President Clinton for the first time personally assured the United States that there would be no major national computer breakdowns when the clock turns to the Year 2000.
Clinton's statement followed the administration's release of the fourth and final quarterly report on the progress that government and companies have made in fixing the Y2K bug in their computer systems. The report shows that 99 percent of all critical computer federal systems, such as traffic control and Social Security payrolls, will be working without a problem into the next millennium.
"The report shows that our hard work in this country is paying off. I expect we will experience no major national breakdowns as a result of the Year 2000 date change... I am confident the Y2K problem... will not put the savings or the safety of the American people at risk," he said at the White House Tuesday morning.
Not every computer system, however, is expected to be glitch-free. The administration in its report said that while "vital industries," like finance, power, transportation, telecommunications, oil and gas are expected to make a smooth transition into the new year, others, such as small businesses, health care and education are being admonished to develop contingency plans for expected failures.
A survey of over 2,700 "911" call centers found that seven report they will not be prepared by January. And the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that as of an August survey, 30 percent of public housing providers will be unable to receive subsidies from HUD.
"I say to these groups, don't just sit back and wait for problems to occur," Clinton said.
Outside the United States, Clinton said most of the nation's major trading partners "are in good shape" but there are still concerns about Y2K preparations in developing countries. He said the State Department is keeping track of the developing nations' status and will post their state of Y2K readiness.
"If we work together and use this time well, we can ensure that this Y2K computer problem will be remembered as the last headache of the 20th century, not the first crisis of the 21st," Clinton said.
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