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Category: 

Power_Grid

Date: 

1997-11-04 09:16:29

Subject: 

A Looming Disaster, Says Former Oklahoma Representative

  Link:

http://guide-p.infoseek.com/Content?arn=ix.OKC2008778&col=IX

Comment: 

The electrical utilities industry is vulnerable, two Oklahoma lawmakers reported. One study revealed that one-third of America's power companies have not begun working on the y2k repair, and another third are severely behind. Optimists think that 80% of the firms will have completed their repairs by 2000.

My comment: This means that 20% will not have completed their repairs. The power grid is a system. How will the noncompliant 20% affect the compliant 80%? We are back, once again, to Pareto's 80-20 rule. On the negative side, 20% of your system will cause 80% of your problems.

This appeared in the DAILY OKLAHOMAN (Oct. 29).

* * * * * * *

Rep. Fred Perry, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Abe Deutschendorf, D-Lawton, said the "Millennium 2000 computer problem" poses a danger to utilities such as electricity, natural gas and communications providers. . . .

Perry and Deutschendorf said they have studied the problem and are "extremely concerned" about the readiness of Oklahoma's utilities.

[Former representative Porter] Davis said a national survey by a utilities manager from Digital Equipment Corp. showed one-third of all utility companies had not started to correct the problem, and another third were severely behind.

Failure to correct the computer date problem could cause a massive breakdown of the utilities system and lead to a "terrible disaster worldwide," Davis said.

Authorities expect 80 percent of American companies will have fixed the problem by 2000, said Davis, R-Oklahoma City.

Perry said that AT&T had stated publicly that it, alone, has 500 million lines of code to check, with 10 percent expected to be date sensitive and in need of correction.

Link: 

http://guide-p.infoseek.com/Content?arn=ix.OKC2008778&col=IX

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