The Public Staff of the State of N.C. released its initial report to the NC Utilities Commission yesterday; went online today.

It's at http://www.state.nc.us/Pubstaff/psy2k/y2kintre.htm.

I haven't read it through yet, but at first skim it sounds a lot like the NERC report....

Some quotes:

"After studying and analyzing the Year 2000 surveys, the presentations and responses to many data requests, it is our judgment that the major electric, natural gas and telecommunications utilities in North Carolina are ahead of the curve on the Year 2000 problem, and each has a credible, practical, and understandable plan for assessing, remediating and testing all critical operating systems in a timely manner. Each is in the process of designing viable comprehensive contingency plans that will continue through the testing phase."

"This assessment does not represent a guarantee that there will not be problems with our major utilities on January 1, 2000. No utility with such sophisticated equipment and computer hardware and software as our major utilities can make such a guarantee. But the major utilities have effectively demonstrated to the Committee that their extensive plans make wholesale breakdowns of their utility service unlikely."

"Every major utility seemed proud to be able to report the good progress each had made to the Committee. A number of utilities have subsequently volunteered often voluminous documents concerning their Year 2000 efforts. The degree of cooperation by the major utilities with the Committee has been responsive, non-defensive and positive."

I've been in e-mail contact with these guys for about two months; sent them the Rick Cowles and Dick Mills responses to the NERC report last week, so they are aware of them. (They did respond and 'thank me for my interest'.)

Hmmmmm.

-- John Howard (Greenville, NC) (pcdir@prodigy.net), September 29, 1998

Answers

And this is the sort of smoke that will continue for as long as it can: "ahead of the curve", "95% complete", "B+", ad nauseum. The truth is that Y2K does grade on the curve, it does not grade at all. Bad computer code is bad computer code, with no compassion nor understanding of why your homework assignment is late. This Y2K fix-it "riding on a smile and a shoe shine" game will end within 459 days -- probably closer to 250 days (mid Apr 1999, after numerous states/govts/businesses roll over to fiscal year 2000).

-- Joe (shar@pei.com), September 29, 1998.

It comes back to trust.

Question is: can we trust the lawyers, politicians, and utility senior officials? How far up the food chain does "political" influence begin over-runnning the real influence?

Do we have to ask the linesmen and mechanics to get information we can trust? How long will it be before the linesmen get instructions not to talk to "civilians"?

Or are we really going to have power and services as they indicate? Remember, they might be right.

Maybe.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), September 29, 1998.

Indeed, They Might Be Right. For that matter, Y2K may prove to be nothing more than a bump in the road, if even that. You pays you money and you takes you chances. Personally, I am putting my money on the color that says They Are Wrong.

-- Joe (shar@pei.com), September 29, 1998.

You got an answer and your electric utility has posted Y2K information. You're farther ahead in getting any cooperation than Albuquerque New Mexico is. I've sent 6 letters and 3 emails to PNM and finally got a written reply. It says we will have mission critical systems ready by 1999. Thanks for your interest. We're trying to figure out how to talk to the public so we won't say any more to you. If anyone is getting anything that sounds like reality from their electric/gas utility provider, I sure would be grateful to know how they did it....

-- Sharon Schultz (shalom100@aol.com), October 05, 1998.