[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3586-3587]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1461]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Customs Service


Announcement Concerning Y2K Compliance

AGENCY: Customs Service, Treasury.

ACTION: General notice.

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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