FUSION TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL, INC. 2009 STOCK OPTION PLAN

 

1.           Purpose.

The purpose of this plan (the “Plan”) is to secure for Fusion Telecommunications International, Inc. (the “Company”) and its stockholders the benefits arising from capital stock ownership by employees, officers and directors of, and consultants or advisors to, the Company who are expected to contribute to the Company’s future growth and success. Except where the context otherwise requires, the term “Company” shall include all present and future subsidiaries of the Company as defined in Sections 424(e) and 424(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended or replaced from time to time (the “Code”). Those provisions of the Plan, which make express reference to Section 422, shall apply only to Incentive Stock Options (as that term is defined in the Plan).

2.           Type of Options and Administration.

(a)           Types of Options. Options granted pursuant to the Plan shall be authorized by action of the Board of Directors of the Company (or a Committee designated by the Board of Directors) and may be either incentive stock options (“Incentive Stock Options”) meeting the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or non-statutory options which are not intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code.

(b)           Administration. The Board of Directors will administer the Plan or a committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose construction and interpretation of the terms and provisions of the Plan shall be final and conclusive. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Plan to the term “Committee” refer to either the Company’s Board of Directors or such committee. The delegation of powers to the Committee shall be consistent with applicable laws or regulations (including, without limitation, applicable state law and Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), or any successor rule (“Rule I 6b-3”)). The Committee may in its sole discretion grant options to purchase shares of the Company’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Common Stock”) and issue shares upon exercise of such options as provided in the Plan. The Committee shall have authority, subject to the express provisions of the Plan, to construe the respective option agreements and the Plan, to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, to determine the terms and provisions of the respective option agreements, which need not be identical, and to make all other determinations in the judgment of the Committee necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan. The Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any option agreement in the manner and to the extent it shall deem expedient to carry the Plan into effect and it shall be the sole and final judge of such expediency. No director or person acting pursuant to authority delegated by the Board of Directors shall be liable for any action or determination under the Plan made in good faith. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 15 below, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be subject to Options granted to any person in a calendar year shall not exceed 35% of the maximum number of shares which may be issued and sold under the Plan, as set forth in Section 4 hereof, as such section may be amended from time to time.

(c)           Applicability of Rule 16b-3.  Those provisions of the Plan which make express reference to Rule I 6b-3 shall apply to the Company only at such time as the Company’s Common Stock is registered under the Exchange Act, subject to Section 3(b), and then only to such persons as are required to file reports under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act (a “Reporting Person”).

 

3.           Eligibility.

(a)           General.  Options may be granted to persons who are, at the time of grant, employees, officers or directors of, or consultants or advisors to, the Company or any subsidiaries of the Company as defined in Sections 424(e) and 424(1) of the Code (“Participants”) provided, that Incentive Stock Options may only be granted to individuals who are employees of the Company (within the meaning of Section 3401(c) of the Code). A person who has been granted an option may, if he or she is otherwise eligible, be granted additional options if the Committee shall so determine.

(b)           Grant of Options to Reporting Persons.  The selection of a director or an officer who is a Reporting Person (as the terms “director” and “officer” are defined for purposes of Rule 16b-3) as a recipient of an option, the timing of the option grant, the exercise price of the option and the number of shares subject to the option shall be determined either (i) by the Board of Directors or (ii) by a committee consisting of two or more directors having full authority to act in the matter, each of whom shall be an “Independent Director” as defined by Rule 1.62-27 of the Code.

4.            Stock Subject to Plan.

The stock subject to options granted under the Plan shall be shares of authorized but unissued or reacquired Common Stock. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 15 below, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock of the Company which may be issued and sold under the Plan is 7,000,000 shares. If an option granted under the Plan shall expire, terminate or is cancelled for any reason without having been exercised in full, the unpurchased shares subject to such option shall again be available for subsequent option grants under the Plan.

5.           Forms of Option Agreements.

As a condition to the grant of an option under the Plan, each recipient of an option shall execute an option agreement in such form not inconsistent with the Plan as may be approved by the Board of Directors. Such option agreements may differ among recipients.

6.           Purchase Price.

(a)           General.  The purchase price per share of stock deliverable upon the exercise of an option shall be determined by the Board of Directors at the time of grant of such option; provided, however, that in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the exercise price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value (as hereinafter defined) of such stock, at the time of grant of such option, or less than 110% of such Fair Market Value in the case of options described in Section 11(b). “Fair Market Value” of a share of Common Stock of the Company as of a specified date for the purposes of the Plan shall mean the closing price of a share of the Common Stock on the principal securities exchange (including the Nasdaq National Market) on which such shares are traded on the day immediately preceding the date as of which Fair Market Value is being determined, or on the next preceding date on which such shares are traded if no shares were traded on such immediately preceding day, or if the shares are not traded on a securities exchange, Fair Market Value shall be deemed to be the average of the high bid and low asked prices of the shares in the over-the-counter market on the day immediately preceding the date as of which Fair Market Value is being determined or on the next preceding date on which such high bid and low asked prices were recorded. If the shares are not publicly traded, Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock (including, in the case of any repurchase of shares, any distributions with respect thereto which would be repurchased with the shares) shall be determined in good faith by the Board of Directors. In no case shall Fair Market Value be determined with regard to restrictions other than restrictions which, by their terms, will never lapse.

(b)           Payment of Purchase Price.  Options granted under the Plan may provide for the payment of the exercise price by delivery of cash or a check to the order of the Company in an amount equal to the exercise price of such options, or by any other means which the Board of Directors determines are consistent with the purpose of the Plan and with applicable laws and regulations (including, without limitation, the provisions of Rule 1 6b-3 and Regulation T promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board).

 

7.           Option Period.

Subject to earlier termination as provided in the Plan, each option and all rights thereunder shall expire on such date as determined by the Board of Directors and set forth in the applicable option agreement, provided, that such date shall not be later than (10) ten years after the date on which the option is granted.

 

 

8.           Exercise of Options.

Each option granted under the Plan shall be exercisable either in full or in installments at such time or times and during such period as shall be set forth in the option agreement evidencing such option, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Subject to the requirements in the immediately preceding sentence, if an option is not at the time of grant immediately exercisable, the Board of Directors may (i) in the agreement evidencing such option, provide for the acceleration of the exercise date or dates of the subject option upon the occurrence of specified events, and/or (ii) at any time prior to the complete termination of an option, accelerate the exercise date or dates of such option.

9.           Nontransferability of Options.

No option granted under this Plan shall be assignable or otherwise transferable by the optionee except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order as defined in the Code or Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or the rules thereunder. An option may be exercised during the lifetime of the optionee only by the optionee. In the event an optionee dies during his employment by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or during the three-month period following the date of termination of such employment, his option shall thereafter be exercisable, during the period specified in the option agreement, by his executors or administrators to the full extent to which such option was exercisable by the optionee at the time of his death during the periods set forth in Section 10 or Section 11(d).

10.           Effect of Termination of Employment or Other Relationship.

Except as provided in Section 11(d) with respect to Incentive Stock Options and except as otherwise determined by the Committee at the date of grant of an Option, and subject to the provisions of the Plan, an optionee may exercise an option at any time within three months following the termination of the optionee’s employment or other relationship with the Company or within one (1) year if such termination was due to the death or disability of the optionee but, except in the case of the optionee’s death, in no event later than the expiration date of the Option. If the termination of the optionee’s employment is for cause or is otherwise attributable to a breach by the optionee of an employment or confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement, the option shall expire immediately upon such termination. The Board of Directors shall have the power to determine what constitutes a termination for cause or a breach of an employment or confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement, whether an optionee has been terminated for cause or has breached such an agreement, and the date upon which such termination for cause or breach occurs. Any such determinations shall be final and conclusive and binding upon the optionee.

11.           Incentive Stock Options.

Options granted under the Plan, which are intended to be Incentive Stock Options, shall be subject to the following additional terms and conditions:

(a)           Express Designation.  All Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan shall, at the time of grant, be specifically designated as such in the option agreement covering such Incentive Stock Options.

(b)           10% Stockholder.  If any employee to whom an Incentive Stock Option is to be granted under the Plan is, at the time of the grant of such option, the owner of stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (after taking into account the attribution of stock ownership rules of Section 424(d) of the Code), then the following special provisions shall be applicable to the Incentive Stock Option granted to such individual:

(i)           The purchase price per share of the Common Stock subject to such Incentive Stock Option shall not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of one share of

Common Stock at the time of grant; and

(ii)           The option exercise period shall not exceed five years from the date of grant.

 

(c)           Dollar Limitation.  For so long as the Code shall so provide, options granted to any employee under the Plan (and any other incentive stock option plans of the Company) which are intended to constitute Incentive Stock Options shall not constitute Incentive Stock Options to the extent that such options, in the aggregate, become exercisable for the first time in any one calendar year for shares of Common Stock with an aggregate Fair Market Value, as of the respective date or dates of grant, of more than $100,000.

(d)           Termination of Employment, Death or Disability.  No Incentive Stock Option may be exercised unless, at the time of such exercise, the optionee is, and has been continuously since the date of grant of his or her option, employed by the Company, except that:

(i)           an Incentive Stock Option may be exercised within the period of three months after the date the optionee ceases to be an employee of the Company (or within such lesser period as may be specified in the applicable option agreement), provided that the agreement with respect to such option may designate a longer exercise period and that the exercise after such three-month period shall be treated as the exercise of a non-statutory option under the Plan;

(ii)           if the optionee dies while in the employ of the Company, or within three months after the optionee ceases to be such an employee, the Incentive Stock Option may be exercised by the Code or any successor provisions thereto) while in the employ of the Company, the Incentive Stock Option may be exercised within the period of one year after the date the optionee ceases to be such an employee because of such disability (or within such lesser period as may be specified in the applicable option agreement).

(iii)           if the optionee becomes disabled (within the meaning of Section 22(e)(30 of the Code or any successor provisions thereto) while in the employ of the Company, the Incentive Stock Option may exercised within the period of one year after the date the optionee ceases to b e such an employee because of such disability (or within such lesser period as may be specified in the applicable option agreement).

For all purposes of the Plan and any option granted hereunder, “employment” shall be defined in accordance with the provisions of Section 1.421-7(h) of the Income Tax Regulations (or any successor regulations). Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, no Incentive Stock Option may be exercised after its expiration date.

12.           Additional Provisions.

(a)           Additional Option Provisions. The Board of Directors may, in its sole discretion, include additional provisions in option agreements covering options granted under the Plan, including without limitation restrictions on transfer, repurchase rights, rights of first refusal, commitments to pay cash bonuses, to make, arrange for or guaranty loans or to transfer other property to optionees upon exercise of options, or such other provisions as shall be determined by the Board of Directors; provided, that such additional provisions shall not be inconsistent with any other term or condition of the Plan and such additional provisions shall not cause any Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan to fail to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.

(b)           Acceleration, Extension, Etc. The Board of Directors may, in its sole discretion, (i) accelerate the date or dates on which all or any particular option or options granted under the Plan may be exercised or (ii) extend the dates during which all, or any particular, option or options granted under the Plan may be exercised; provided, however that no such extension shall be permitted if it would cause the Plan to fail to comply with Section 422 of the Code or with Rule 16b-3 (if applicable).

 

13.           General Restrictions.

(a)           Investment Representations.  The Company may require any person to whom an option is granted, as a condition of exercising such option, to give written assurances in substance and form satisfactory to the Company to the effect that such person is acquiring the Common Stock subject to the option or award, for his or her own account for investment and not with any present intention of selling or otherwise distributing the same, and to such other effects as the Company deems necessary or appropriate in order to comply with federal and applicable state securities laws, or with covenants or representations made by the Company in connection with any public offering of its Common Stock, including any “lock-up” or other restriction on transferability.

(b)           Compliance with Securities Law.  Each option shall be subject to the requirement that if, at any time, counsel to the Company shall determine that the listing, registration or qualification of the shares subject to such option upon any securities exchange or automated quotation system or under any state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental or regulatory body, or that the disclosure of non-public information or the satisfaction of any other condition is necessary as a condition of, or in connection with the issuance or purchase of shares thereunder, such option may not be exercised, in whole or in part, unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval, or satisfaction of such condition shall have been effected or obtained on conditions acceptable to the Board of Directors. Nothing herein shall be deemed to require the Company to apply for or to obtain such listing, registration or qualification, or to satisfy such condition.

14.           Rights as a Stockholder.

The holder of an option shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares covered by the option (including, without limitation, any rights to receive dividends or non-cash distributions with respect to such shares) until the date of issue of a stock certificate to him or her for such shares. No adjustment shall be made for dividends or other rights for which the record date is prior to the date such stock certificate is issued.

15. Adjustment Provisions for Recapitalizations, Reorganization, and Related Transactions.

(a)           Recapitalizations and Related Transactions. If, through or as a result of any recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction, (i) the outstanding shares of Common Stock are increased, decreased or exchanged for a different number or kind of shares or other securities of the Company, or (ii) additional shares or new or different shares or other non-cash assets are distributed with respect to such shares of Common Stock or other securities, an appropriate and proportionate adjustment shall be made in (x) the maximum number and kind of shares reserved for issuance under or otherwise referred to in the Plan, (y) the number and kind of shares or other securities subject to any then outstanding options under the Plan, and (z) the price for each share subject to any then outstanding options under the Plan, without changing the aggregate purchase price as to which such options remain exercisable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no adjustment shall be made pursuant to this Section 15 if such adjustment (i) would cause the Plan to fail to comply with Section 422 of the Code or with Rule I 6b-3 or (ii) would be considered as the adoption of a new plan requiring stockholder approval.

(b)           Reorganization Merger and Related Transactions.  All outstanding options under the Plan shall become fully exercisable for a period of sixty (60) days following the occurrence of any Trigger Event, whether or not such Options are then exercisable under the provisions of the applicable agreements relating thereto. For purposes of the Plan, a “Trigger Event” is any one of the following events:

(i)           the date on which shares of Common Stock are first purchased pursuant to a tender offer or exchange offer (other than such an offer by the Company, any subsidiary, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any subsidiary or any entity holding shares or other securities of the Company for or pursuant to the terms of such plan), whether or not such offer is approved or opposed by the Company and regardless of the number of shares purchased pursuant to such offer;

(ii)           the date the Company acquires knowledge that any person or group deemed a person under Section 13d-3 of the Exchange Act (other than the Company, any subsidiary, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any subsidiary or any entity holding shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan or any individual or entity or group or affiliate thereof which acquired its beneficial ownership interest prior to the date the Plan was adopted by the Board), in a transaction or series of transactions, has become the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly (with beneficial ownership determined as provided in Rule I 3d-3, or any successor rule, under the Exchange Act), of securities of the Company entitling the person or group to 50% or more of all votes (without consideration of the rights of any class or stock to elect directors by a separate class vote) to which all stockholders of the Company would be entitled in the election of the Board of Directors were an election held on such date;

 

(iii)                           the date of approval by the stockholders of the Company of an agreement (a “reorganization agreement”) providing for:

(A)           The merger or consolidation of the Company with another corporation where the stockholders of the Company, immediately prior to the merger or consolidation, do not beneficially own, immediately after the merger or consolidation, shares of the corporation issuing cash or securities in the merger or consolidation entitling such stockholders to 80% or more of all votes (without consideration of the rights of any class of stock to elect directors by a separate class vote) to which all stockholders of such corporation would be entitled in the election of directors or where the members of the Board of Directors of the Company, immediately prior to the merger or consolidation, do not, immediately after the merger or consolidation, constitute a majority of the Board of Directors of the corporation issuing cash or securities in the merger or consolidation; or

(B)           The sale or other disposition of all or substantially all the assets of the Company.

(c)           Board Authority to Make Adjustments.  Any adjustments under this Section 15 will be made by the Board of Directors, whose determination as to what adjustments, if any, will be made and the extent thereof will be final, binding and conclusive. No fractional shares will be issued under the Plan on account of any such adjustments.

16.            Merger. Consolidation, Asset Sale. Liquidation. etc.

(a)      General. In the event of any sale, merger, transfer or acquisition of the Company or substantially all of the assets of the Company in which the Company is not the surviving corporation, and provided that after the Company shall have requested the acquiring or succeeding corporation (or an affiliate thereof), that equivalent options shall be substituted and such successor corporation shall have refused or failed to assume all options outstanding under the Plan or issue substantially equivalent options, then any or all outstanding options under the Plan shall accelerate and become exercisable in full immediately prior to such event. The Committee will notify holders of options under the Plan that any such options shall be fully exercisable for a period of fifteen (15) days from the date of such notice, and the options will terminate upon expiration of such notice.

(b)      Substitute Options. The Company may grant options under the Plan in substitution for options held by employees of another corporation who become employees of the Company, or a subsidiary of the Company, as the result of a merger or consolidation of the employing corporation with the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, or as a result of the acquisition by the Company, or one of its subsidiaries, of property or stock of the employing corporation. The Company may direct that substitute options be granted on such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors considers appropriate in the circumstances.

17.           No Special Employment Rights.

Nothing contained in the Plan or in any option shall confer upon any optionee any right with respect to the continuation of his or her employment by the Company or interfere in any way with the right of the Company at any time to terminate such employment or to increase or decrease the compensation of the optionee.  

 

18.           Other Employee Benefits.

Except as to plans which by their terms include such amounts as compensation, the amount of any compensation deemed to be received by an employee as a result of the exercise of an option or the sale of shares received upon such exercise will not constitute compensation with respect to which any other employee benefits of such employee are determined, including, without limitation, benefits under any bonus, pension, profit-sharing, life insurance or salary continuation plan, except as otherwise specifically determined by the Board of Directors.

19.           Amendment of the Plan.

(a)           The Board of Directors may at any time, and from time to time, modify or amend the Plan in any respect; provided, however, that if at any time the approval of the stockholders of the Company is required under Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision with respect to Incentive Stock Options, the Board of Directors may not effect such modification or amendment without such approval.

(b)           The modification or amendment of the Plan shall not, without the consent of an optionee, affect his or her rights under an option previously granted to him or her. With the consent of the optionee affected, the Board of Directors may amend outstanding option agreements in a manner not inconsistent with the Plan. The Board of Directors shall have the right to amend or modify (i) the terms and provisions of the Plan and of any outstanding Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan to the extent necessary to qualify any or all such options for such favorable federal income tax treatment (including deferral of taxation upon exercise) as may be afforded incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code and (ii) the terms and provisions of the Plan and of any outstanding option to the extent necessary to ensure the qualification of the Plan under Rule 1 6b-3.

20.           Withholding.

(a)           The Company shall have the right to deduct from payments of any kind otherwise due to the optionee any federal, state or local taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to any shares issued upon exercise of options under the Plan. Subject to the prior approval of the Company, which may be withheld by the Company in its sole discretion, the optionee may elect to satisfy such obligations, in whole or in part, (i) by causing the Company to withhold shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable pursuant to the exercise of an option or (ii) by delivering to the Company shares of Common Stock already owned by the optionee. The shares so delivered or withheld shall have a Fair Market Value equal to such withholding obligation as of the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is to be determined. An optionee who has made an election pursuant to this Section 20(a) may only satisfy his or her withholding obligation with shares of Common Stock which are not subject to any repurchase, forfeiture, unfulfilled vesting or other similar requirements.

(b)           The acceptance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of an Incentive Stock Option shall constitute an agreement by the optionee (i) to notify the Company if any or all of such shares are disposed of by the optionee within two years from the date the option was granted or within one year from the date the shares were issued to the optionee pursuant to the exercise of the option, and (ii) if required by law, to remit to the Company, at the time of and in the case of any such disposition, an amount sufficient to satisfy the Company’s federal, state and local withholding tax obligations with respect to such disposition, whether or not, as to both (i) and (ii), the optionee is in the employ of the Company at the time of such disposition.

(c)           Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of a Reporting Person whose options have been granted in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(b) herein, no election to use shares for the payment of withholding taxes shall be effective unless made in compliance with any applicable requirements of Rule I 6b-3.

 

21.           Cancellation and New Grant of Options, Etc.

The Board of Directors shall have the authority to effect, at any time and from time to time, with the consent of the affected optionees, (i) the cancellation of any or all outstanding options under the Plan and the grant in substitution therefore of new options under the Plan covering the same or different numbers of shares of Common Stock and having an option exercise price per share which may be lower or higher than the exercise price per share of the cancelled options or (ii) the amendment of the terms of any and all outstanding options under the Plan to provide an option exercise price per share which is higher or lower than the then-current exercise price per share of such outstanding options.

22.           Effective Date and Duration of the Plan.

(a)           Effective Date. The Plan shall become effective when adopted by the Board of Directors, but no Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan shall become exercisable unless and until the Plan shall have been approved by the Company’s stockholders. If such stockholder approval is not obtained within twelve months after the date of the Board’s adoption of the Plan, no options previously granted under the Plan shall be deemed to be Incentive Stock Options. Amendments to the Plan not requiring stockholder approval shall become effective when adopted by the Board of Directors; amendments requiring stockholder approval (as provided in Section 19(a)) shall become effective when adopted by the Board of Directors, but no Incentive Stock Option granted after the date of such amendment shall become exercisable (to the extent that such amendment to the Plan was required to enable the Company to grant such Incentive Stock Option to a particular optionee) unless and until such amendment shall have been approved by the Company’s stockholders. If such stockholder approval is not obtained within twelve months of the Board’s adoption of such amendment, any Incentive Stock Options granted on or after the date of such amendment shall terminate to the extent that such amendment to the Plan was required to enable the Company to grant such option to a particular optionee. Subject to this limitation, options may be granted under the Plan at any time after the effective date and before the date fixed for termination of the Plan.

(b)           Termination. Unless sooner terminated in accordance with Section 16, the Plan shall terminate upon the earlier of (i) the close of business on the day next preceding the tenth anniversary of the date of its adoption by the Board of Directors, or (ii) the date on which all shares available for issuance under the Plan shall have been issued pursuant to the exercise or cancellation of options granted under the Plan. If the date of termination is determined under (i) above, then options outstanding on such date shall continue to have force and effect in accordance with the provisions of the instruments evidencing such options.

23.           Provision for Foreign Participants.

The Board of Directors may, without amending the Plan, modify awards or options granted to participants who are foreign nationals or employed outside the United States to recognize differences in laws, rules, regulations or customs of such foreign jurisdictions with respect to tax, securities, currency, employee benefit or other matters.  

24. Governing Law.

The provisions of this Plan shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware without regard to the principles of conflicts of laws.

Adopted by the Board of Directors on, March 26, 2009.