CRIME, PUNISHMENT

While most industry observers have focused their attention on the economic implications of the latest, most virulent strains of corporate greed, there is another more devastating long-term effect of this latest piracy binge: America's legacy of innovation has been crippled. Companies such as Adelphia and WorldCom, whose management is under fire for being little more than stick-up men, were among the companies on the forefront of deploying new services and offering more features at lower prices. The blight of financial scandals at both firms has not only tainted their businesses, but also contaminated other industry members who, while probably not blameless, hardly deserve to share the punishment. Companies such as Cablevision Systems, rather than pushing forward with promising new services, must rein in capital expenses and lay off employees. Meanwhile, venture capitalists, who just a few years ago stupidly threw money at useless projects, now look askance at anything that smacks of telecom. Granted, people are innocent until proven guilty. But when this current group of corporate scoundrels is found culpable, there's a way to dole out punishment that will salve the public's gaping wounds: Put the miscreants into prisons where the inmates are unhappy about phone service, cable service — or both. It will be one small way that the incarcerated can repay their societal debt while delivering a small measure of revenge for consumers whose futures they have pistol-whipped.