive Committee. Presidents of all
subsidiaries of the company shall report to the president of the
company.
SECTION
8. Duties of the
Secretary - The secretary shall give notices of meetings of shareholders,
of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee, if there be one, as
required by law and these Bylaws; shall record the proceedings at such meetings;
shall keep or supervise the keeping of records of the ownership of shares of
common stock; shall have custody of the Corporate seal and all deeds, leases and
contracts to which the company is a party; and, on behalf of the company, shall
make reports as from time to time are required by law, except tax returns; and
shall have power, together with the president or a vice president, to sign
certificates of stock, bonds, deeds and contracts of the company. In
his absence an assistant secretary or a secretary pro tempore shall perform
his duties.
SECTION
9. Duties of the
Treasurer - The treasurer shall be the chief financial
officer and shall coordinate the financial and accounting affairs of
the company and its subsidiaries. The treasurer shall have
custody of all securities held by the company and of all funds which may come
into his hands. He shall keep appropriate records and accounts of all moneys of
the company received or disbursed and shall deposit all moneys and securities in
the name of and to the credit of the company in such banks and depositories as
the directors shall from time to time designate. He may endorse for
deposit for collection all checks, notes, et cetera, payable to the company or
its order, may accept drafts on behalf of the company, and, together with the
president or a vice president, may sign certificates of stock, bonds, deeds, and
contracts of the company. He shall also file or supervise the filing
of all tax returns required by law.
All
checks, drafts, or other orders for the payment of money by or to
the company and all notes and other evidences of indebtedness issued in the
name of the company shall be signed by such officer or officers, agent or
agents of the company, and in such manner, as shall be determined by
resolution of the board of directors or a duly authorized committee
thereof. Checks for the total amount of any payroll may be drawn in
accordance with the foregoing provisions and deposited in a special
fund. Checks upon this fund may be drawn by such person as the
treasurer shall designate and need not be countersigned.
The
treasurer may affix his signature to coupons on any bonds of the company by any
form or facsimile, whether engraved, printed, lithographed or
otherwise.
SECTION
10. Other Duties of
Officers - Any officer of the company shall have, in addition to the
duties prescribed herein and by law, such other duties as from time to time
shall be prescribed by the Board of Directors or the president.
ARTICLE
V
CAPITAL
STOCK
SECTION
1. Certificates for
Shares - The shares of stock of the company shall be represented by
certificates, or shall be uncertificated shares that may be evidenced by a
book-entry system maintained by the registrar of such stock, or a combination of
both. To the extent that shares are represented by certificates, such
certificates whenever authorized by the Board shall be in such form as
prescribed by the Board of Directors and shall bear the seal of the company and
the signature of at least two (2) officers designated by the Board of Directors
to sign such certificates.
Transfer
agents and/or registrars for the stock of the company may be appointed by the
Board of Directors and may be required to countersign stock
certificates.
Any or
all of the signatures on the certificate may be a facsimile.
In the
event that any officer whose signature shall have been used on a stock
certificate shall for any reason cease to be an officer of the company and such
certificate shall not then have been delivered by the company, the Board of
Directors may nevertheless adopt such certificate, and it may then be issued and
delivered as though such person had not ceased to be an officer of the
company.
SECTION
2. Lost, Destroyed and
Mutilated Certificates - Holders of the stock of the company shall
immediately notify the company of any loss, destruction or mutilation of the
certificate therefor; and the Board of Directors may in its discretion cause one
or more new certificates for the same number of shares in the aggregate to be
issued to such shareholder upon the surrender of the mutilated certificate or
upon satisfactory proof of such loss or destruction, and the deposit of a bond
in such form and amount and with corporate surety.
SECTION
3. Transfer of Shares –
Transfer of shares of stock of the company shall be transferable or assignable
only on the books of the company upon authorization by the registered holder
thereof, or by such holder's attorney thereunto authorized by a power of
attorney duly executed and filed with the Secretary or a transfer agent for such
stock, if any, and if such shares are represented by a certificate, upon
surrender of the certificate or certificates for such shares properly endorsed
or accompanied by a duly executed stock transfer power (or by proper evidence of
succession, assignment or authority to transfer.) The company will
recognize, however, the exclusive rights of the person registered on its books
as the owner of shares to receive dividends and to vote as such owner, subject
to the provision of the amended and restated charter with regard to the present
issued and outstanding stock. It shall be the duty of each
shareholder to notify the company of his post office address.
SECTION
4. Fixing Record Date -
For the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at
any meeting of shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or entitled to receive
payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination of shareholders for
any other proper purpose, the Board of Directors may fix in advance a date as
the record date for any such determination of shareholders, such date in any
case to be not more than seventy (70) days prior to the date on which the
particular action, requiring such determination of shareholders, is to be taken.
If no record date is fixed for the determination of shareholders entitled to
notice of or to vote at a meeting of shareholders, or shareholders entitled to
receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notices of the meeting are
mailed or the date on which the resolution of the Board of Directors declaring
such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such
determination of shareholders. When a determination of shareholders
entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders has been made as provided in
this Section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof unless
the Board of Directors fixes a new record date, which it shall do if the meeting
is adjourned to a date more than one hundred twenty (120) days after the date
fixed for the original meeting.
ARTICLE
VI
MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
SECTION
1. Seal - The seal of
the company shall bear the words, “Shenandoah Telecommunications Company Seal”,
with such device or devices as the Board of Directors may determine, an
impression of which is affixed to this section of the Bylaws.
SECTION
2. Fiscal Year - The
fiscal year shall end on the last day in December of each year.
SECTION
3. Examination of Books
- - The Board of Directors shall, subject to the laws of the Commonwealth of
Virginia, have power to determine from time to time whether and to what extent
and under what conditions and limitations the accounts, records and books
(except the stock and transfer books) of the company, or any of them, shall be
open to the inspection of the shareholders.
The stock
and transfer books of the company shall be at all times during business hours
open to the inspection of the registered shareholders in person.
SECTION
4. Amendment of Bylaws -
The Bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed at any meeting of the Board of
Directors by affirmative vote of a majority of all of the
directors. The shareholders shall have the power to rescind, alter,
amend, or repeal any Bylaws and to enact Bylaws which, if expressly provided,
may not be amended, altered or repealed by the Board of Directors.
SECTION
5. Voting of Stock Held
- - Unless otherwise provided by resolution of the Board of Directors, the
president, or the secretary may from time to time appoint an attorney or
attorneys or agent or agents of the company, in the name and on behalf of the
company, to cast the votes which the company may be entitled to cast as a
shareholder or otherwise in any other corporation, any of whose stock or
securities may be held by the company, at meetings of the holders of the stock
or other securities of any other corporations, or to consent in writing to any
action by any such other corporations, and may instruct the person or persons so
appointed as to the manner of casting such votes or giving such consent, and may
execute or cause to be executed on behalf of the company and under its corporate
seal, or otherwise, such written proxies, consents, waivers, or other
instruments as may be necessary or proper in the premises; or the president, or
the secretary himself attend any meeting of the holders of stock or other
securities of any such other corporation and thereat vote or exercise any or all
other powers of the company as the holder of such stock or other securities of
such other corporation.
SECTION
6. Control Share Statute
- - Article 14.1 of Title 13.1 of the Code of Virginia (Control Share
Acquisitions) shall not apply to acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the
company.
*
* * *
Edinburg,
Virginia
Effective
as of November 16, 2009