[Federal Register: January 22, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 14)] [Notices] [Page 3586-3587] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr22ja99-132] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Customs Service Announcement Concerning Y2K Compliance AGENCY: Customs Service, Treasury. ACTION: General notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Customs computer systems have been modified to ensure that they are Y2K compliant--meaning that Customs computer program systems will process data entered for the year 2000 as 2000 and not as the year 1900. This notice announces Customs plan to allow members of the trade with electronic filing capabilities that are approved to interface with Customs through Customs automated systems and that can meet certain operational requirements to transmit trial data to establish if their computer software applications will interface properly with Customs Y2K compliant systems. The purpose of these compliance trials is to provide an opportunity for the trade community to assess their computer applications' Y2K readiness and raise the confidence level of the trade community in Customs Y2k renovated systems. This notice invites comments concerning any aspect of this exercise and informs interested members of the trade community of the operational requirements for voluntary participation in the exercise. DATES: The compliance trials will commence no earlier than February 1, 1999 and will run for approximately four months. Any electronic filer interested in participating should contact their Customs or Census client representative on or before February 1, 1999. ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding this notice and/or requests to participate in these trials should be addressed to the Chief, Trade Support Branch, U. S. Customs Service, 7501 Boston Blvd., #211, Springfield, VA 22153. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information in general, contact your Customs or Census client representative. For carriers filing in the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), contact the APIS Technical coordinator, Charles Fife (703) 921-5816; Fax (703) 921-5901. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Because of a decision made at the dawn of the computer age to save scarce computer memory by giving all dates a two-digit field in the belief that those early computers would be replaced by the year 2000, computer systems worldwide may malfunction or produce inaccurate information on January 1, 2000. The reason these computer systems may malfunction is that the computers may misinterpret data entered for the year 2000 ( ``00'') as 1900, rather than 2000. This problem is frequently referred to as the Y2K (for Year 2000) problem. Unless corrected, such failures will have a costly widespread impact on federal, state, and local governments, foreign governments, and private sector organizations. All sectors of the economy, many of which provide goods and services that are vital to the nation's health and well being, are at risk, including: telecommunications; public utilities; transportation; banking and finance; commerce and small business; national defense; government revenue collection and benefit payments; and health, safety, and emergency services. Moreover, a Y2K problem in one sector may cascade to others due to the many interdependencies and linkages among them. The various Customs automated interfaces that may be affected by the Y2K problem include, the Automated Broker Interface, the Automated Manifest System, the Automated Commercial Environment, the Advance [[Page 3587]] Passenger Information System (APIS) and the Automated Export System. On February 4, 1998, the President issued Executive Order 13073 (63 FR 6467; 3 CFR 1998 Compilation __; 34 Weekly Comp.Pres.Doc. 198) concerning Year 2000 Conversion. That Order directed, in part, that executive branch agencies: (1) Assure that no critical Federal program experiences disruption because of the Y2K problem; (2) Assist and cooperate with State, local, and tribal governments to address the Y2K problem where those governments depend on Federal information or information technology or the Federal Government is dependent on those governments to perform critical missions; and (3) Cooperate with the private sector operators of critical national and local systems, including the banking and financial, the telecommunications, the public health, the transportation, and the electronic power generation systems, in addressing the Y2K problem. This notice addresses the third of these concerns and seeks to allow those members of the trade community with electronic filing capabilities that are approved to interface with Customs through Customs automated systems and that can meet the operational requirements specified below to transmit trial data to establish if their computer software applications will interface with Customs computers regarding recognition of the year 2000. These trials should raise the confidence level of the trade community in Customs Year 2000 renovated systems. Trial Design/Plan Initially, this exercise will occur in cycles, with one week ``on'' and one week ``off'', for a six week period of time. During each cycle, a specific date will be pre-identified as the ``systems date''. For example, on Monday the system clock would be set to 12/31/99; the following Tuesday the system clock would be set to 01/01/00, etc., until the prescribed dates have been utilized and processed. The plan will simultaneously execute similar applications with similar communication protocols and configurations together. Participation Requirements This notice requests volunteers. In order to participate in these Y2K trials, the electronic filer must be currently approved (deemed operational) to interface through Customs automated systems. The filer must also be able to perform the following types of actions: (1) Advance his computer systems' internal clock to conform to the adjusted systems date in the Customs Y2K test environment; (2) Utilize preestablished test data that will accommodate futuristic date validations in order to accurately process with Customs test system. The dates within this test data must be modified by the participant on each day of the exercise. In the case of the APIS however, participants will be required to utilize test data with preestablished dates; and (3) Utilize special ``dial-up'' phone lines. It is noted that participants connecting through other mediums such as dedicated lines, Value Added Networks (VANs), etc., will be carefully supported to coordinate connectivity issues. Other unique system requirements may be necessary to support this effort. These will be identified with participants and coordinated accordingly. It should be noted that participation in these trials will not permit Customs to certify the trading partner's system for Y2K compliancy. Interested members of the trade community wishing to participate in these Y2K trials or wishing to submit comments before the date of these trials should contact their Customs or Census client representative or APIS coordinator as indicated at the front of this document. Dated: January 19, 1999. S.W. Hall, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Information and Technology. [FR Doc. 99-1461 Filed 1-21-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4820-02-P