The federal government's free Y2K hotline has received more than 107,000 calls in its first three months of operation, the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion announced Friday.
The most popular topics on the millennium bug information line's automated message system are how people can prepare for Y2K and what the federal government is doing about the problem.
"The fact that the line has logged over 100,000 calls in such a short time indicates that people are very interested in learning about how the Y2K transition may affect the things they depend upon every day," said John Koskinen, assistant to the President on year 2000 conversion.
Pre-recorded information on the toll-free line, 1-888-USA-4-Y2K (1-888-872-4925), is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information specialists and researchers provide additional information to callers from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., EDT, Monday through Friday.
The topics callers are most interested in, based on the percentage of callers choosing pre-recorded messages, are:
- Personal preparedness (24%)
- Federal Y2K efforts (17%)
- The food supply (14%)
- Banking (14%)
- Electricity (13%)
- Personal computers (7%)
- Telecommunications (6%)
- Air travel (5%)
The Federal Trade Commission, as the lead agency on developing Y2K-related consumer information, gathered information to be included on the hotline. The General Services Administration's Federal Information Center runs the hotline out of its Cumberland, Md. call center.
In addition, the Internal Revenue Service included yellow inserts in tax refund checks this year promoting the Y2K hotline, the government's Y2K Web site (www.y2k.gov), and a Y2K brochure available by calling the hotline. The call center had a big increase in calls when the IRS started mailing out tax refund checks.
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