REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
DEPUTY SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION MORTIMER DOWNEY
FAA YEAR 2000 PROBLEM INDUSTRY DAY
WASHINGTON, D.C.
JUNE 23, 1998
Good morning. I’m Deputy Secretary of Transportation Mortimer Downey, and I’d like to welcome you to this Year 2000 Problem Industry Day.
Let me start by thanking the Air Transport Association for co-sponsoring today’s forum. This is the kind of challenge which can only be met through an industry-wide effort, and we’re glad to have the ATA’s support and cooperation. Ed Merlis, the ATA’s Senior Vice President for Legislative and International Affairs, and Tom Browne, their Year 2000 Program Executive Director, are with us.
I’m also joined by Jane Garvey, our FAA Administrator, and Ray Long, who directs the FAA’s Year 2000 Program.
And I want to acknowledge a special guest: Janet Abrams. Janet is Executive Director of the President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion. She and John Koskinen, the council’s chair, are coordinating the federal government’s efforts to solve this problem.
"President Clinton and Vice President Gore recognize the importance of acting quickly. They’ve directed us to do everything necessary to ensure that the federal government’s computer systems are functioning as well on January 1, 2000, as they were on the day before."
Today, we’re taking another step towards meeting the challenge of the Year 2000 problem.
It’s urgent that we do so. Over the past generation society has benefited greatly from the use of computer-based information and communications technologies. In transportation, these technologies have enabled us to create productive "just-in-time" delivery systems, to improve maritime navigation, and to enhance the safety and efficiency of our highways, railroads, and transit systems.
In aviation, they have doubled the effective capacity of our air traffic system. Air carriers rely on them for everything from reservations to maintenance to cargo tracking. Airports depend on them to operate advanced security systems. Facilities and airplanes across the country have embedded microchips which operate internal systems.
All of these computer-driven systems contribute to the safe, smooth, and productive functioning of our transportation networks today, and can generate even greater benefits in the future as we implement free flight and other advanced systems.
"The challenge we ultimately face is not one of technology but one of project management. The deadlines can be met if we have the right people in place and the right resources available to them."
However, all we face a significant challenge in the Year 2000 problem. The origin of this problem is simple. Because of limited storage capacity, many computers were programmed to use just two digits to keep track of the date. That seemed like a good idea at the time, when everyone expected that those computers and programs would have been replaced by now.
Many of them were not, and, on January 1, 2000, these computers could recognize a "double zero" date not as 2000, but as 1900. They could stop running or start generating bad data. We’re now determining the full extent of the problem.
Now, we all get very frustrated when our personal computers crash. Far worse could happen if the Year 2000 problem shuts down the computers which operate government and business networks. We risk major disruptions of financial markets, of communications and power systems, of our transportation systems.
Fortunately, as we are all finding, there is a solution. The technical fix for the Year 2000 problem is straightforward, but it required a heavy commitment of resources to evaluate computer systems and implement the necessary repairs.
Recognizing this, President Clinton and Vice President Gore acted quickly. They’ve directed us to do everything necessary to ensure that the federal government’s computer systems are functioning as well on January 1, 2000, as they were on the day before.
At the FAA, this means not only our internal management systems but also operations which directly affect services such as air traffic control and the global positioning satellite system. The challenge we ultimately face is not one of technology but one of project management. The deadlines can be met if we have the right people in place and the right resources available to them.
Let me assure you that, if progress isn’t being made, we will act to put in charge people who can get the job done. If we find that they don’t have adequate resources, we’ll work with John Koskinen, with OMB, and with the Congress to give them the tools they need. We’ve already obtained approval for reprogrammings at the FAA.
The necessary work already has been done for nearly 40 percent of our mission-critical systems. Every such system will be either repaired, replaced, or retired by the 2000 deadline. Period. Nothing less will be acceptable to me, or to Secretary Slater, or to the President and Vice President.
We’ll do whatever is necessary to ensure that this happens. We’ll also ensure that back-ups or alternatives are available to handle contingencies and disruptions so that the public can be served with safety.
However, our concerns aren’t limited to how the Year 2000 problem affects federal systems. Many of our systems interact with those of state and local governments and the private sector, and Year 2000 problems in these systems could compromise our own networks. Moreover, shutdowns of nonfederal systems could jeopardize safety or the economy’s smooth functioning.
"Every mission-critical system will be either repaired, replaced, or retired by the 2000 deadline. Period. Nothing less will be acceptable to me, or to Secretary Slater, or to the President and Vice President."
I’m concerned that many public officials and business leaders don’t understand this problem or aren’t yet taking it seriously. Many who do are taking it for granted that their systems have no problems, or that a simple, technical fix will be developed. That would be a terrible mistake: anyone who expects a silver bullet is playing Russian roulette.
The Council on Year 2000 Conversion oversees the government’s efforts and promotes awareness at other levels of government and in the private sector. Through the Council, the President has asked us to reach out to our partners and our customers and encourage them to evaluate their own systems and make any needed fixes.
And that’s what we’re doing today. We’re taking a leadership role because, although these systems are state and local and private responsibilities, this is truly a matter of national concern.
If air travel or shipping were to come to a halt on January 1, 2000, or even be dramatically slowed, the results would be disastrous. Beyond delays and risks to safety, we could see irreparable damage to public confidence in the ongoing reliability of this system.
We can’t compel system operators to take the necessary steps, nor do we have the resources to perform universal evaluations and repairs. However, we can, and should, raise awareness of the problem and promote the sharing of effective strategies.
To help us do this, we’re conducting outreach through sessions such as today’s. We’re also creating a clearinghouse on transportation and the Year 2000 problem, with information to be made available through the Internet.
These are only first steps in solving the Year 2000 problem, but they are necessary ones if we’re going to prevent costly disruptions and sustain the public support we need for future advances. We’re also receptive to your ideas about ways to address this issue.
So let us work together, determine the scope of the problem we face, and then decide on the best ways to solve it. If there are few problems, and I hope that is the case, we can give that assurance to the American people before unfounded rumors and fears have become widespread. We owe it to ourselves, to our citizens, and to the future of the aviation industry.
It’s our responsibility, as the English poet Wordsworth wrote, "to live, and act, and serve the future hour." I’m confident that, working together, we will meet our responsibilities to serve the future. Thank you.
# # #