Document:

QuickLinks
 -- Click here to rapidly navigate through this document

 
 

  Exhibit 10.1(a)(i)    
    

 RESTRICTED STOCK AGREEMENT

UNDER THE

CENTURYLINK 2011 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

(Grants to Section 16 Officers)  

        This RESTRICTED STOCK AGREEMENT (this "Agreement") is entered into as of
                                    , by and between
CenturyLink, Inc. ("CenturyLink") and
                                     ("Award Recipient").

        WHEREAS, CenturyLink maintains the CenturyLink 2011 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan") under which the Compensation Committee, or a duly
authorized subcommittee thereof (the "Committee"), of the Board of Directors of CenturyLink (the "Board") may, directly or indirectly, among other things, grant restricted shares of CenturyLink's
common stock, $1.00 par value per share (the "Common Stock"), to key employees of CenturyLink or its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company"), subject to such terms, conditions, or restrictions as
it may deem appropriate; and 

        WHEREAS, pursuant to the Plan, the Committee has awarded to the Award Recipient restricted shares of Common Stock on the terms and
conditions specified below. 

        NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows: 

1.

AWARD OF SHARES 

        1.1   Upon
the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, CenturyLink as of the date of this Agreement (the "Grant Date") hereby awards to the Award Recipient a
total of                          restricted shares of Common Stock (the "Restricted Stock") that vest, subject to
Sections 2, 3 and 4 hereof, in installments as described
in this Section 1. 

        1.2   (a)    Of
the total number of shares of Restricted Stock,
                                     shares (the "Time-Vested
Shares") shall vest
one-third per year on each of the following dates: 

 

 

			
	Scheduled Vesting Date

	 	Number of Shares

	     
	 	 
	     
	 	 
	     
	 	 
	     
	 	 

 

 
        (b)   The
remaining                                      shares of
Restricted Stock (the "Performance-Vested Shares") shall vest on
                                     based on the [three]-year
total shareholder return of CenturyLink for             ,
             and              ranked in terms of a percentile in relation to the total shareholder return of
companies comprising the
S&P 500 Index for the same [three]-year period. Total shareholder return shall be calculated to include reinvestment of any and all dividends. 

        1.3   (a)    The
number of Performance-Vested Shares granted in Section 1.2 represents the target award. The Award Recipient may receive a greater or lesser
number of shares of Common Stock than those allocated in Section 1.2, depending on the Company's total shareholder return ranked in terms of a percentile in relation to that of the
S&P 500 companies, which shall be determined as follows: 

 

 

					
	 
	Performance Level
	 	Company's

Percentile Rank
	 	Payout as % of

Target Award

	 
	 Maximum
	 	375th percentile	 	200%
	 Target
	 	50th percentile	 	100%
	 Threshold
	 	25th percentile	 	50%
	 Below Threshold
	 	<25th percentile	 	0%
	 

 

 

 
 
 
        (b)   The
number of shares paid out shall be prorated if the Company's rank is between (i) the threshold and the target performance levels or (ii) the target and
the maximum performance levels. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company's total shareholder return is negative for the measurement period, the number of shares that vest will not exceed 100% of
the target award. 

        1.4   Subject
to Section 2, any Performance-Vested Shares that do not vest in accordance with Section 1 shall be immediately forfeited. 

        1.5   The
difference between the number of Performance-Vested Shares granted to the Award Recipient under Section 1.2 and the maximum number of shares the Award
Recipient may earn under Section 1.3 is referred to herein as the "Additional Shares." Any contingent right of the Award Recipient under Section 1.3 to receive Additional Shares shall be
treated as restricted stock units under the terms of the Plan. Any Additional Shares subsequently vested and earned as a result of CenturyLink's performance exceeding the target performance level
shall be issued on                                     .

2.

AWARD RESTRICTIONS ON

RESTRICTED STOCK 

        2.1   In
addition to the conditions and restrictions provided in the Plan, neither the shares of Restricted Stock nor the right to vote the Restricted Stock, to receive
accrued dividends thereon or to enjoy any other rights or interests thereunder or hereunder may be sold, assigned, donated, transferred, exchanged, pledged, hypothecated, or otherwise encumbered prior
to vesting. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 2.1, the Award Recipient shall be entitled to all rights of a shareholder of CenturyLink with respect to the Restricted Stock, including
the right to vote the shares. All dividends and other distributions relating to the Restricted Stock and all dividend equivalents on the Additional Shares will accrue when declared and be paid to the
Award Recipient only upon the vesting of the related Restricted Stock or Additional Shares. 

        2.2   If
the shares of Restricted Stock have not already vested or been forfeited under the terms of this Agreement or the Plan, all of the shares of Restricted Stock shall
vest and all restrictions set forth in Section 2.1 shall lapse on the date on which the employment of the Award Recipient terminates as a result of (i) death or (ii) disability
within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 

        2.3   (a)    If
the shares of Restricted Stock have not already vested or been forfeited under the terms of this Agreement or the Plan, and the Award Recipient's
employment is terminated by CenturyLink without Cause (as defined below) or by the Award Recipient for Good Reason (as defined below) within [18][24]
months following a Change of Control of CenturyLink (as defined in the Plan), then (i) for any Performance-Vested Shares, the Award Recipient shall retain the rights to all such shares,
provided that the issuance of such shares shall nonetheless remain subject to the terms and conditions of Section 1, including the payment dates described therein and eligibility to vest in
Additional Shares; and (ii) all Time-Vested Shares shall vest immediately and all restrictions set forth in Section 2.1 shall lapse. 

        (b)   (i)    For
purposes of this Section 2.3, "Cause" shall mean the Award Recipient's (A) willful breach of any nondisclosure, noncompetition,
nonsolicitation or nondisparagement covenants contained in any agreement between the Company and the Award Recipient; (B) conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo
contendere to, a felony or other crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude; (C) workplace conduct resulting in the payment of civil monetary penalties or the
incurrence of civil non-monetary penalties that will materially restrict or prevent the Award Recipient from discharging his obligations to the Company; (D) habitual intoxication
during working hours or habitual abuse of or addiction to a controlled substance; (E) material 

2

 

breach
of the Company's insider trading, corporate ethics and compliance policies and programs or any other Board-adopted policies applicable to management conduct; (F) participation in the
public reporting of any information contained in any report filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission that was impacted by the Award Recipient's knowing or intentional
fraudulent or illegal conduct; or (G) substantial, willful and repeated failure to perform duties as instructed by or on behalf of the Board in writing. 

         (ii)  The
Award Recipient's employment shall not be deemed terminated for Cause unless the Company shall have delivered to the Award Recipient a termination notice with a
copy of a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of not less than three-quarters of the entire Board at a meeting called partly or wholly for such purpose (after reasonable notice is provided to
the Award Recipient and the Award Recipient has had an opportunity, with counsel, to be heard by the Board) finding that the Award Recipient should be terminated for Cause and specifying in reasonable
detail the grounds therefor. 

        (iii)  No
action or inaction shall be deemed the basis for Cause unless the Award Recipient is terminated therefor prior to the first anniversary of the date on which such
action or omission is first known to the [Chief Executive Officer of the Company][Chairman of the Board or the chair of any standing committee of the
Board]. 

        (c)   For
purpose of this Section 2.3, "Good Reason" shall mean any termination qualifying as a termination for "good reason" under any change of control agreement in
effect between the Company and the Award Recipient, or if no such agreement is in place, any of the following events or conditions described in this Section 2.3(c), but only if the Award
Recipient shall have provided written notice to the Company within 90 days of the initial existence or occurrence of such event or condition and the Company shall have failed to cure such event
or condition within 30 days of its receipt of such notice: 

          (i)  Any
failure of the Company or its Affiliates to provide the Award Recipient with a position, authority, duties and responsibilities at least commensurate in all
material respects with the most significant of those held, exercised and assigned at any time during the 180-day period immediately preceding the Change of Control. The Award Recipient's
position, authority, duties and responsibilities after a Change of Control shall not be considered commensurate in all material respects with the Award Recipient's position, authority, duties and
responsibilities prior to a Change of Control unless after the Change of Control the Award Recipient holds an equivalent position with, and
exercises substantially equivalent authority, duties and responsibilities on behalf of, [either the Post-Transaction Company or the Company][the
Post-Transaction Company]; 

         (ii)  The
assignment to the Award Recipient of any duties inconsistent in any material respect with the Award Recipient's position (including status, offices, titles and
reporting requirements), authority, duties or responsibilities at the time of the Change of Control, or any other action that results in a diminution in any material respect in such position,
authority, duties or responsibilities; 

        (iii)  A
reduction of the Award Recipient's base salary in effect as of the date of the Change of Control without the Award Recipient's consent, except for
across-the-board salary reductions similarly affecting all or substantially all similarly-situated officers of the Company and the Post-Transaction Company; 

        (iv)  The
Award Recipient is advised of, manifests an awareness of, or becomes aware of facts that would cause a reasonable person to inquire into any failure in any material
respect by the Company or its Affiliates to comply with any of the provisions of this Agreement; or 

3

 

         (v)  Any
directive requiring the Award Recipient to be based at any office or location more than 50 miles from the location the Award Recipient was based prior to the Change
of Control, or requiring the Award Recipient to travel on business to a substantially greater extent than required immediately prior to the Change of Control. 

        (d)   For
purpose of this Section 2.3, "Affiliate" (or variants thereof) shall mean a person that controls, or is controlled by or is under common control with, another
specified person, either directly or indirectly. 

        2.4   If
the shares of Restricted Stock have not already vested or been forfeited under the terms of this Agreement or the Plan, and the Award Recipient's employment
terminates because of retirement on or after attaining the age of 55 with at least ten years of prior service with the Company but prior to the Award Recipient attaining age 65, then: 

        (a)   the
Award Recipient (i) shall retain a reduced pro rata number of Performance-Vested Shares determined by
multiplying the number of Performance-Vested Shares by a fraction, the numerator of
which is the number of full months between the beginning of the performance period and the date of termination and the denominator of which is the number of months in the performance period, provided
that the issuance of such shares shall nonetheless remain subject to all other terms and conditions of Section 1, including the payment dates described therein and the eligibility to vest in
Additional Shares, and (ii) shall forfeit all other Performance-Vested Shares granted under this Agreement as of the date of termination; and 

        (b)   provided
the Committee has specifically approved such action, all Time-Vested Shares shall vest immediately and all restrictions set forth in
Section 2.1 shall lapse. 

        2.5   If
the shares of Restricted Stock have not already vested or been forfeited under the terms of this Agreement or the Plan, and the Award Recipient's employment
terminates because of retirement on or after age 65, then (a) for any Performance-Vested Shares, the Award Recipient shall retain the rights to all such shares, provided that the issuance of
such shares shall nonetheless remain subject to the terms and conditions of Section 1, including the payment dates described therein and eligibility to vest in Additional Shares; and
(b) provided the Committee has specifically approved such action, all Time-Vested Shares shall vest immediately and all restrictions set forth in Section 2.1 shall lapse. 

        2.6   Prior
to the vesting of Performance-Vested Shares under Sections 1.3 and 1.4, the Committee shall (i) ascertain CenturyLink's performance in the manner
described therein and (ii) certify in writing, by resolution or otherwise, the number of shares that shall vest, including any Additional Shares earned as a result of the application of the
applicable performance conditions. If the Award Recipient is subject to the deduction limitation provided in Section 162(m) of the Code, notwithstanding any terms of the Plan, the Committee
shall not (a) increase the number of shares awarded to the Award Recipient to an amount that is higher than the number payable under the formula set forth in Section 1.4,
(b) waive any of the performance requirements provided in Sections 1.3 and 1.4, or (c) accelerate the vesting of the Performance-Vested Shares. 

3.

TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT 

        All
unvested Restricted Stock shall automatically terminate and be forfeited if the employment of the Award Recipient terminates for any reason, unless and to
the extent otherwise provided in Section 2. 

4

 
4.

FORFEITURE OF AWARD 

        4.1   If,
at any time during the Award Recipient's employment by the Company or within 18 months after termination of employment, the Award Recipient engages in any
activity in competition with any activity of the Company, or inimical, contrary or harmful to the interests of the Company, including but not limited to: (a) conduct relating to the Award
Recipient's employment for which either criminal or civil penalties against the Award Recipient may be sought, (b) conduct or activity that results in termination of the Award Recipient's
employment for cause, (c) violation of the Company's policies, including, without limitation, the Company's insider trading, ethics and corporate compliance policies and programs,
(d) participating in the public reporting of any financial or operating result that was impacted by the participant's knowing or intentional fraudulent or illegal conduct; (e) accepting
employment with, acquiring a 5% or more equity or participation interest in, serving as a consultant, advisor, director or agent of, directly or indirectly soliciting or recruiting any employee of the
Company who was employed at any time during the Award Recipient's tenure with the Company, or otherwise assisting in any other capacity or manner any company or enterprise that is directly or
indirectly in competition with or acting against the interests of the Company or any of its lines of business (a "competitor"), except for (i) any isolated, sporadic accommodation or assistance
provided to a competitor, at its request, by the Award Recipient during the Award Recipient's tenure with the Company, but only if provided in the good faith and reasonable belief that such action
would benefit the Company by promoting good business relations with the competitor and would not harm the Company's interests in any substantial manner or (ii) any other service or assistance
that is provided at the request or with the written permission of the Company, (f) disclosing or misusing any confidential information or material concerning the Company, (g) engaging
in, promoting, assisting or otherwise participating in a hostile takeover attempt of the Company or any other transaction or proxy contest that could reasonably be expected to result in a Change of
Control not approved by the Board or (h) making any statement or disclosing any information to any customers, suppliers, lessors, lessees, licensors, licensees, regulators, employees or others
with whom the Company engages in business that is defamatory or derogatory with respect to the business, operations, technology, management, or other employees of the Company, or taking any other
action that could reasonably be expected to injure the Company in its business relationships with any of the foregoing parties or result in any other detrimental effect on the Company, then the award
of Restricted Stock granted hereunder shall automatically terminate and be forfeited effective on the date on which the Award Recipient engages in such activity and (1) all shares of Common
Stock acquired by the Award Recipient pursuant to this Agreement (or other securities into which such shares have been converted or exchanged) shall be returned to the Company or, if no longer held by
the Award Recipient, the Award Recipient shall pay to the Company, without interest, all cash, securities or other assets received by the Award Recipient upon the sale or transfer of such stock or
securities, and (2) all unvested shares of Restricted Stock and contingent rights to receive Additional Shares shall be forfeited. 

        4.2   If
the Award Recipient owes any amount to the Company under Section 4.1 above, the Award Recipient acknowledges that the Company may, to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law, deduct such amount from any amounts the Company owes the Award Recipient from time to time for any reason (including without limitation amounts owed to the Award Recipient
as salary, wages, reimbursements or other compensation, fringe benefits, retirement benefits or vacation pay). Whether or not the Company elects to make any such set-off in whole or in
part, if the Company does not recover by means of set-off the full amount the Award Recipient owes it, the Award Recipient hereby agrees to pay immediately the unpaid balance to the
Company. 

        4.3   The
Award Recipient may be released from the Award Recipient's obligations under Sections 4.1 and 4.2 above only if the Committee determines in its sole
discretion that such action is in the best interests of the Company. 

5

 
5.

STOCK CERTIFICATES 

        No
stock certificates evidencing the Restricted Stock shall be issued by CenturyLink until the lapse of restrictions under the terms hereof. Instead, ownership
of the Restricted Stock shall be evidenced by a book entry with the applicable restrictions reflected. Upon the lapse of restrictions on shares of Restricted Stock, CenturyLink shall issue the vested
shares of Restricted Stock (either through book entry issuances or delivery of a stock certificate) in the name of the Award Recipient or his or her nominee, subject to the other terms and conditions
hereof, including those governing any withholdings of shares under Section 6 below. Upon receipt of any such vested shares, the Award Recipient is free to hold or dispose of such shares,
subject to (i) applicable securities laws, (ii) CenturyLink's policy statement on insider trading, and (iii) CenturyLink's stock ownership guidelines then in effect. 

6.

WITHHOLDING TAXES 

        Notwithstanding
any Plan provision to the contrary, at the time that all or any portion of the Restricted Stock vests, CenturyLink will withhold from the
shares the Award Recipient otherwise would receive hereunder the number of whole shares of Common Stock, rounding up if necessary, having a value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be
withheld under federal, state and local law. 

7.

ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS 

        Anything
in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, if, at any time prior to the vesting of the Restricted Stock in accordance with Section 1 or
2 hereof, CenturyLink further determines, in its sole discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification (or any updating of any such document) of the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant
hereto is necessary on any securities exchange or under any federal or state securities or blue sky law, or that the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body is necessary or desirable
as a condition of, or in connection with the issuance of shares of Common Stock pursuant thereto, or the removal of any restrictions imposed on such shares, such shares of Common Stock shall not be
issued, in whole or in part, or the restrictions thereon removed, unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not
acceptable to CenturyLink. CenturyLink agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to issue all shares of Common Stock issuable hereunder on the terms provided herein. 

8.

NO CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT INTENDED 

        Nothing
in this Agreement shall confer upon the Award Recipient any right to continue in the employment of the Company, or to interfere in any way with the
right of the Company to terminate the Award Recipient's employment relationship with the Company at any time. 

9.

BINDING EFFECT 

        Upon
being duly executed and delivered by CenturyLink and the Award Recipient, this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties
hereto and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives and successors. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, whenever the term "Award Recipient" is used in any
provision of this Agreement under circumstances where the provision appropriately applies to the heirs, executors, administrators or legal 

6

 

representatives
to whom this award may be transferred by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, the term "Award Recipient" shall be deemed to include such person or persons. 

10.

INCONSISTENT PROVISIONS 

        The
shares of Restricted Stock granted hereby are subject to the terms, conditions, restrictions and other provisions of the Plan as fully as if all such
provisions were set forth in their entirety in this Agreement. If any provision of this Agreement conflicts with a provision of the Plan, the Plan provision shall control, except with regard to this
Agreement's limitations on the Committee's discretion provided in the last sentence of Section 2.6. The Award Recipient acknowledges receipt from CenturyLink of a copy of the Plan and a
prospectus summarizing the Plan and further acknowledges that the Award Recipient was advised to review such materials prior to entering into this Agreement. The Award Recipient waives the right to
claim that the provisions of the Plan are not binding upon the Award Recipient and the Award Recipient's heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives and successors. 

11.

ATTORNEYS' FEES AND EXPENSES 

        Should
any party hereto retain counsel for the purpose of enforcing, or preventing the breach of, any provision hereof, including, but not limited to, the
institution of any action or proceeding in court to enforce any provision hereof, to enjoin a breach of any provision of this Agreement, to obtain specific performance of any provision of this
Agreement, to obtain monetary or liquidated damages for failure to perform any provision of this Agreement, or for a declaration of such parties' rights or obligations hereunder, or for any other
judicial remedy, then the prevailing party shall be entitled to be reimbursed by the losing party for all costs and expenses incurred thereby, including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees (including
costs of appeal). 

12.

GOVERNING LAW 

        This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana. 

13.

SEVERABILITY 

        If
any term or provision of this Agreement, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, shall at any time or to any extent be invalid, illegal or
unenforceable in any respect as written, the Award Recipient and CenturyLink intend for any court construing this Agreement to modify or limit such provision so as to render it valid and enforceable
to the fullest extent allowed by law. Any such provision that is not susceptible of such reformation shall be ignored so as to not affect any other term or provision hereof, and the remainder of this
Agreement, or the application of such term or provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby and each
term and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law. 

14.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT; MODIFICATION 

        The
Plan and this Agreement contain the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter contained herein. This Agreement may not,
without the Award Recipient's consent, be 

7

 

amended
or modified so as to materially adversely affect the Award Recipient's rights under this Agreement, except (i) as provided in the Plan, as it may be amended from time to time in the
manner provided therein, or (ii) by a written document signed by each of the parties hereto. Any oral or written agreements, representations, warranties, written inducements, or other
communications with respect to the subject matter contained herein made prior to the execution of the Agreement shall be void and ineffective for all purposes. 

15.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY AND EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS 

        15.1 The
Company may, in its sole discretion, deliver any documents related to the Award Recipient's current or future participation in the Plan or any other equity
compensation plan of the Company by electronic means or request Award Recipient's consent to the terms of an award by electronic means. The plan documents may, but do not necessarily, include: the
Plan, any grant notice, this Agreement, the Plan prospectus, and any reports of CenturyLink provided generally to CenturyLink's shareholders. In addition, the Award Recipient may deliver by electronic
means any grant notice or award agreement to the Company or to such third party involved in administering the applicable plan as the Company may designate from time to time. Such means of electronic
delivery may include the delivery of a link to a Company intranet or the Internet site of a third party involved in administering the applicable plan, the delivery of the document via
e-mail or such other means of electronic delivery specified by the Company. By accepting the terms of this Agreement, the Award Recipient also hereby consents to participate in such plans
and to execute agreements setting the terms of participation through an on-line or electronic system as described herein. 

        15.2 The
Award Recipient acknowledges that the Award Recipient has read Section 15.1 of this Agreement and consents to the electronic delivery and electronic
execution of plan documents as described in Section 15.1. The Award Recipient acknowledges that he or she may receive from the Company a paper copy of any documents delivered electronically at
no cost to the Award Recipient by contacting the Company by telephone or in writing. The Award Recipient further acknowledges that the Award Recipient will be provided with a paper copy of any
documents if the attempted electronic delivery of such documents to the Award Recipient fails. Similarly, the Award Recipient understands that the Award Recipient must provide the Company or any
designated third party administrator with a paper copy of any documents if the attempted electronic delivery of such documents by the Award Recipient fails. The Award Recipient may revoke his or her
consent to the electronic delivery and execution of documents described in Section 15.1 or may change the electronic mail address to which such documents are to be delivered (if Award Recipient
has provided an electronic mail address) at any time by notifying the Company of such revoked consent or revised e-mail address by telephone, postal service or electronic mail. Finally,
the Award Recipient understands that he or she is not required to consent to electronic delivery or execution of documents described in Section 15.1 

        IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered effective as of the day and year first above written. 

 

 

					
	 	 	 CENTURYLINK, INC.
	

 	
 	
 By:	
 	
 

 
	

 	
 	
  

  {Insert name}

Award Recipient

 

 8

QuickLinks

Exhibit 10.1(a)(i)QuickLinks
 -- Click here to rapidly navigate through this document

 
 

  Exhibit 10.1(a)(ii)    
    

 RESTRICTED STOCK AGREEMENT

UNDER THE

CENTURYLINK 2011 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
  (Grants to Outside Directors) 

        This
RESTRICTED STOCK AGREEMENT (this "Agreement") is entered into as of                         , by and between CenturyLink,
 Inc.
("CenturyLink") and                          ("Award Recipient"). 

        WHEREAS,
CenturyLink maintains the CenturyLink 2011 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan"), under which the Compensation Committee (the "Committee") of the Board of Directors of CenturyLink
(the "Board") may, among other things, grant restricted shares of CenturyLink's common stock, $1.00 par value per share (the "Common Stock"), to outside directors of CenturyLink, subject to such
terms, conditions, or restrictions as it may deem appropriate; and 

        WHEREAS,
pursuant to the Plan, the Committee has awarded to the Award Recipient restricted shares of Common Stock on the terms and conditions specified below; 

        NOW,
THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows: 

1.    AWARD OF SHARES 

        Upon
the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, CenturyLink as of the date of this Agreement hereby awards to the Award Recipient a total of
                         restricted shares of Common Stock (the "Restricted Stock") that vest, subject to Sections 2,
3, and 4 hereof, in installments as follows: 

 

 

			
	Scheduled Vesting Date

	 	Number of Shares of Restricted Stock

 

 2.    AWARD RESTRICTIONS 

        Section 2.1    In
addition to the conditions and restrictions provided in the Plan, neither the shares of Restricted Stock nor the right to vote the Restricted Stock, to
receive accrued dividends thereon or to enjoy any other rights or interests thereunder or hereunder may be sold, assigned, donated, transferred, exchanged, pledged, hypothecated, or otherwise
encumbered prior to vesting. Subject to the restrictions on transfer provided in this Section 2.1, the Award Recipient shall be entitled to all rights of a shareholder of CenturyLink with
respect to the Restricted Stock, including the right to vote the shares. All dividends and other distributions relating to the Restricted Stock will accrue when declared and be paid to the Award
Recipient only upon the vesting of the Restricted Stock. 

 

        Section 2.2    To
the extent the shares of Restricted Stock have not already vested in accordance with Section 1 above, all of the shares of Restricted Stock
shall vest and all restrictions set forth in Section 2.1 shall lapse on the earlier of: 

        (a)   the
date on which the Award Recipient's service on the Board terminates as a result of (i) death, (ii) disability within the meaning of
Section 22(e)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or (iii) the ineligibility to stand for re-election due to CenturyLink's mandatory retirement policy; 

        (b)   the
date, if any, that the Committee elects, in its sole discretion, to accelerate the vesting of such unvested Restricted Stock in the case of retirement from the Board
of an Award Recipient on or after attaining the age of 55 with at least six full years of prior service on the Board; or 

        (c)   the
occurrence of a Change of Control of CenturyLink, as described in Section 12 of the Plan. 

3.    TERMINATION OF BOARD SERVICE 

        Except
as otherwise provided in Section 2 above, termination of the Award Recipient's service on the Board for any reason shall automatically result in
the termination and forfeiture of all unvested Restricted Stock. 

4.    FORFEITURE OF AWARD 

        Section 4.1    If,
at any time during the Award Recipient's tenure as a director of the Company or within 18 months after termination of such tenure, the Award
Recipient engages in any activity in competition with any activity of CenturyLink or its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company"), or inimical, contrary, or harmful to the interests of the Company,
including but not limited to: (a) conduct relating to the Award Recipient's service on the Board for which either criminal or civil penalties against the Award Recipient may be sought;
(b) conduct or activity that results in removal of the Award Recipient from the Board for cause; (c) violation of the Company's policies, including, without limitation, the Company's
insider trading, ethics and compliance policies and programs; (d) participating in the public reporting of any financial or operating result that was impacted by the participant's knowing or
intentional fraudulent or illegal conduct; (e) accepting employment after the date hereof with, acquiring a 5% or more equity or participation interest in, serving as a consultant, advisor,
director, or agent of, directly or indirectly soliciting or recruiting any officer of the Company who was employed at any time during the Award Recipient's service on the Board, or otherwise assisting
in any other capacity or manner any company or enterprise that is directly or indirectly in competition with or acting against the interests of the Company or any of its lines of business (a
"competitor"), except for (i) any employment, investment, service, assistance, or other activity that is undertaken at the request or with the written permission of the Board or (ii) any
assistance of a competitor that is provided in the ordinary course of the Award Recipient engaging in his or her principal occupation in the good faith and reasonable belief that such assistance will
neither harm the Company's interests in any substantial manner nor violate any of the Award Recipient's duties or responsibilities under the Company's policies or applicable law; (f) disclosing
or misusing any confidential information or material concerning the Company; (g) engaging in, promoting, assisting, or otherwise participating in a hostile takeover attempt of the Company or
any other transaction or proxy contest that could reasonably be expected to result in a Change of Control (as defined in the Plan) not approved by the Board; or (h) making any statement or
disclosing any information to any customers, suppliers, lessors, lessees, licensors, licensees, regulators, employees, or others with whom the Company engages in business that is defamatory or
derogatory with respect to the business, operations, technology, management, or other employees of the Company, or taking any other action that could reasonably be expected to injure the Company in
its business relationships with any of the foregoing parties or result in any other detrimental effect on the Company, then (1) all unvested shares of 

2

 

Restricted
Stock granted hereunder shall automatically terminate and be forfeited effective on the date on which the Award Recipient first engages in such activity and (2) all shares of Common
Stock acquired by the Award Recipient upon vesting of the Restricted Stock hereunder after the date that precedes by one year the date on which the Award Recipient's tenure as a director of the
Company terminated or the date the Award Recipient first engaged in such activity if no such termination occurs (or other securities into which such shares have been converted or exchanged) shall be
returned to the Company or, if no longer held by the Award Recipient, the Award Recipient shall pay to the Company, without interest, all cash, securities, or other assets received by the Award
Recipient upon the sale or transfer of such stock or securities. 

        Section 4.2    If
the Award Recipient owes any amount to the Company under Section 4.1 above, the Award Recipient acknowledges that the Company may, to the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law, deduct such amount from any amounts the Company owes the Award Recipient from time to time for any reason (including without limitation amounts owed to the
Award Recipient as directors fees, reimbursements, retirement payments, or other compensation or benefits). Whether or not the Company elects to make any such set-off in whole or in part,
if the Company does not
recover by means of set-off the full amount the Award Recipient owes it, the Award Recipient hereby agrees to pay immediately the unpaid balance to the Company. 

        Section 4.3    The
Award Recipient may be released from the Award Recipient's obligations under Sections 4.1 and 4.2 above only if the Board determines in its
sole discretion that such action is in the best interests of the Company. 

5.    STOCK CERTIFICATES 

        No
stock certificates evidencing the Restricted Stock shall be issued by CenturyLink until the lapse of restrictions under the terms hereof. Instead, ownership
of the Restricted Stock shall be evidenced by a book entry with the applicable restrictions reflected. Upon the lapse of restrictions on shares of Restricted Stock, CenturyLink shall issue the vested
shares of Restricted Stock (either through book-entry issuances or delivery of a stock certificate) in the name of the Award Recipient or his nominee within 30 days, subject to the
other terms and conditions hereof. Upon receipt of any such vested shares, the Award Recipient is free to hold or dispose of such shares, subject to (a) applicable securities laws,
(b) CenturyLink's insider trading policy, and (c) any CenturyLink stock ownership guidelines then in effect for outside directors. 

6.    MISCELLANEOUS 

        Section 6.    Anything
in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, if, at any time prior to the vesting of the Restricted Stock in accordance with
Section 1 or 2 hereof, CenturyLink further determines, in its sole discretion, that the listing, registration, or qualification (or any updating of any such document) of the shares of Common
Stock issuable pursuant hereto is necessary on any securities exchange or under any federal or state securities or blue sky law, or that the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body is
necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with the issuance of shares of Common Stock pursuant thereto, or the removal of any restrictions imposed on such shares, such shares of
Common Stock shall not be issued, in whole or in part, or the restrictions thereon removed, unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent, or approval shall have been effected or obtained
free of any conditions not acceptable to CenturyLink. CenturyLink agrees to use commercially-reasonable efforts to issue all shares of Common Stock issuable hereunder on the terms provided herein. 

        Section 6.2    Nothing
in this Agreement shall confer upon the Award Recipient any right to continue to serve on the Board, or to interfere in any way with the right of
the Company to remove the Award Recipient as a director at any time. 

3

 

        Section 6.3    Upon
being duly executed and delivered by CenturyLink and the Award Recipient, this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the
parties hereto and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, and successors. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, whenever the term "Award Recipient" is
used in any provision of this Agreement under circumstances where the provision appropriately applies to the heirs, executors, administrators, or legal representatives to whom this award may be
transferred by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, the term "Award Recipient" shall be deemed to include such person or persons. 

        Section 6.4    The
shares of Restricted Stock granted hereby are subject to the terms, conditions, restrictions, and other provisions of the Plan as fully as if all such
provisions were set forth in their entirety in this Agreement. If any provision of this Agreement conflicts with a provision of the Plan, the Plan provision shall control. The Award Recipient
acknowledges receipt from CenturyLink of a copy of the Plan and a prospectus summarizing the Plan, and further acknowledges that the Award Recipient was advised to review such materials prior to
entering into this Agreement. The Award Recipient waives the right to claim that the provisions of the Plan are not binding upon the Award Recipient and the Award Recipient's heirs, executors,
administrators, legal representatives, and successors. 

        Section 6.5    Should
any party hereto retain counsel for the purpose of enforcing, or preventing the breach of, any provision hereof, including, but not limited to, the
institution of any action or proceeding in court to enforce any provision hereof, to enjoin a breach of any provision of this Agreement, to obtain specific performance of any provision of this
Agreement, to obtain monetary or liquidated damages for failure to perform any provision of this Agreement, or for a declaration of such parties' rights or obligations hereunder, or for any other
judicial remedy, then the prevailing party shall be entitled to be reimbursed by the losing party for all costs and expenses incurred thereby, including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees (including
costs of appeal). 

        Section 6.6    This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana. 

        Section 6.7    If
any term or provision of this Agreement, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, shall at any time or to any extent be invalid,
illegal, or unenforceable in any respect as written, the Award Recipient and CenturyLink intend for any court construing this Agreement to
modify or limit such provision so as to render it valid and enforceable to the fullest extent allowed by law. Any such provision that is not susceptible of such reformation shall be ignored so as to
not affect any other term or provision hereof, and the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such term or provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held
invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby and each term and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law. 

        Section 6.8    The
Plan and this Agreement contain the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter contained herein. This Agreement may not,
without the Award Recipient's consent, be amended or modified so as to materially adversely affect the Award Recipient's rights under this Agreement, except (a) as provided in the Plan, as it
may be amended from time to time in the manner provided therein, or (b) by a written document signed by each of the parties hereto. Any oral or written agreements, representations, warranties,
written inducements, or other communications with respect to the subject matter contained herein made prior to the execution of the Agreement shall be void and ineffective for all purposes. 

4

 

        IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered on the day and year first above written. 

 

 

					
	 	 	CENTURYLINK, INC.
	

 	
 	
  By:	
 	
 

  Glen F. Post, III

Chief Executive Officer and President
	

 	
 	
 	
 	
  

  [Name]

Award Recipient

 

 5

QuickLinks

Exhibit 10.1(a)(ii)

Source: [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00193-of-00352.parquet"}, [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00193-of-00352.parquet"}]]