Warning: long post --
For Immediate Release Contact: Jack Gribben
January 7, 1999 (202) 456-7010
NEW TOLL-FREE LINE PROVIDES Y2K INFORMATION TO CONSUMERS
1-888-USA-4-Y2K, Assessment Summary Report, Web Information
Help Answer Questions About the Year 2000 Computer Problem
The President?s Council on Year 2000 Conversion today introduced
1-888-USA-4-Y2K, a new toll-free Y2K information line, and other Council
initiatives for providing consumers information about the Year 2000 (Y2K)
computer problem.
Council Chair John A. Koskinen joined Jodie Bernstein, Director of the
Federal Trade Commission?s (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection, and Sara
Cooper, Executive Vice President of the National Consumers League, at an
FTC press conference to launch the information line, which will be
supported by the General Services Administration?s Federal Information
Center (FIC) and the FTC.
?This toll-free line is a key part of our ongoing efforts to make
available information that will help Americans respond appropriately to the
Y2K problem as we move through this year,? said Koskinen. ?We are
committed to providing consumers the latest information on how the problem
may, or may not, affect government services, banks, household appliances,
and other things they depend upon in their daily lives.?
1-888-USA-4-Y2K offers information of interest to consumers in common
areas such as power, telephones, banking, government programs, and
household products. Information for the line comes from primary sources --
government agencies, companies, or industry groups. Pre-recorded
information, which is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, is
available on the most common topics, and information specialists supported
by researchers are available to provide additional information to callers.
Information specialists will staff the line from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST),
Monday - Friday.
?Consumers who want to know how computers in the Year 2000 will
continue to deliver Social Security checks or how airlines will handle the
Y2K problem now have a new tool,? said Jodie Bernstein, Director of the
FTC?s Bureau of Consumer Protection. ?The FTC is pleased to work with the
President?s Council and the FIC to provide this information.
1-888-USA-4-Y2K will provide timely, accurate information on how computers
will be able to deliver goods and services in the Year 2000.?
At the end of the month, the FIC will make available a ?fax-on-demand?
system, to provide callers with printed information on the Y2K problem at
the touch of a telephone button.
-- more --
The Council also announced two other initiatives for providing Y2K
information to consumers: the release of its first quarterly summary report
on industry assessments of Y2K progress and the creation of a special
consumer information area on the Council?s web site.
The quarterly report, the first of four the Council will release in
1999, provides summaries of existing industry assessments for key areas
such as communications and finance as well as information on public sector
Y2K efforts. These assessments, the bulk of which come from major industry
trade associations, are being gathered by the Council?s more than 25
working groups; many industry trade associations are in the early stages of
gathering information from their members.
?Based on the data we have seen thus far, we are increasingly
confident that there will not be large-scale disruptions among banks and in
the power and telecommunications industries,? said Koskinen. ?But one
thing is clear: everyone has a lot of work left to do. We are most
concerned about organizations that don?t have the Y2K problem as a high
priority. They are the source of our greatest risk.?
Progress among some smaller governments and businesses remains a
concern. And despite an increase in activity in other countries,
international failures are likely and could have a significant impact upon
areas that rely heavily upon cross-border operations.
The Council is working to ensure that the assessments summarized in
the report are available in their entirety through its web site at
www.y2k.gov. The next summary report is scheduled for release in April
1999, but individual assessments will be released to the public in the
interim as they become available.
The Council has also expanded its web site, creating a separate area
devoted entirely to consumer issues and the Year 2000 problem. This
portion of the site contains information similar to that which is available
on the toll-free line, but enables users to go one step further and link
directly to the agencies, companies, and industry groups that are the
primary sources for much of the existing information on Y2K efforts.
The FTC has three publications for consumers on Y2K: one on consumer
electronic products, one on home office equipment and one on personal
finances. These publications are available online from the FTC at
www.ftc.gov and through the FTC?s Consumer Response Center, 202-FTC-HELP.
The FTC also has a Business Fact Sheet urging businesses to disclose the
Y2K status of their products to their customers.
The President?s Council on Year 2000 Conversion, established on
February 4, 1998 by Executive Order 13073, is responsible for coordinating
the Federal Government?s efforts to address the Year 2000 problem. The
Council?s more than 30 member agencies are working to promote action on the
problem and to offer support to public and private sector organizations
within their policy areas. Visit the Council via the Internet at
www.y2k.gov.
# # #
1-888-USA-4-Y2K
SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES
Will electricity be available?
The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) is coordinating
the electrical power industry?s response to the Y2K challenge under
the supervision of the U.S. Department of Energy. NERC?s website is
located at (http://www.nerc.com). The electrical power industry has
already completed most of the Y2K remediation work that it needs to
perform and is confident that it will be ready for the Year 2000
without incident. The possibility that some minor power outages may
occur can never be completely ruled out. However, the electrical
industry is already prepared to meet that challenge on a daily basis
because of the many naturally occurring events, such as hurricanes and
floods, that they must be prepared to handle.
If ATMs are affected by the Y2K Bug, how can I withdraw money from my
account? Should I withdraw my money now?
The Federal Government?s banking agencies have been inspecting banks to
see if they are taking proper steps to ensure that all banking
functions will continue uninterrupted and that consumers will be able
to access their money through ATMs. Banks are making excellent progress
and there are not expected to be problems. In fact, there is no
evidence that any ATM system or other banking functions will fail.
There?s no need to remove your money from the bank and doing so may
tempt thieves.
Will my home appliances be affected by Y2K?
According to major trade associations, most appliances in your home,
such as coffee makers, microwaves, clock radios, and heating and
cooling equipment, are not likely to be affected by the Y2K bug because
they only use clock, rather than calendar functions that include a
month and year. Even those products that do have calendars, such as
VCRs and camcorders, are not likely to have problems unless they are
older models purchased before 1987. Many manufacturers and trade
associations are making product and model specific information
available on their websites. The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers
Association?s website (http://www.cemacity.org) has links to
information that its member companies have put on the web for
consumers, or a company?s ?800" number customer service representatives
may be able to answer questions you have.
Will my personal computer fail? Can it be fixed or do I need to buy a new
one?
Both PC hardware and PC software may have Y2K problems. Many PCS,
especially those bought before mid-1997 may experience Y2K hardware
problems. The problem may be in your PC?s BIOS chip, which stores basic
information about your computer and accesses the PC?s electronic
calendar. The major computer manufacturers, however, are providing
information about possible problems on various models and fixes or
?patches? that can be downloaded. We suggest that you check the
website of your computer manufacturer for information.
If you have an Apple Macintosh, that company reports that you should
not have any date-related hardware problems. For more information, see
Apple Computer?s homepage:
(http://www.apple.com/macos/info/2000.html)
PC users also need to check the various software they use to see if it
is Y2K ready. Again, check the software manufacturer?s website for
information. Many other sites also provide useful information about
potential hardware and software problems and possible solutions. Try
mitre.org or enter ?Y2K?
at a Web search engine.
Retailers and catalogers also are selling some relatively inexpensive
Y2K tools. But, be aware, although many people are trying to sell
quick and easy solutions, there?s no one tool that can solve all --or
even most --Y2K problems in a given system. The old-fashioned COBOL
programs are by no means the only programs that need correction.
Every application, in every programming language, must be checked for
two-digit dates. It?s impossible for a single tool to do this.
Will it be safe to fly within the United States?
Airplane manufacturers are thoroughly examining their planes for
potential Y2K problems. They report that none of the problems that
have been identified so far would present a safety risk to passengers.
The Federal Aviation Administration?s air traffic computer systems on
schedule to be completely compliant no later than June 30, 1999.
Will the Y2K bug affect elevators?
Many elevator manufacturers have said that elevators will not
experience any problems related to the year 2000 date change. Otis
Elevators, one of the largest manufacturers of elevators, reports that
they ?...have not found any reason to expect that the millennium bug
will have any effect on Otis Elevators? and that their elevators
aren?t ?date-dependent in any way.? However, elevator systems tied
into larger building-control systems could be affected if the larger
systems are not Y2K compliant. If you live in a highrise building,
check with your building manager or your community association to make
sure this has been checked out.
Is the government doing anything to help small businesses become Y2K
compliant?
Yes. The U.S. Small Business Administration is providing detailed
information about the steps a small business should take to assess,
fix and test its systems to make sure they will be compliant. This
information is found at (http://www.sba.gov/y2k) or call
1-877-RU-Y2K-OK (1-877-789-2565). The SBA also makes modernization
loans available for small businesses (generally 500 employees or less,
depending on the type of business) and it has already determined that
Y2K compliancy is considered an act of modernization --so it falls
within normal loan guidelines. Many banks feature similar small
business loans. For more information, ask your bank.
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