1997 Non-executive Officer Stock Option Plan

EXHIBIT 99.1


ACT NETWORKS, INC.
1997 NON-EXECUTIVE OFFICER STOCK OPTION/STOCK ISSUANCE PLAN


(As Amended July 15, 1997)


ARTICLE ONE


GENERAL PROVISIONS


I. PURPOSE OF THE PLAN


This 1997 Non-Executive Officer Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan is intended to promote the interests of ACT Networks, Inc., a Delaware corporation, by providing eligible persons with the opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest, or otherwise increase their proprietary interest, in the Corporation as an incentive for them to remain in the service of the Corporation.


Capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the attached Appendix.


II. STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN


A. The Plan shall be divided into two separate equity programs:


(i) the Discretionary Option Grant Program under
which eligible persons may, at the discretion of the Plan Administrator,
be granted options to purchase shares of Common Stock, and


(ii) the Stock Issuance Program under which eligible
persons may, at the discretion of the Plan Administrator, be issued
shares of Common Stock directly, either through the immediate purchase
of such shares or as a bonus for services rendered the Corporation (or
any Parent or Subsidiary).


B. The provisions of Articles One and Four shall apply to all equity programs under the Plan and shall accordingly govern the interests of all persons under the Plan.


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III. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN


A. Administration of the Discretionary Option Grant and Stock Issuance Programs with respect to all persons eligible to participate in the Plan may, at the Board's discretion, be vested in the Primary Committee or a Secondary Committee, or the Board may retain the power to administer those programs with respect to all such persons. The members of the Secondary Committee may be Board members who are Employees eligible to receive discretionary option grants or direct stock issuances under the Plan or any other stock option, stock appreciation, stock bonus or other stock plan of the Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary).


B. Members of the Primary Committee or any Secondary Committee shall serve for such period of time as the Board may determine and may be removed by the Board at any time. The Board may also at any time terminate the functions of any Secondary Committee and reassume all powers and authority previously delegated to such committee.


C. Each Plan Administrator shall, within the scope of its administrative functions under the Plan, have full power and authority (subject to the provisions of the Plan) to establish such rules and regulations as it may deem appropriate for proper administration of the Plan and to make such determinations under, and issue such interpretations of, the provisions of the Plan and any outstanding options or stock issuances thereunder as it may deem necessary or advisable. Decisions of the Plan Administrator within the scope of its administrative functions under the Plan shall be final and binding on all parties who have an interest in the Discretionary Option Grant or Stock Issuance Program under its jurisdiction or any option or stock issuance thereunder.


D. Service on the Primary Committee or the Secondary Committee shall constitute service as a Board member, and members of each such committee shall accordingly be entitled to full indemnification and reimbursement as Board members for their service on such committee. No member of the Primary Committee or the Secondary Committee shall be liable for any act or omission made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any option grants or stock issuances under the Plan.


IV. ELIGIBILITY


A. The persons eligible to participate in the Plan are as follows:


(i) Employees (other than officers of the
Corporation), and


(ii) consultants and other independent advisors who
provide services to the Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary).


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B. The Plan Administrator shall, within the scope of its administrative jurisdiction under the Plan, have full authority (subject to the provisions of the Plan) to determine, (i) with respect to the option grants under the Discretionary Option Grant Program, which eligible persons are to receive option grants, the time or times when such option grants are to be made, the number of shares to be covered by each such grant, the time or times when each option is to become exercisable, the vesting schedule (if any) applicable to the option shares and the maximum term for which the option is to remain outstanding and (ii) with respect to stock issuances under the Stock Issuance Program, which eligible persons are to receive stock issuances, the time or times when such issuances are to be made, the number of shares to be issued to each Participant, the vesting schedule (if any) applicable to the issued shares and the consideration to be paid for such shares.


C. The Plan Administrator shall have the absolute discretion either to grant options in accordance with the Discretionary Option Grant Program or to effect stock issuances in accordance with the Stock Issuance Program.


V. STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN


A. The stock issuable under the Plan shall be shares of authorized but unissued or reacquired Common Stock, including shares repurchased by the Corporation on the open market. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance over the term of the Plan shall not exceed 500,000 shares.


B. Shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding options shall be available for subsequent issuance under the Plan to the extent those options expire or terminate for any reason prior to exercise in full. Unvested shares issued under the Plan and subsequently cancelled or repurchased by the Corporation, at the original issue price paid per share, pursuant to the Corporation's repurchase rights under the Plan, shall be added back to the number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the Plan and shall accordingly be available for reissuance through one or more subsequent option grants or direct stock issuances under the Plan. However, should the exercise price of an option under the Plan be paid with shares of Common Stock or should shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable under the Plan be withheld by the Corporation in satisfaction of the withholding taxes incurred in connection with the exercise of an option or the vesting of a stock issuance under the Plan, then the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced by the gross number of shares for which the option is exercised or which vest under the stock issuance, and not by the net number of shares of Common Stock issued to the holder of such option or stock issuance.


C. Should any change be made to the Common Stock by reason of any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, combination of shares, exchange of shares or other change affecting the outstanding Common Stock as a class without the Corporation's receipt of consideration, appropriate adjustments shall be made to (i) the maximum number and/or class of


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securities issuable under the Plan and (ii) the number and/or class of securities and the exercise price per share in effect under each outstanding option in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of benefits thereunder. The adjustments determined by the Plan Administrator shall be final, binding and conclusive.


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ARTICLE TWO


DISCRETIONARY OPTION GRANT PROGRAM


I. OPTION TERMS


Each option shall be a Non-Statutory Option and shall be evidenced by one or more documents in the form approved by the Plan Administrator; provided, however, that each such document shall comply with the terms specified below.


A. Exercise Price.


1. The exercise price per share shall be fixed by the Plan Administrator but shall not be less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the option grant date.


2. The exercise price shall become immediately due upon exercise of the option and shall, subject to the provisions of Section I of Article Four and the documents evidencing the option, be payable in one or more of the forms specified below:


(i) cash or check made payable to the Corporation,


(ii) shares of Common Stock held for the requisite
period necessary to avoid a charge to the Corporation's earnings for
financial reporting purposes and valued at Fair Market Value on the
Exercise Date, or


(iii) to the extent the option is exercised for vested
shares, through a special sale and remittance procedure pursuant to
which the Optionee shall concurrently provide irrevocable instructions
to (a) a Corporation-designated brokerage firm to effect the immediate
sale of the purchased shares and remit to the Corporation, out of the
sale proceeds available on the settlement date, sufficient funds to
cover the aggregate exercise price payable for the purchased shares plus
all applicable Federal, state and local income and employment taxes
required to be withheld by the Corporation by reason of such exercise
and (b) the Corporation to deliver the certificates for the purchased
shares directly to such brokerage firm in order to complete the sale
transaction.


Except to the extent such sale and remittance procedure is utilized, payment of the exercise price for the purchased shares must be made on the Exercise Date.


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B. Exercise and Term of Options. Each option shall be exercisable at such time or times, during such period and for such number of shares as shall be determined by the Plan Administrator and set forth in the documents evidencing the option. However, no option shall have a term in excess of ten (10) years measured from the option grant date.


C. Effect of Termination of Service.


1. The following provisions shall govern the exercise of any options held by the Optionee at the time of cessation of Service or death:


(i) Any option outstanding at the time of the
Optionee's cessation of Service for any reason shall remain exercisable
for such period of time thereafter as shall be determined by the Plan
Administrator and set forth in the documents evidencing the option, but
no such option shall be exercisable after the expiration of the option
term.


(ii) Any option exercisable in whole or in part by the
Optionee at the time of death may be subsequently exercised by the
personal representative of the Optionee's estate or by the person or
persons to whom the option is transferred pursuant to the Optionee's
will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution.


(iii) During the applicable post-Service exercise
period, the option may not be exercised in the aggregate for more than
the number of vested shares for which the option is exercisable on the
date of the Optionee's cessation of Service. Upon the expiration of the
applicable exercise period or (if earlier) upon the expiration of the
option term, the option shall terminate and cease to be outstanding for
any vested shares for which the option has not been exercised. However,
the option shall, immediately upon the Optionee's cessation of Service,
terminate and cease to be outstanding to the extent it is not
exercisable for vested shares on the date of such cessation of Service.


(iv) Should the Optionee's Service be terminated for
Misconduct, then all outstanding options held by the Optionee shall
terminate immediately and cease to be outstanding.


(v) In the event of an Involuntary Termination
following a Corporate Transaction, the provisions of Section III of this
Article Two shall govern the period for which the outstanding options
are to remain exercisable following the Optionee's cessation of Service
and shall supersede any provisions to the contrary in this section.


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2. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion, exercisable either at the time an option is granted or at any time while the option remains outstanding, to:


(i) extend the period of time for which the option is
to remain exercisable following the Optionee's cessation of Service from
the period otherwise in effect for that option to such greater period of
time as the Plan Administrator shall deem appropriate, but in no event
beyond the expiration of the option term, and/or


(ii) permit the option to be exercised, during the
applicable post-Service exercise period, not only with respect to the
number of vested shares of Common Stock for which such option is
exercisable at the time of the Optionee's cessation of Service but also
with respect to one or more additional installments in which the
Optionee would have vested under the option had the Optionee continued
in Service.


D. Stockholder Rights. The holder of an option shall have no stockholder rights with respect to the shares subject to the option until such person shall have exercised the option, paid the exercise price and become a holder of record of the purchased shares.


E. Repurchase Rights. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion to grant options which are exercisable for unvested shares of Common Stock. Should the Optionee cease Service while holding such unvested shares, the Corporation shall have the right to repurchase, at the exercise price paid per share, any or all of those unvested shares. The terms upon which such repurchase right shall be exercisable (including the period and procedure for exercise and the appropriate vesting schedule for the purchased shares) shall be established by the Plan Administrator and set forth in the document evidencing such repurchase right.


F. Limited Transferability of Options. During the lifetime of the Optionee, Options shall be exercisable only by the Optionee and shall not be assignable or transferable other than (i) by will or by the laws of descent and distribution following the Optionee's death or (ii) to one or more members of the Optionee's immediate family or to a trust established exclusively for one or more such family members in connection with the Optionee's estate plan. The assigned portion may only be exercised by the person or persons who acquire a proprietary interest in the option pursuant to the assignment. The terms applicable to the assigned portion shall ...