Do the right thing

That hollow sound you keep hearing is the voice of Michael Capellas, new CEO of the old WorldCom, stating that his company will take swift action to purge its bad apples and “do the right thing” if fraud allegations against it turn out to be true. This is getting old.

I know, I know… Presumed innocent before proven guilty, right? Sorry, but I have little faith that the company isn’t guilty. And before the more vitriolic of you (you know who you are) accuse me of having no new evidence to back up my opinion, let me tell you up front that you’re right, I don’t. Other than what Telephony’s staff has reported on the allegations that WorldCom improperly diverted traffic to avoid access charges, what I’ve read in other media outlets and the fact that WorldCom has retained a D.C. law firm to lead a review of the claims, I have only a pattern of past behavior and my gut to go on. The past behavior speaks for itself, the appointment of the law firm makes the company look guilty, and my gut says they did it.

I wrote last month that it was premature for WorldCom to be holding itself up as a squeaky-clean corporate entity and a competitive model for others to follow, which it had been doing since the MCI rebranding tactic was announced, and that the company should demonstrate more restraint until it was sure its house was clean. As far as I’m concerned, if the telecom sector is ever going to regain its credibility, the “swift action” Capellas referred to should be taken by the courts, and the “right thing” would be to bar the company from emerging from bankruptcy.

While these new allegations are being investigated, we can only speculate about whether the company will be allowed to alter its DNA once more--and what its next new name might be.

E-mail me at jmeyers@primediabusiness.com.