[From today's Yahoo's 'Local - Texas' news...]

Y2K is One Month Away - (STATEWIDE) -- With Y-2-K one month from today, Texas utilities say they're good to go. Southwestern Bell, the state's largest local phone company, says Texans will get a dial tone at midnight on New Year's Eve. But they're asking customers not to pick up the phone to check on that, because the overload could cause problems in the system. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission says chemical plants, oil refineries, and other regulated utilities will be punished for problems related to Y-2-K. Director Jeff Saitas says those problems would not be considered "acts of God," and will be subject to normal enforcement procedures.

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), December 02, 1999

Answers

funny how they don't ask folks not to pick up the phone on previous new years eves isn't it?

Just another Y2K scapegoat..."It wasn't our fault!...everyone picked up the phone all at once!..."

-- pop (poppy@poppin.fresh), December 02, 1999.

One of the first thinks we have always done at 12am, was call our family in other cities and states to wish them happy NEW YEAR, some times we have been on the phone with a couple of them as the roll over took place. Now I know we are not the only people who have done this. Maybe they think there will be more people at home this year that will do that. We will be good citizens and not do that this year, just in case. Shouldn't they be telling us to stay off our computers also. So what if they say they are going to punish the chemical plants, oil refineries, and utilities how are they going to prove it was Y2K, already alot of what I belive to be Y2K related problems are being classed as just another computer glitch. Sure I can hear the companies saying.. "Yep, that was a Y2K glitch that caused that explosion guess we missed that chip. See you in court." Will be more like this. Huge explosion at local... Small rodent ate thru several wires causing a saftey vaule to open releasing several 100 gallons of fuel, which was ignited by the sun shining through a broken piece of glass. DUH DUH DUH

-- Marli (can'tget@it.duh), December 02, 1999.

Pop........

Y2K Scapegoat....C'mon, get a grip. Why the paranoid 'they're gonna make excuses' attitude.

Very simply, the phone system cannot, could never nor is designed to handle everyone trying to use the phone at the same time. No need to read more into it than that! Y2K or no Y2K, the system would have problems if masses of people did that.

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), December 02, 1999.