NEW YORK (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration will be getting new computers to move high altitude air traffic around the nation about three years earlier than originally planned.

The decision -- to replace the 20 computers before the year 2000 -- could be announced as early as Wednesday, when FAA Administrator Jane Garvey is scheduled to testify before the House Subcommittee on Technology.

The agency is stepping up the pace on acquiring new computers because of warnings that the old ones could cause unknown problems when the new millennium arrives.

Many older computers register the date only by the last two numbers -- meaning that for some units, the year 2000 would be a step back in time.

Many older computers register the date only by the last two numbers -- meaning that for some units, the year 2000 would be a step back in time. FAA experts have created a test system at the agency's technical center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and are analyzing what happens to various computer functions when the date is artificially rolled over to the year 2000.

When a problem is found, the software is "patched" to eliminate the date discrepancy. This testing and updating of the old computers should take the rest of the year to complete.

However, outside consultants have warned the FAA that it will be difficult, perhaps impossible, to know for sure if complex computer codes in the existing air traffic control system could be used safely when the year rolls over to 2000.

Outside consultants have warned the FAA that it will be difficult, perhaps impossible, to know for sure if complex computer codes in the existing air traffic control system could be used safely when the year rolls over to 2000.

"They can fix everything they can find, but we don't know what they can't find," said John Fearnsides, who works with the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development, a company consulting with the FAA.

"You can't prove the negative, can't prove that it won't fail. That's our problem. The downside risk is too high." Fearnsides added.

In a letter last October, officials with IBM, the manufacturer of the old computers, echoed Fearnsides' concerns.

An IBM spokesman told CNN that the company was sure it could install and test a new generation of computers that are year-2000 compliant in time if the FAA made the decision to purchase them within the next few months.

In a meeting with aviation industry officials last week, the FAA's associate administrator for research and acquisitions said the agency would replace it's computers by the year 2000, but that testing of the old computers would continue as a fail-safe, in the event the year 2000 deadline could not be met.

Bringing the air traffic control system into the 21st century is a critical project for the FAA and one of the most visible issues that new FAA administrator Jane Garvey has faced since taking office in 1997.

Sound off on our Travel Message Boards You said it...

Weather: CNN Weather Forecasts City Guides and Maps: CNN Travel City Guides

Related stories:

• Teen claims he has solved millennium bug - September 14, 1997
• Big business, government brace for 'millennium' computer bug - January 5, 1997
• Experts bemoan denial of '2000 bug' - October 13, 1996
• The year 2000 does not compute - January 1996

Related sites:

• Federal Aviation Administration
• Center for Advanced Aviation System Development
• Year 2000 Information Center/Millennium Bug

Search for related CNN stories:   [Help] Tip: You can restrict your search to the title of a document. Example: title:New Year's Resolutions

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.