Experts: Italy Unprepared for Y2K

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http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/19991107/tc/y2k_ground_zero_1.html

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), November 07, 1999

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Sunday November 7 2:01 PM ET

Experts: Italy Unprepared for Y2K

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press Writer

ROME (AP) - Critics joke that Italy has a divine contingency plan when it comes to coping with any Year 2000 computer bugs: Hope for a miracle.

Italy, millennium ground zero for the world's 1 billion Catholics, is among the worst prepared countries in the West for Y2K, experts at home and abroad warn.

``They have a very good connection ... Maybe that's the reason why in Rome they're not worried,'' said Paolo Tedone, head of a university- based Y2K advisory group, nodding toward the Vatican dome across the Tiber River from government offices.

``It's true it's a Jubilee. But don't expect miracles,'' Tedone added.

The government insists the country has caught up after an admittedly late start.

But experts say no one can start late fixing Y2K problems in software and electronic devices and expect the fixes to be in place on time. Italy's best hope now is focusing on emergency plans in case of failures, they say.

Up to a half-million pilgrims are expected in Rome for the end-of- year holidays. Pope John Paul II will ceremoniously open the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve, ushering in the Jubilee, or Holy Year, and Christianity's third millennium.

On New Year's Eve, the pope will give his blessing to the multitudes in St. Peter's Square.

When the bells peal midnight, Italian newspapers ask, what will happen if Y2K-related computer failures make the square go dark? If Rome's traffic lights fail? If phones and the emergency systems that hail ambulances and fire trucks shut down?

A U.S. Senate committee, mindful of American travelers, called breakdowns in health services and communications particularly likely in Italy.

Even Rome's own Y2K point man concedes there ``very likely will be some problems'' - but minimizes them.

``The ones we fear are little suspensions of electricity and brief interruptions of telephone services,'' said Mariella Gramaglia, head of the city's Y2K task force, emphasizing the very little and very brief nature of any crises.

Given the scale of the software fixes needed, information technology experts say, governments should have started debugging at least 18 months ahead of 2000.

But Italy waited until 1999 to create a national Y2K committee. Journalists kept track of how long it took to get its phones hooked up: late February, maybe early March.

``Italy is very, very far behind,'' said Nick Gogerty, an analyst at International Monitoring, a British-based technology consulting group that rates countries' Y2K preparedness.

Stung by international criticism, Italy announced this fall that it had caught up.

``You know how we Italians are - to react to a problem we have to have our backs put to the wall,'' Franco Bassanini, chief of the government's Y2K efforts, joked at a mid-October news conference called to announce Italy was now Y2K-ready.

Just in case of glitches, however, Premier Massimo D'Alema has proposed making Dec. 31 - a Friday - a full-day national holiday.

Good idea, said Augusto Leggio, a coordinator of the government Y2K committee. But he suggested D'Alema make it a weeklong holiday instead.

``It's a joke,'' declared Tedone, faulting Italy's leaders for not doing more, and sooner. ``I don't believe ... they understand the real magnitude of the subject.''

Part of that is the Italian way of life, Italians themselves say.

In an economy still heavily monopolistic and government-run, people are simply used to essential services not working. They complain, but they cope.

Italy's post office, which counts its card and package backlogs by the ton during the holidays, announced it would handle mail by hand in case Y2K causes a postal system breakdown.

Other, largely government-controlled public services insist they are Y2K ready.

Alitalia will keep its jetliners flying on Millennium Eve. But the nation's rail system will stop 240 trains just before midnight, offering the passengers a complimentary New Year's toast of spumante while crews test track systems for Y2K troubles.

And the Vatican, at millennium ground zero?

The Rev. Ciro Benedettini, a Vatican spokesman, said workers recently ran simulations on both its telephone and broadcast systems to test for Y2K bugs.

But if, as critics jokingly suggest, Italy is looking to the Vatican for deliverance from a Y2K disaster, as the critics jokingly suggest, the Vatican is earnest about looking to Italy to get it and its pilgrims through Millennium Eve safely.

A ministate within Rome, the Vatican depends on Italy for crucial services such as water and electricity.

``In that sense, we are at their mercy,'' Benedettini said.

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-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), November 07, 1999.


First, it was Italy is totally unprepared and will be toast. Then a few weeks ago there was a story about how they were making great progress and would be fine. Now this story is back to big trouble for Italy. Same old crap. At the end of the day there will be an article, somewhere, that will describe what will occur after 1/1/2000. That way it can be said "I told you so."

-- smfdoc (smfdoc@aol.com), November 07, 1999.

"The ones we fear are little suspensions of electricity and brief interruptions of telephone services", said Mariella Gramaglia, head of the city's Y2K task force.

This is new! LITTLE suspensions of electricity. Little? What are "little" suspensions of electricty?

-- the Virginian (1@1.com), November 07, 1999.


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