I was an Account Executive for WorldCom for the 2 years (2000-2002). We saw this coming at the end of 2000. Shady company(execs). too bad they had to go and dirty the UUNET name.
Same with Qwest, I worked for USWest for 3 years, once they "merged" (were bought) by Qwest, I left. Joe Nacchio is a cut throat cat and made it clear that he was there to raise the stock price period. Which is good but at what cost. You will hear about there dirty laundry with in 3 to 6 months im sure. One of the things that was always quoted around there is
"Perception is Key!". I dont think they realized perception can change.
But I love Telecom, It was great to me $$

. And these companies have done some amazing things over the last 10 years. Its crazy how far things have come over a decade, I cant even imagine what the next 10 years will bring.