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Stock Plans
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Stock Plans [Abstract]  
Stock Plans
(11)
Stock Plans:
At September 30, 2012, we had five stock-based compensation plans under which grants were made and awards remained outstanding. No further awards may be granted under three of the plans: the 1996 Equity Incentive Plan, the Amended and Restated 2000 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2000 EIP) and the Deferred Fee Plan. At September 30, 2012, there were 12,540,761 shares authorized for grant and 3,112,457 shares available for grant under the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2009 EIP) and the Directors' Equity Plan.

Performance Shares
On February 15, 2012, the Company's Compensation Committee, in consultation with the other non-management directors of the Company's Board of Directors and the Committee's independent executive compensation consultant, adopted the new Frontier Long-Term Incentive Plan (the "LTIP"). LTIP awards are granted in the form of performance shares. The LTIP is offered under the Company's 2009 Equity Incentive Plan and participants consist of senior vice presidents and above. The LTIP awards have performance, market and time-vesting conditions.
 
Beginning in 2012, during the first 90 days of a three-year performance period (a "Measurement Period"), a target number of performance shares are awarded to each LTIP participant with respect to the Measurement Period. The performance metrics under the LTIP are (1) annual targets for operating cash flow based on a goal set during the first 90 days of each year in the three-year Measurement Period and (2) an overall performance "modifier" set during the first 90 days of the Measurement Period, based on the Company's total return to stockholders (i.e., Total Shareholder Return or "TSR") relative to the Diversified Telecommunications Services Group (GICS Code 501010) for the three-year Measurement Period. Operating cash flow performance is determined at the end of each year and the annual results will be averaged at the end of the three-year Measurement Period to determine the preliminary number of shares earned under the LTIP award. The TSR performance measure is then applied to decrease or increase payouts based on the Company's three year relative TSR performance. LTIP awards, to the extent earned, will be paid out in the form of common stock shortly following the end of the three-year Measurement Period.
 
On February 15, 2012, the Compensation Committee granted 930,020 performance shares under the LTIP for the 2012-2014 Measurement Period and set the operating cash flow performance goal for the first year in that Measurement Period and the TSR modifier for the three-year Measurement Period. The number of shares of common stock earned at the end of the three-year Measurement Period may be more or less than the number of target performance shares granted as a result of operating cash flow and TSR performance. An executive must maintain a satisfactory performance rating during the Measurement Period and must be employed by the Company at the end of the three-year Measurement Period in order for the award to vest. The Compensation Committee will determine the number of shares earned for the 2012-2014 Measurement Period in February 2015.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2012, the Company recognized an expense of $0.3 million for the LTIP.

Restricted Stock
The following summary presents information regarding unvested restricted stock as of September 30, 2012 and changes during the nine months then ended with regard to restricted stock under the 2009 EIP:

         
Weighted
     
         
Average
     
   
Number of
   
Grant Date
   
Aggregate
   
Shares
   
Fair Value
   
Fair Value
Balance at January 1, 2012
4,847,000
 
   
 $           8.40
$
24,962,000
 
 
Restricted stock granted
3,941,000
 
$
4.17
 
$
19,390,000
 
Restricted stock vested
(1,332,000)
 
$
8.84
 
$
6,554,000
 
Restricted stock forfeited
(289,000)
 
$
6.08
     
Balance at September 30, 2012
7,167,000
 
$
6.09
 
$
35,259,000

For purposes of determining compensation expense, the fair value of each restricted stock grant is estimated based on the average of the high and low market price of a share of our common stock on the date of grant. Total remaining unrecognized compensation cost associated with unvested restricted stock awards at September 30, 2012 was $28.9 million and the weighted average period over which this cost is expected to be recognized is approximately two years.

Shares granted during the first nine months of 2011 totaled 1,721,000. The total fair value of shares granted and vested at September 30, 2011 was approximately $10.5 million and $6.9 million, respectively. The total fair value of unvested restricted stock at September 30, 2011 was $29.7 million. The weighted average grant date fair value of restricted shares granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2011 was $9.41.
 
Stock Options
The following summary presents information regarding outstanding stock options as of September 30, 2012 and changes during the nine months then ended with regard to options under the 2000 EIP and the 2009 EIP:

         
Weighted
 
Weighted
     
   
Shares
   
Average
 
Average
   
Aggregate
   
Subject to
   
Option Price
 
Remaining
   
Intrinsic
   
Option
   
Per Share
 
Life in Years
   
Value
Balance at January 1, 2012
895,000
 
$
9.94
 
1.3
 
$
-
 
Options granted
-
 
$
-
         
 
Options exercised
-
 
$
-
         
 
Options canceled, forfeited or lapsed
(355,000)
 
$
8.35
         
Balance at September 30, 2012
540,000
 
$
11.00
 
1.1
 
$
-
                     
Exercisable at September 30, 2012
540,000
 
$
11.00
 
1.1
 
$
-
                     
 
There were no options granted during the first nine months of 2011. There were 10,000 options exercised during that period with cash received of $0.1 million. There was no intrinsic value for the stock options outstanding and exercisable at September 30, 2011.