BROOMFIELD, Colo., April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) today announced the appointment of Steven Terrell "Terry" Clontz and General Kevin P. Chilton (ret.) to its board of directors. The appointments bring the total number of board members to 12.

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Mr. Clontz replaces Mr. Lee Theng Kiat, a director of the company since October 2011. Effective April 1, 2012, Mr. Lee was named president and general counsel of Temasek Holdings (Temasek). He served as a director of Global Crossing Limited from December 2003 until it was acquired by the company in October 2011. 

Mr. Clontz served as a member of the Global Crossing executive committee from December 2003 until its acquisition by Level 3 in October 2011. Mr. Clontz has served as Senior Executive Vice President for North America and Europe of ST Telemedia since January 2010. He was chief executive officer of StarHub from 1999 to 2009, and has served as a director of StarHub since 1999. From December 1995 through December 1998, Mr. Clontz served as chief executive officer, president and a director of IPC Information Systems. Prior to that, Mr. Clontz worked at BellSouth International, joining in 1987 and holding senior executive positions, serving the last three years as president Asia-Pacific. 

General Chilton retired from the U.S. Air Force after 34 years of service in February 2011. General Chilton served as Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, from 2007 through 2011, overseeing operations for the U.S. Department of Defense nuclear, space and cyberspace operations.  From 2006 to 2007, General Chilton served as Commander of Air Force Space Command, where he was responsible for all Air Force space and nuclear ICBM programs.  He previously served in a variety of command positions and as a pilot and test pilot. General Chilton also served as a NASA astronaut from 1987 to 1996, including on three space shuttle flights, and as the Deputy Program Manager for the International Space Station from 1996 to 1998. General Chilton is a director of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Orbital Sciences Corporation. General Chilton is also a member of the board of the Aerospace Corporation, a federally-funded research and development center that is sponsored by the United States Air Force, and provides objective technical analyses and assessments for space programs that serve the U.S. national interest.

"We are pleased to welcome general Chilton and Terry Clontz to the Level 3 board of directors," said Walter Scott Jr., chairman of the board of Level 3 Communications. "We believe the company will benefit from General Chilton's extensive command and leadership experience in the Air Force, which provides him with a valuable blend of political, legislative, international and regulatory knowledge and experience.

"We thank Theng Kiat for his valuable contribution to Level 3 and congratulate him on his new appointment to the senior leadership team of Temasek. We will continue to value his counsel," said Mr. Scott. "We are pleased that Terry Clontz has been appointed to follow Theng Kiat, as Terry brings deep telecommunications strategic and operating experience to the board."

"It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve on the board of Level 3," said Lee Theng Kiat. "I believe that General Chilton and Terry Clontz will add a depth of international experience and leadership that will complement the skills and experience of the board. Level 3 has great opportunities before it, and I wish Jim Crowe and his management team every success as they capitalize on those opportunities."

General Chilton and Mr. Clontz will serve on the board until Level 3's next Annual Meeting of Stockholders in May, at which time both directors will be up for reelection to the board of directors.

For more information on Level 3's advanced network and service offerings, visit www.level3.com.

About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a premier global provider of IP-based communications services to enterprise, content, government and wholesale customers. Over its reliable, scalable and secure network, Level 3 delivers integrated IP solutions, including converged, data, voice, video and managed solutions to help enable customers' growth and efficiency. Level 3 operates a unique global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents in more than 45 countries, connected by extensive undersea facilities. For more information, visit www.level3.com.

© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3), Think Ahead, the Level 3 Logo and the Level 3 Think Ahead logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.  Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. 

Website Access to Company Information
Level 3 maintains a corporate website at www.level3.com, and you can find additional information about the company through the Investors pages on that website at http:// http://lvlt.client.shareholder.com/.  Level 3 uses its website as a channel of distribution of important information about the company. Level 3 routinely posts financial and other important information regarding the company and its business, financial condition and operations on the Investor Relations web pages.

Visitors to the Investors Relations web pages can view and print copies of Level 3's SEC filings, including periodic and current reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, as soon as reasonably practicable after those filings are made with the SEC.

Copies of the charters for each of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance committees of Level 3's Board of Directors, its Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Ethics, press releases and analysts and investor conference presentations are all available through the Investor Relations web pages.

Please note that the information contained on any of Level 3's web sites is not incorporated by reference in, or considered to be a part of, any document unless expressly incorporated by reference in that document.

Forward-Looking Statement
Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to: successfully integrate the Global Crossing acquisition or otherwise realize the anticipated benefits thereof; manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global economy; obtain additional financing, particularly in the event of disruptions in the financial markets; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; adapt to rapid technological changes that could adversely affect the company's competitiveness; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; obtain capacity for its network from other providers and interconnect its network with other networks on favorable terms; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; successfully integrate future acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory, foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of its debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.