| (b) unless otherwise provided by the Committee at any time, and subject to such additional terms and conditions and/or modifications as the Committee or the Company may impose from time to time, and further subject to suspension or termination of this provision by the Committee or the Company at any time, by: |
| (i) delivery of Shares of Stock owned by the Participant in partial (if in partial payment, then together with cash) or full payment; provided, however, as a condition to paying any part of the Option Price in Stock, at the time of exercise of the Option, the Participant must establish to the satisfaction of the Company that the Stock tendered to the Company must have been held by the Participant for a minimum of six (6) months preceding the tender; or |
| (ii) if the Company has designated a stockbroker to act as the exercise notice to such stockbroker together with instructions irrevocably instructing the stockbroker: (A) to immediately sell (which shall include an exercise notice that becomes effective upon execution of a sell order) a sufficient portion of the Shares to pay the Option Price of the Options being exercised and the required tax withholding, and (B) to deliver on the settlement date the portion of the proceeds of the sale equal to the Option Price and tax withholding to the Company. In the event the stockbroker sells any Shares on behalf of a Participant, the stockbroker shall be acting solely as the agent of the Participant, and the Company disclaims any responsibility for the actions of the stockbroker in making any such sales. No Stock shall be issued until the settlement date and until the proceeds (equal to the Option Price and tax withholding) are paid to the Company. |
| If payment is made by the delivery of Shares of Stock, the value of the Shares delivered shall be equal to the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the day preceding the date of exercise of the Option. |
| Restricted Stock may not be used to pay the Option Price. |
4.8 | Termination of Employment. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, the following limitations on exercise of Options shall apply upon termination of employment: |
(a) | Termination by Reason of Death or Disability. In the event the employment of a Participant is terminated by reason of death or Disability any outstanding Options granted to the Participant shall vest as of the date of termination of employment and may be exercised, if at all, no more than one (1) year following termination of employment, unless the Options, by their terms, expire earlier. For options granted on and after May 1, 1997, the above referenced exercise period of “one (1) year” shall be “three (3) years”. |
(b) | Termination by Retirement. In the event the employment of a Participant is terminated by reason of Retirement: |
| (i) Upon the Participant’s termination of employment, all outstanding unvested Options granted to the Participant shall vest as of the date of the Participant’s termination of employment; provided, however, this provision shall not apply to a Participant who, as determined by SBC, is an officer level employee for compensation purposes unless the employee is age 55 or older at termination of employment, nor shall this provision apply to a Participant who is an EPR Terminee (as that term is defined in the SBC Pension Benefit Plan or the Ameritech Management Pension Plan); provided further, however, this vesting provision shall not apply to an Option granted prior to September 28, 2001, unless and except for those Options outstanding as of September 27, 2001, that have an Option Price equal to or more than the Fair Market Value of Stock on such date; and |
| (ii) Any outstanding Options granted to the Participant which are vested as of the date of termination of employment may be exercised, if at all, no more than three (3) years following termination of employment, unless the Options, by their terms, expire earlier. For options granted on and after May 1, 1997, the above referenced exercise period of “three (3) years” shall be “five (5) years”. If the Participant is Retirement eligible at the time the Participant terminates employment by reason of death or disability (as defined above) after March 31, 2000, then for purposes of this section, the Participant shall be deemed to have terminated employment by reason of Retirement. |
(c) | Termination of Employment for Other Reasons. If the employment of a Participant shall terminate for any reason other than the reasons set forth in (a) or (b), above, and other than for Cause, all outstanding Options granted to the Participant which are vested as of the date of termination of employment may be exercised by the Participant within the period beginning on the effective date of termination of employment and ending three (3) months after such date, unless the Options, by their terms, expire earlier. For options granted on and after May 1, 1997 but before January 26, 2001, the above referenced exercise period of “three (3) months” shall be “one (1) year”. |
(d) | Termination for Cause. If the employment of a Participant shall terminate for Cause, all outstanding Options held by the Participant shall immediately terminate and be forfeited to the Company, and no additional exercise period shall be allowed. |
(e) | Options not Vested at Termination. Any outstanding Options not vested as of the effective date of termination of employment shall expire immediately and shall be forfeited to the Company. |
4.9 | Transfers. For purposes of the Plan, transfer of employment of a Participant between the Company and any one of its Subsidiaries (or between Subsidiaries) or between the Company or a Subsidiary and a RWAC, to the extent the term of employment at a RWAC is equal to or less than five (5) years, shall not be deemed a termination of employment under this Plan. Provided, however termination of employment with a RWAC without a concurrent transfer to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall be deemed a termination of employment as that term is used in this Plan. Similarly, termination of an entity’s status as a Subsidiary or as a RWAC shall be deemed a termination of employment of any Participants employed by such Subsidiary or RWAC. |
4.10 | Restrictions on Exercise and Transfer of Options. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee; |
(a) | During the Participant’s lifetime, the Participant’s Options shall be exercisable only by the Participant or by the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. After the death of the Participant, except as otherwise provided by the Company’s Rules for Employee Beneficiary Designations, as the same may be amended from time to time, an Option shall only be exercised by the holder thereof (including, but not limited to, an executor or administrator of a decedent’s estate) or his or her guardian or legal representative. |
(b) | No Option shall be transferable except: (a) in the case of the Participant, only upon the Participants death and in accordance with the Company’s Rules for Employee Beneficiary Designations, as the same may be amended from time to time; and (b) in the case of any holder after the Participant’s death, only by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. |
4.11 | Change in Control. Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, unless otherwise determined by the Committee or the Board prior to such Change in Control, all Options held by Participants hereunder shall immediately become vested and exercisable, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4.6Exerciseof Options to the contrary. A “Change in Control” shall be deemed to have occurred if (i) any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act), other than a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the shareowners of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company, is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under said Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing twenty percent (20%) or more of the total voting power represented by the Companys then outstanding voting securities, or (ii) during any period of two (2) consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board of Directors of the Company and any new Director whose election by the Board of Directors or nomination for election by the Companys shareowners was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Directors then still in office who either were Directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute a majority thereof, or (iii) the shareowners of the Company approve a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) at least eighty percent (80%) of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, or the shareowners of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all the Company’s assets. |
4.12 | Competition and Solicitation. In the event a Participant directly or indirectly, engages in competitive activity, or has become associated with, employed by, controls, or renders service to any business that is engaged in competitive activity, with (i) the Company, (ii) any Subsidiary, or (iii) any business in which any of the foregoing have a substantial interest, or if the Participant attempts, directly or indirectly, to induce any employee of the Company or a Subsidiary to be employed or perform services elsewhere without the permission of the Company, then the Company may (i) cancel any Option granted to such Participant, whether or not vested, in whole or in part; and/or (ii) rescind any exercise of the Participants Options that occurred on or after that date six months prior to engaging in such activity, in which case the Participant shall pay the Company the gain realized or received upon such exercise of Options. Has become associated with shall include, among other things, beneficial ownership of 1/10 of 1% or more of a business engaged in competitive activity. The determination of whether a Participant has engaged in any such activity and whether to cancel Options and/or rescind the exercise of Options shall be made by SBC, and in each case such determination shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons. |
ARTICLE 5. AMENDMENT, MODIFICATION, AND TERMINATION
5.1 | Amendment, Modification, and Termination. The Committee or the Board, may at any time and from time to time, terminate, amend, or modify the Plan. |
5.2 | Awards Previously Granted. No termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall in any material manner adversely affect any Option previously granted under the Plan, without the written consent of the Participant holding such Option. |
ARTICLE 6. WITHHOLDING
6.1 | Tax Withholding. Upon exercise of an Option, the Company shall withhold Shares sufficient in value, using the Fair Market Value on the date determined by the Company to be used to value the Shares for tax purposes, to satisfy the minimum amount of Federal, state, and local taxes required by law to be withheld as a result of such exercise. |
| Any fractional share of Stock payable to a Participant shall be withheld as additional Federal withholding, or, at the option of the Company, paid in cash to the Participant. |
| Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, when the method of payment for the Option Price is from the sale by a stockbroker pursuant to Section 4.7(b)(ii), hereof, of the Stock acquired through the Option exercise, then the tax withholding shall be satisfied out of the proceeds. For administrative purposes in determining the amount of taxes due, the sale price of such Stock shall be deemed to be the Fair Market Value of the Stock. |
ARTICLE 7. MISCELLANEOUS
7.1 | Employment. Nothing in the Plan shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof to terminate any Participants employment at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue in the employment of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof. |
7.2 | Participation. No Employee shall have the right to be selected to receive an Option under the Plan, or, having been so selected, to be selected to receive a future Option. |
7.3 | Successors. All obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company. |
7.4 | Governing Law. To the extent not preempted by Federal law, the Plan, and all awards and agreements hereunder, and any and all disputes in connection therewith, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict or choice of law principles which might otherwise refer the construction, interpretation or enforceability of this Plan to the substantive law of another jurisdiction. |
Because awards under the Plan are granted in Texas, records relating to the Plan and awards thereunder are located in Texas, and the Plan and awards thereunder are administered in Texas, the Company and the Participant to whom an award under this Plan is granted, for themselves and their successors and assigns, irrevocably submit to the exclusive and sole jurisdiction and venue of the state or federal courts of Texas with respect to any and all disputes arising out of or relating to this Plan, the subject matter of this Plan or any awards under this Plan, including but not limited to any disputes arising out of or relating to the interpretation and enforceability of any awards or the terms and conditions of this Plan. To achieve certainty regarding the appropriate forum in which to prosecute and defend actions arising out of or relating to this Plan, and to ensure consistency in application and interpretation of the Governing Law to the Plan, the parties agree that (a) sole and exclusive appropriate venue for any such action shall be an appropriate federal or state court in Bexar County, Texas, and no other, (b) all claims with respect to any such action shall be heard and determined exclusively in such Texas court, and no other, (c) such Texas court shall have sole and exclusive jurisdiction over the person of such parties and over the subject matter of any dispute relating hereto and (d) that the parties waive any and all objections and defenses to bringing any such action before such Texas court, including but not limited to those relating to lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue or forum non conveniens.
7.5 | Gender and Number. Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any masculine term used herein also shall include the feminine; the plural shall include the singular and the singular shall include the plural. |
7.6 | Severability. In the event any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included. |
7.7 | Requirements of Law. The granting of Awards and the issuance of Shares under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required. |
7.8 | Errors. At any time SBC may correct any error made under the Plan without prejudice to SBC. Such corrections may include, among other things, changing or revoking an issuance of an Award. |
7.9 | Elections and Notices.Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Plan, all elections and notices of every kind shall be made on forms prepared by SBC or the General Counsel, Secretary or Assistant Secretary, or their respective delegates or shall be made in such other manner as permitted or required by SBC or the General Counsel, Secretary or Assistant Secretary, or their respective delegates, including through electronic means, over the Internet or otherwise. An election shall be deemed made when received by SBC (or its designated agent, but only in cases where the designated agent has been appointed for the purpose of receiving such election), which may waive any defects in form. SBC may limit the time an election may be made in advance of any deadline. |
Where any notice or filing required or permitted to be given to SBC under the Plan, it shall be delivered to the principal office of SBC, directed to the attention of the Senior Executive Vice President-Human Resources of SBC or his or her successor. Such notice shall be deemed given on the date of delivery.
Notice to the Participant shall be deemed given when mailed (or sent by telecopy) to the Participant's work or home address as shown on the records of SBC or, at the option of SBC, to the Participant's e-mail address as shown on the records of SBC. It is the Participant's responsibility to ensure that the Participant's addresses are kept up to date on the records of SBC. In the case of notices affecting multiple Participants, the notices may be given by general distribution at the Participants' work locations.