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March 31, 1999
Web posted at: 4:33 p.m. EST (2133 GMT)

by Tom Diederich

(IDG) -- Sens. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) warned that several of the federal government's most vital operation systems -- including those at the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense -- will miss the March 31 deadline for government wide compliance for the year 2000 computer problem.

"We expect 90% of the federal government to meet the March 31 deadline," the senators said in a statement. "However, the remaining 10% are a concern because they include critical systems and services which play an important part in maintaining the health and well-being of our nation's citizens."

Bennett, who is chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, and Dodd, the committee's vice chairman, will address the issue at an upcoming hearing. A focal point of the hearing will be the extent of the government's end-to-end testing of interdependent systems.

"End-to-end testing is one of the most important steps in the verification process," the senators said. "Just because a system or unit is Y2K-compliant on its own does not guarantee it will be free of Y2K problems when run with other systems. It's like testing a parachute without pulling the ripcord."

Another hot topic of debate will be the status of contingency planning throughout the federal government. Agencies have until April 30 to submit their year 2000 contingency plans in the event of system failures.