WHAT ABOUT MCI?

Among the many physical and mental health-related resolutions to consider this year is a commitment to embrace WorldCom-excuse-us-MCI as a bona fide member of the service provider community. (Indeed, how spineless! How hypocritical! Ah, but how American.)

Forgive and forget — it's a good motto, especially when it comes to white-collar crime. After all, what's the loss of a few thousand retirement nest eggs here or there when one considers the big picture? Besides, aren't those investors who lost their shorts — referred to in the reorganization plan as “certain claim holders” — getting the first opportunity to elect to receive notes and/or common stock from part of the $4.6 billion to $5.6 billion issued by the reorganized company?

And just what is that big picture? It's actually quite small and is framed by a remnant attitude from the 1980s: “What about me?”

There just doesn't seem to be any sense in continuing to beat a dead horse (the argument against their emergence from bankruptcy, that is — not the company itself). You can't fight city hall. There's no use crying over spilled milk. All the clichéd reasons for giving up the fight come into play here.

MCI is ready to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of its scandal (OK, no more clichés). Just this week, the General Services Administration lifted the debarment of MCI from bidding on government contracts. MCI restructured its Debtor-in-Possession credit facility from $1.06 billion to $300 million. Verizon coughed up $169 million to settle an old dispute over network connection fees.

And dad-gummit, how can you not love a company that year after year teams with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to provide toll-free calling to the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline so kids can track Santa Claus's global Christmas Eve journey? What better company to help perpetuate the first and perhaps biggest lie parents will ever tell their children?

And what of the “what about me” part? With MCI's bankruptcy behind it and its scandalous reputation safely tagged on former management, the long-awaited carrier consolidation can begin. As part of a larger, more reputable entity, the best parts of MCI can begin again to shine. They still have the capacity to make any new partner a better, more well-rounded company. And a new partner would have the opportunity to complete the job that the crooks never bothered to start: the integration of some damn fine acquisitions.

Wouldn't that be the mother of all integration projects (OK, that was the last cliché) and perhaps spark some serious spending in the old OSS? Plus, all the people who never deserved scorn in the first place, but happened to be in the wrong company at the wrong time, could end their suffering and get on with being the network professionals that most of them are.