March 3, 1999 TELCO YEAR 2000 FORUM EXPECTS NO MAJOR DISRUPTION OF TELEPHONE CALLS ON JANUARY 1, 2000 The Telco Year 2000 Forum announced today that telephone call processing in the U.S. is expected to continue without major disruption from Year 2000-related problems. The Telco Year 2000 Forum's report is based upon six months of testing for potential Year 2000 complications that might affect interoperability within voice and data networks. The Telco Year 2000 Forum is a consortium of the nation's largest local telephone companies, including Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, Cincinnati Bell, GTE, SBC Communications, and US West. Commissioner Michael Powell, Chair of the FCC's Task Force for Year 2000 Conversion commended the hard work and dedication this organization has committed to promoting Year 2000 readiness in the telecommunications industry. "The Forum also provides an excellent example of the way in which industries can work together to promote infomation sharing and reduce duplicative efforts," he said. The testing involved equipment and software common to the Telco Forum member companies, which together comprise 90% of the access lines in the United States. The companies tested the way the equipment would interact in various configurations, and how it might be affected by the Year 2000. Only 6 anomalies related to Year 2000 were detected in 1,914 test-cases; these 6 were resolved, retested, and subsequently passed. Information regarding these results can be found at the Telco Forum website at , or you can contact the Telco Forum at (617) 587-8938. The FCC is working closely with the Telco Forum as well as other industry groups to promote industry readiness for the Year 2000. Testing efforts are also underway by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, and on an international level, by the International Telecommunication Union. More information relating to the efforts of the telecommunications industry to prepare for the Year 2000, including links to individual companies, organizations, and the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council, or NRIC, may be found on the Commission's Year 2000 website, at . Telco Forum press contact: Meghan Gross at (617) 587-8983 FCC News Media contact: Audrey Spivack at (202) 418-0512 -FCC-