(a) Debt securities that are listed for trading on a national securities exchange shall be exempt from the restrictions on borrowing of section 8(a) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78h(a)).

(b) Debt securities registered pursuant to the provisions of section 12(b) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78l(b)) shall be exempt from sections 14(a), 14(b), and 14(c) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78n(a), (b), and (c)), except that §§ 240.14a-1, 240.14a-2(a), 240.14a-9, 240.14a-13, 240.14b-1, 240.14b-2, 240.14c-1, 240.14c-6 and 240.14c-7 shall continue to apply.

(c) For purposes of this section, debt securities is defined to mean any securities that are not “equity securities” as defined in section 3(a)(11) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(11)) and § 240.3a11-1 thereunder.