Note 6 — Senior Notes and Other Long-Term Debt

Total long-term debt consisted of the following as of December 31, 2017 and March 31, 2017:


	As of December 31, 2017			As of March 31, 2017
	(In thousands)
2025 Notes	$	700,000		$	—
2020 Notes		—			575,000
Revolving Credit Facility		—			—
Ex-Im Credit Facility (1)		362,401			304,134
Other		299			288

Total debt		1,062,700			879,422
Unamortized premium/(discount and debt issuance costs), net (1)		(40,963	)		(30,651	)
Less: current portion of long-term debt		45,599			288

Total long-term debt	$	976,138		$	848,483

(1)

As of March 31, 2017, included in Ex-Im Credit Facility and in unamortized discount and debt issuance costs on the Ex-Im Credit Facility was $29.5 million and $23.0 million, respectively, relating to the exposure fees accrued as of such date and subsequently financed under the Ex-Im Credit Facility.

Revolving Credit Facility

As of December 31, 2017, the Revolving Credit Facility provided an $800.0 million revolving line of credit (including up to $150.0 million of letters of credit) with a maturity date of May 24, 2021.

Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest, at the Company’s option, at either (1) the highest of the Federal Funds rate plus 0.50%, the Eurodollar rate plus 1.00%, or the administrative agent’s prime rate as announced from time to time, or (2) the Eurodollar rate, plus, in the case of each of (1) and (2), an applicable margin that is based on the Company’s total leverage ratio. The Company has capitalized certain amounts of interest expense on the Revolving Credit Facility in connection with the construction of various assets during the construction period. The Revolving Credit Facility is required to be guaranteed by certain significant domestic subsidiaries of the Company (as defined in the Revolving Credit Facility) and secured by substantially all of the Company’s and any such subsidiaries’ assets. As of December 31, 2017, none of the Company’s subsidiaries guaranteed the Revolving Credit Facility.

The Revolving Credit Facility contains financial covenants regarding a maximum total leverage ratio and a minimum interest coverage ratio. In addition, the Revolving Credit Facility contains covenants that restrict, among other things, the Company’s ability to sell assets, make investments and acquisitions, make capital expenditures, grant liens, pay dividends and make certain other restricted payments.

The Company was in compliance with its financial covenants under the Revolving Credit Facility as of December 31, 2017. At December 31, 2017, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility and $29.1 million outstanding under standby letters of credit, leaving borrowing availability under the Revolving Credit Facility as of December 31, 2017 of $770.9 million.

Ex-Im Credit Facility

As of December 31, 2017, the Ex-Im Credit Facility provided a $362.4 million senior secured direct loan facility, which was fully drawn. Of the $362.4 million in principal amount of borrowings made under the Ex-Im Credit Facility, $321.2 million was used to finance up to 85% of the costs of construction, launch and insurance of the ViaSat-2 satellite and related goods and services (including costs incurred on or after September 18, 2012), with the remaining $41.2 million used to finance the total exposure fees incurred under the Ex-Im Credit Facility (which includes all previously accrued completion exposure fees).

Borrowings under the Ex-Im Credit Facility bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.38%, payable semi-annually in arrears. The effective interest rate on the Company’s outstanding borrowings under the Ex-Im Credit Facility, which takes into account timing and amount of borrowings, exposure fees, debt issuance costs and other fees, is 4.6%. Borrowings under the Ex-Im Credit Facility are required to be repaid in 16 approximately equal semi-annual principal installments, commencing on April 15, 2018, with a maturity date of October 15, 2025. The Ex-Im Credit Facility is guaranteed by Viasat and is secured by first-priority liens on the ViaSat-2 satellite and related assets, as well as a pledge of the capital stock of the borrower under the facility.

The Ex-Im Credit Facility contains financial covenants regarding Viasat’s maximum total leverage ratio and minimum interest coverage ratio. In addition, the Ex-Im Credit Facility contains covenants that restrict, among other things, the Company’s ability to sell assets, make investments and acquisitions, make capital expenditures, grant liens, pay dividends and make certain other restricted payments. The Company was in compliance with its financial covenants under the Ex-Im Credit Facility as of December 31, 2017.

Borrowings under the Ex-Im Credit Facility are recorded as current portion of long-term debt and as other long-term debt, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs, in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. The discount of $42.3 million (comprising the initial $6.0 million pre-exposure fee, $35.3 million of completion exposure fees, and other customary fees) and deferred financing cost associated with the issuance of the borrowings under the Ex-Im Credit Facility is amortized to interest expense on an effective interest rate basis over the term of the borrowings under the Ex-Im Credit Facility.

Senior Notes

Discharge of indenture and loss on extinguishment of debt

In connection with the Company’s issuance of the 2025 Notes on September 21, 2017, the Company repurchased and redeemed all of its $575.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 2020 Notes then outstanding through a cash tender offer and redemption, and the indenture governing the 2020 Notes was satisfied and discharged in accordance with its terms. On September 21, 2017, the Company repurchased $298.2 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2020 Notes pursuant to the tender offer. The total cash payment to repurchase the tendered 2020 Notes in the tender offer, including accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the repurchase date, was $309.3 million. Also on September 21, 2017, in connection with the redemption of the remaining $276.8 million in aggregate principal amount of 2020 Notes, the Company irrevocably deposited $287.4 million with Wilmington Trust, as trustee, as trust funds solely for the benefit of the holders of such 2020 Notes. The redemption price for the 2020 Notes was 101.719% of the principal amount so redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date of October 5, 2017.

In connection with the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture governing the 2020 Notes, all of the obligations of the Company (other than certain customary provisions of the indenture that expressly survive pursuant to the terms of the indenture) were discharged on September 21, 2017.

As a result of the repurchase of the 2020 Notes in the tender offer and the redemption of the remaining 2020 Notes, the Company recognized a $10.2 million loss on extinguishment of debt during the second quarter of fiscal year 2018, which was comprised of $10.6 million in cash payments (including tender offer consideration, redemption premium and related professional fees), net of an insignificant amount in non-cash gain (including unamortized premium, net of unamortized debt issuance costs).

Senior Notes due 2025

On September 21, 2017, the Company issued $700.0 million in principal amount of 2025 Notes in a private placement to institutional buyers. The 2025 Notes were issued at face value and are recorded as long-term debt, net of debt issuance costs, in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. The 2025 Notes bear interest at the rate of 5.625% per year, payable semi-annually in cash in arrears, which interest payments will commence in March 2018. Debt issuance costs associated with the issuance of the 2025 Notes are amortized to interest expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the 2025 Notes, the results of which are not materially different from the effective interest rate basis.

The 2025 Notes are required to be guaranteed on an unsecured senior basis by each of the Company’s existing and future subsidiaries that guarantees the Revolving Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2017, none of the Company’s subsidiaries guaranteed the 2025 Notes. The 2025 Notes are the Company’s general senior unsecured obligations and rank equally in right of payment with all of the Company’s existing and future unsecured unsubordinated debt. The 2025 Notes are effectively junior in right of payment to the Company’s existing and future secured debt, including under the Credit Facilities (to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt), are structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities (including trade payables) of the Company’s subsidiaries that do not guarantee the 2025 Notes, and are senior in right of payment to all of their existing and future subordinated indebtedness.

The indenture governing the 2025 Notes limits, among other things, the Company’s and its restricted subsidiaries’ ability to: incur, assume or guarantee additional debt; issue redeemable stock and preferred stock; pay dividends, make distributions or redeem or repurchase capital stock; prepay, redeem or repurchase subordinated debt; make loans and investments; grant or incur liens; restrict dividends, loans or asset transfers from restricted subsidiaries; sell or otherwise dispose of assets; enter into transactions with affiliates; reduce the Company’s satellite insurance; and consolidate or merge with, or sell substantially all of their assets to, another person.

Prior to September 15, 2020, the Company may redeem up to 40% of the 2025 Notes at a redemption price of 105.625% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, thereon to the redemption date, from the net cash proceeds of specified equity offerings. The Company may also redeem the 2025 Notes prior to September 15, 2020, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof plus the applicable premium and any accrued and unpaid interest, if any, thereon to the redemption date. The applicable premium is calculated as the greater of: (i) 1.0% of the principal amount of such 2025 Notes and (ii) the excess, if any, of (a) the present value at such date of redemption of (1) the redemption price of such 2025 Notes on September 15, 2020 plus (2) all required interest payments due on such 2025 Notes through September 15, 2020 (excluding accrued but unpaid interest to the date of redemption), computed using a discount rate equal to the treasury rate (as defined under the indenture) plus 50 basis points, over (b) the then-outstanding principal amount of such 2025 Notes. The 2025 Notes may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at any time during the 12 months beginning on September 15, 2020 at a redemption price of 102.813%, during the 12 months beginning on September 15, 2021 at a redemption price of 101.406%, and at any time on or after September 15, 2022 at a redemption price of 100%, in each case plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, thereon to the redemption date.

In the event a change of control triggering event occurs (as defined in the indenture), each holder will have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or any part of such holder’s 2025 Notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of purchase (subject to the right of holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date).