The billions of dollars and work hours spent preventing major Y2K computer breakdowns was well-spent, Capitol Hill lawmakers and government officials said Thursday in what they billed as the House's last Y2K hearing.
"Some critics now question whether the high cost of this massive effort was necessary," said Rep. Steve Horn, R-Calif., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee's technology subcommittee. "Was that money well spent? Of course it was."
Horn said he plans to use the information gathered from four years worth of Y2K hearings and apply it to his panel's investigation of computer security issues. He announced at the hearing that he plans to start holding hearings on computer security issues next month.
"Security is an issue beyond Y2K," said White House Y2K czar John Koskinen. "It's important to know who is working on your system."
Fernando Burbano, State Department chief information officer and head of the CIO Council's Critical Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee, said federal Y2K preparations were a "prerequisite" for federal infrastructure protection.
"Y2K preparation efforts increased the level of interagency cooperation and coordination between the public and private sectors," Burbano said. "This same working-level teamwork will be required to effectively implement critical infrastructure protection plans."
Koskinen, who was called out of retirement from the Office of Management and Budget by President Clinton, said he doesn't know what his plans for the future are, but he is sure the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion will "go out of business" in March.
"I'm not retiring, but I have no plans yet," Koskinen told National Journal's Technology Daily. "I refer to it as trying to figure out what I'll be when I grow up."
He added that the government's Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO) would continue independent of the Y2K council, but will build upon the public-private partnerships established to monitor for Y2K breakdowns.
Joel Willemssen, General Accounting Office director of Civil Agencies Information Systems, said that while there were some Y2K problems reported by the Defense and Health and Human Services departments, government systems generally performed well.
"Y2K served as a notice to many for how much we rely on information technology to deliver key services," he said.
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