INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION DATA SYSTEMS, INC.
1996 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
The purpose of this Plan is to provide eligible employees of
International Telecommunication Data Systems, Inc. (the "Company") and certain
of its subsidiaries with opportunities to purchase shares of the Company's
Common Stock, $.01 par value (the "Common Stock"). An aggregate of 200,000
shares of Common Stock have been approved for this purpose.
1. Administration. The Plan will be administered by the Company's Board
of Directors (the "Board") or by a Committee appointed by the Board (the
"Committee"). The Board or the Committee has authority to make rules and
regulations for the administration of the Plan and its interpretation and
decisions with regard thereto shall be final and conclusive.
2. Eligibility. Participation in the Plan will neither be permitted nor
denied contrary to the requirements of Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and regulations promulgated thereunder. All
employees of the Company, including directors who are employees, and all
employees of any subsidiary of the Company (as defined in Section 424(f) of the
Code) designated by the Board or the Committee from time to time (a "Designated
Subsidiary"), are eligible to participate in any one or more of the offerings of
Options (as defined below) to purchase Common Stock under the Plan, provided
that:
(a) they are regularly employed by the Company or a Designated
Subsidiary for more than 30 hours a week and for more than five months
in a calendar year; and
(b) they have been employed by the Company or a Designated
Subsidiary for at least three months prior to enrolling in the Plan;
and
(c) they are employees of the Company or a Designated
Subsidiary on the first day of the applicable Plan Period (as defined
below).
No employee may be granted an option hereunder if such employee,
immediately after the option is granted, owns 5% or more of the total combined
voting power or value of the stock of the Company or any subsidiary. For
purposes of the preceding
sentence, the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code shall apply in
determining the stock ownership of an employee, and all stock which the employee
has a contractual right to purchase shall be treated as stock owned by the
employee.
3. Offerings. The Company will make one or more offerings ("Offerings")
to employees to purchase Common Stock under this Plan. Offerings will begin each
August 1 and February 1, or the first business day thereafter (the "Offering
Commencement Dates"). Each Offering Commencement Date will begin a six (6) month
period (a "Plan Period") during which payroll deductions will be made and held
for the purchase of Common Stock at the end of the Plan Period. The Board or the
Committee may, at its discretion, choose a different Plan Period of six (6)
months or less for subsequent Offerings.
4. Participation. An employee eligible on the Offering Commencement
Date of any Offering may participate in such Offering by completing and
forwarding a payroll deduction authorization form to the Controller of the
Company at least 14 days prior to the applicable Offering Commencement Date. The
form will authorize a regular payroll deduction from the Compensation received
by the employee during the Plan Period. Unless an employee files a new form or
withdraws from the Plan, his deductions and purchases will continue at the same
rate for future Offerings under the Plan as long as the Plan remains in effect.
The term "Compensation" means the amount of money reportable on the employee's
Federal Income Tax Withholding Statement, excluding overtime, shift premium,
incentive or bonus awards, allowances and reimbursements for expenses such as
relocation allowances for travel expenses, income or gains on the exercise of
Company stock options or stock appreciation rights, and similar items, whether
or not shown on the employee's Federal Income Tax Withholding Statement, but
including, in the case of salespersons, sales commissions to the extent
determined by the Board or the Committee.
5. Deductions.
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(a) The Company will maintain payroll deduction accounts for
all participating employees. With respect to any Offering made under this Plan,
an employee may authorize a payroll deduction in any dollar amount up to a
maximum of 10% of the Compensation he or she receives during the Plan Period or
such shorter period during which deductions from payroll are made. Payroll
deductions may be at the rate of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9% or 10% of
Compensation.
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(b) No employee may be granted an Option which permits his
rights to purchase Common Stock under this Plan and any other stock purchase
plan of the Company and its subsidiaries, to accrue at a rate which exceeds
$25,000 of the fair market value of such Common Stock (determined at the
Offering Commencement Date of the Plan Period) for each calendar year in which
the Option is outstanding at any time.
6. Deduction Changes. An employee may decrease or discontinue his
payroll deduction once during any Plan Period by filing a new payroll deduction
authorization form. However, an employee may not increase his payroll deduction
during a Plan Period. If an employee elects to discontinue his payroll
deductions during a Plan Period, but does not elect to withdraw his funds
pursuant to Section 8 hereof, funds deducted prior to his election to
discontinue will be applied to the purchase of Common Stock on the Exercise Date
(as defined below).
7. Interest. Interest will not be paid on any employee payroll
deduction accounts, except to the extent that the Board or its Committee, in its
sole discretion, elects to credit such accounts with interest at such per annum
rate as it may from time to time determine.
8. Withdrawal of Funds. An employee may on any one occasion during a
Plan Period and for any reason withdraw all or part of the balance accumulated
in the employee's payroll deduction account. Any such withdrawal must be
effected prior to the close of business on the last day of the Plan Period. If
the employee withdraws all of such balance, the employee shall thereby withdraw
from participation in the Offering and may not begin participation again during
the remainder of the Plan Period. Any employee withdrawing all or part of such
balance may participate in any subsequent Offering in accordance with terms and
conditions established by the Board or the Committee, except that, unless
otherwise permitted under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "Exchange Act"), and the rules promulgated thereunder, any employee
who is also a director and/or officer of the Company within the meaning of
Section 16 of the Exchange Act may not (a) withdraw less than all of the balance
accumulated in such employee's payroll deduction account or (b) participate
again for a period of at least six months as provided in Rule 16b-3(d)(2)(i) or
any successor provision under the Exchange Act.
9. Purchase of Shares.
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(a) On the Offering Commencement Date of each Plan Period, the
Company will grant to each eligible employee who is then a participant in the
Plan an option (an "Option") to purchase
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on the last business day of such Plan Period (the "Exercise Date"), at the
Option Price hereinafter provided for, such number of whole shares of Common
Stock of the Company reserved for the purposes of the Plan as does not exceed
the number of shares determined by dividing 15% of such employee's annualized
Compensation for the immediately prior six-month period by the price determined
in accordance with the formula set forth in the following paragraph but using
the closing price on the Offering Commencement Date of such Plan Period.
(b) The Option Price for each share purchased will be 85% of
the closing price of the Common Stock on (i) the first business day of such Plan
Period or (ii) the Exercise Date, whichever closing price shall be less. Such
closing price shall be (A) the closing price of the Common Stock on any national
securities exchange on which the Common Stock is listed, or (B) the closing
price of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq National Market ("Nasdaq") or (C) the
average of the closing bid and asked prices in the over-the-counter market,
whichever is applicable, as published in The Wall Street Journal. If no sales of
Common Stock were made on such a day, the price of the Common Stock for purposes
of clauses (A) and (B) above shall be the reported price for the next preceding
day on which sales were made.
(c) Each employee who continues to be a participant in the
Plan on the Exercise Date shall be deemed to have exercised his Option at the
Option Price on such date and shall be deemed to have purchased from the Company
the number of full shares of Common Stock reserved for the purpose of the Plan
that his accumulated payroll deductions on such date will pay for pursuant to
the formula set forth above (but not in excess of the maximum number determined
in the manner set forth above).
(d) Any balance remaining in an employee's payroll deduction
account at the end of a Plan Period will be automatically refunded to the
employee, except that any balance which is less than the purchase price of one
share of Common Stock will be carried forward into the employee's payroll
deduction account for the following Offering, unless the employee elects not to
participate in the following Offering under the Plan, in which case the balance
in the employee's account shall be refunded.
10. Issuance of Certificates. Certificates representing shares of
Common Stock purchased under the Plan may be issued only in the name of the
employee, in the name of the employee and another person of legal age as joint
tenants with rights of survivorship, or (in the Company's sole discretion) in
the street name of a brokerage firm, bank or other nominee holder designated by
the employee.
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11. Rights on Retirement, Death or Termination of Employment. In the
event of a participating employee's termination of employment prior to the last
business day of a Plan Period (whether as a result of the employee's voluntary
or involuntary termination, retirement, death or otherwise), no payroll
deduction shall be taken from any pay due and owing to the employee and the
balance in the employee's payroll deduction account shall be paid to the
employee or, in the event of the employee's death, (a) to a beneficiary
previously designated in a revocable notice signed by the employee (with any
spousal consent required under state law) or (b) in the absence of such a
designated beneficiary, to the executor or administrator of the employee's
estate or (c) if no such executor or administrator has been appointed to the
knowledge of the Company, to such other person(s) as the Company may, in its
discretion, designate. If, prior to the last business day of the Plan Period,
the Designated Subsidiary by which an employee is employed shall cease to be a
subsidiary of the Company, or if the employee is transferred to a subsidiary of
the Company that is not a Designated Subsidiary, the employee shall be deemed to
have terminated employment for the purposes of this Plan.
12. Optionees Not Stockholders. Neither the granting of an Option to an
employee nor the deductions from his pay shall constitute such employee a
stockholder of the shares of Common Stock covered by an Option under this Plan
until such shares have been purchased by and issued to him.
13. Rights Not Transferable. Rights under this Plan are not
transferable by a participating employee other than by will or the laws of
descent and distribution, and are exercisable during the employee's lifetime
only by the employee.
14. Application of Funds. All funds received or held by the Company
under this Plan may be combined with other corporate funds and may be used for
any corporate purpose.
15. Adjustment in Case of Changes Affecting Common Stock. In the event
of a subdivision of outstanding shares of Common Stock, or the payment of a
dividend in Common Stock, the number of shares approved for this Plan, and the
share limitation set forth in Section 9, shall be increased proportionately, and
such other adjustment shall be made as may be deemed equitable by the Board or
the Committee. In the event of any other change affecting the Common Stock, such
adjustment shall be made as may be deemed equitable by the Board or the
Committee to give proper effect to such event.
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16. Merger.
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(a) If the Company shall at any time merge or consolidate with
another corporation and the holders of the capital stock of the Company
immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continue to hold at least 80%
by voting power of the capital stock of the surviving corporation ("Continuity
of Control"), the holder of each Option then outstanding will thereafter be
entitled to receive at the next Exercise Date upon the exercise of such Option
for each share as to which such Option shall be exercised the securities or
property which a holder of one share of the Common Stock was entitled to upon
and at the time of such merger, and the Board or the Committee shall take such
steps in connection with such merger as the Board or the Committee shall deem
necessary to assure that the provisions of Section 15 shall thereafter be
applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to the said securities
or property as to which such holder of such Option might thereafter be entitled
to receive thereunder.
(b) In the event of a merger or consolidation of the Company
with or into another corporation which does not involve Continuity of Control,
or of a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company while
unexercised Options remain outstanding under the Plan, (i) subject to the
provisions of clauses (ii) and (iii), after the effective date of such
transaction, each holder of an outstanding Option shall be entitled, upon
exercise of such Option, to receive in lieu of shares of Common Stock, shares of
such stock or other securities as the holders of shares of Common Stock received
pursuant to the terms of such transaction; or (ii) all outstanding Options may
be cancelled by the Board or the Committee as of a date prior to the effective
date of any such transaction and all payroll deductions shall be paid out to the
participating employees; or (iii) all outstanding Options may be cancelled by
the Board or the Committee as of the effective date of any such transaction,
provided that notice of such cancellation shall be given to each holder of an
Option, and each holder of an Option shall have the right to exercise such
Option in full based on payroll deductions then credited to his account as of a
date determined by the Board or the Committee, which date shall not be less than
ten (10) days preceding the effective date of such transaction.
17. Amendment of the Plan. The Board may at any time, and from time to
time, amend this Plan in any respect, except that (a) if the approval of any
such amendment by the stockholders of the Company is required by Section 423 of
the Code or by Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, such amendment shall not be
effected without such approval, and (b) in no event may any
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amendment be made which would cause the Plan to fail to comply with Section 16
of the Exchange Act and the rules promulgated thereunder, as in effect from time
to time, or Section 423 of the Code.
18. Insufficient Shares. In the event that the total number of shares
of Common Stock specified in elections to be purchased under any Offering plus
the number of shares purchased under previous Offerings under this Plan exceeds
the maximum number of shares issuable under this Plan, the Board or the
Committee will allot the shares then available on a pro rata basis.
19. Termination of the Plan. This Plan may be terminated at any time by
the Board. Upon termination of this Plan all amounts in the payroll deduction
accounts of participating employees shall be promptly refunded.
20. Governmental Regulations.
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(a) The Company's obligation to sell and deliver Common Stock
under this Plan is subject to listing on a national stock exchange or quotation
on Nasdaq and the approval of all governmental authorities required in
connection with the authorization, issuance or sale of such stock.
(b) The Plan shall be governed by the laws of the State of
Delaware except to the extent that such law is preempted by federal law.
(c) The Plan is intended to comply with the provisions of Rule
16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act. Any provision inconsistent with such
Rule shall to that extent be inoperative and shall not affect the validity of
the Plan.
21. Issuance of Shares. Shares may be issued upon exercise of an Option
from authorized but unissued Common Stock, from shares held in the treasury of
the Company, or from any other proper source.
22. Notification upon Sale of Shares. Each employee agrees, by entering
the Plan, to promptly give the Company notice of any disposition of shares
purchased under the Plan where such disposition occurs within two years after
the date of grant of the Option pursuant to which such shares were purchased.
23. Effective Date and Approval of Stockholders. The Plan shall take
effect upon the closing of the Company's initial public offering of Common Stock
pursuant to an effective registration
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statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, subject to approval by
the stockholders of the Company as required by Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act
and by Section 423 of the Code, which approval must occur within twelve months
of the adoption of the Plan by the Board.
Adopted by the Board of Directors on
______ _, 1996
Approved by the stockholders on
______ _, 1996
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