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U.S. government gets 'D-' for progress on 2000 bug
March 4, 1998
Web posted at: 4:09 p.m. EST (2109 GMT)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The chairman of the congressional panel monitoring progress on the so-called "millennium bug" gave the federal government a "D-minus" Wednesday for its efforts to upgrade computer systems for the year 2000.
The poor grade was delivered by Rep. Steve Horn, R-California, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology.
The year 2000 problem stems from the fact that many older computer systems are unable to accommodate the date change of the millennium. These computers misinterpret the designation "00" in the year 2000 as the year 1900.
It's a serious problem with the potential to affect many areas of government, including defense systems, government checks and air traffic control systems.
At a Capitol Hill news conference Horn warned that "it is increasingly clear that a large number of federal computer systems simply will not be prepared for the date change on December 31, 1999.
"The goal now is to make certain that the most important systems at the most important agencies can function in the new century," Horn said.
"The one ray of hope I see now is that President Clinton recently signed an executive order recognizing the urgency of the problem and establishing a task force to address it," Horn said.
The task force will be headed by John Koskinen, the respected former deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget.
Horn concluded his remarks by saying, "we have a long way to go and a short time to get there."
He said he expects to issue another progress evaluation in one or two months.
Related stories:
- Teen claims he has solved millennium bug - September 14, 1997
- Big business, government brace for 'millennium' computer bug - January 5, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Year 2000 Information - U.S. General Services Administration
- Year 2000 Information Center
- CIO Council Committee on Year 2000/GSA Home Page
- NIST Year 2000 Information
- FDIC Year 2000 Home Page
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Watch Science & Technology Week on CNN for more sci-tech stories.
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