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Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Mansfield who wrote (3874)	2/14/1999 3:56:00 PM
From: flatsville	Respond to of 9818

John that is an interesting site. Thanks for posting the link. I've heard that over one billion people worldwide (trying to find verification) are dependents on direct food aid of one variety or another. The situation with foreign ports may prove critical to them. Care of csy2k by a poster from California-- (I suspect we'll be seeing more of this kind of notification from utilities in the future.) ----------------------------------------------------------- The Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the major provider of electricity and natural gas to central and northern California, has taken the extraordinary step of warning its customers to prepare for possible major Y2K service interruptions. Customers received the warning in the regular news brochure insert included with their February bills ("Spotlight" volume 9 number 2). Buried in the lead article ("Meeting the Challenge of 2000") is this statement: "We also encourage you to consider your special needs. Make your own contingency plans in case communications, transportation, power or financial services may be interrupted by Y2K. No one knows if or how long any of these services might be affected, but being prepared helps in other kinds of emergencies, too. "Because of the complex ways that computers and communications interact, and because we're dependent on other firms and groups, we regret that we are not able to issue any Year 2000 guarantees. But be assured that PG&E is taking strong measures to avoid service interruptions due to Y2K."

To: John Mansfield who wrote (3874)	2/14/1999 4:36:00 PM
From: flatsville	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9818

John--This is an excellent article by Dick Mills on utility reporting and media spin. He notes: “The Public Service Commission has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. The NY Power Pool has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. Niagara Mohawk has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. Consolidated Edison Company of New York has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. The Power Authority of the State of New York has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. Long Island Lighting Company has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. The Energy Association of New York has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. The NY State Emergency Management Office has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. The NY State Office for Technology has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. The Independent Power Producers of New York have Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. The Otsego Electric Cooperative has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. The Municipal Electric Utilities Association of NY has Y2K contingency plans and that's not alarmist. But electric customers should not have Y2K contingency plans. That would be alarmist. The public should not have Y2K contingency plans. That would be alarmist.” (bold mine) He goes on to note: "A COMPUTERWORLD article illustrates the same behavior in private companies: “The survey results, released today by the Center for Workforce Effectiveness -- a Northbrook, Ill. based consulting firm -- showed...a bit more than half of the respondents, 55%, voiced confidence that problems related to the Year 2000 glitch would be solved before Jan. 1, 2000. However, only 23% acknowledged the possibility that their customers could be impacted by such problems. Among the companies that admitted they probably wouldn't be fully prepared for next January, 40% said they have started training non-IT personnel on contingency planning skills, and only 20% said they have taken steps to alert customers about the potential problems to come.” I think that this behavior is irresponsible, but private corporations have no obligation to act for the public good. Regulated monopolies and public officials are another question. They do have the obligation to protect the public's interest, and it appears to me that they're not doing it wrong. I want to make it clear. I'm not accusing these people of malfeasance, rather I'm accusing them of going down the wrong path. They want to protect the public from panic, so they're choosing to suppress warnings. I think that's wrong. I too have struggled with the same moral dilemma. As Senator Bennett said, "Not Chicken Little, but Paul Revere." Chuck Lanza set me straight. There is no dilemma. Just tell the truth. To avoid panic, you tell it as early as possible." Yep, more statements like PG & E coming with a utility to bill to you. y2ktimebomb.com