STORY:
White House Planning 24-hour Y2K Watch

Round-the-clock worldwide monitoring will begin on New Year's Eve

A special White House task force will be on-duty around the clock just before midnight January 1 2000 at the International Dateline. The goal is not to solve any Y2K issues that might surface, but collect information as any Y2K issues as they arise.

The Information Coordination Center as its called, will act as an early warning station for public and private agencies worried about potential disruptions. Officials will also be on the look out for cyber attacks from hackers who want to use the cover of theY2K computer bug to commit crimes or cause disruptions.

In testimony to Congress, the White House's Y2K czar John A. Koskinen said the challenges of gathering real time information around the world as it relates to one event is unprecedented.

The center will collect information on 40 federal safety and health agencies, aviation, waterways, the Postal Service, power failures, defense department, activities, weather and criminal checks. Koskinen said the ICC will not be a decision-making body but only a disseminator of information.

The ICC is expected to cost $40-million and initially will be staffed by 40 people. Just after Christmas, staff will increase to 200 technicians, most on loan from other federal agencies for two weeks.

"The ICC will be focused on how best to share information on the status of system operations to increase the likelihood that expert assistance is available to those who are in need and requesting help," Koskinen told the congressional subcommittee overseeing federal Y2K fixes.

Source: Washington Post

DATE: 07/30/99

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