The North American Electric Reliability Council conducted its first Y2K telecommunications capability exercise. As usual, they report the test was successful; and at no time was any electric customer affected. Twenty- two regional security coordinators (the electric industry's term for "NOC") and 2,000 electric utility personnel participated. Lessons Learned: - There were some incorrect phone numbers among the emergency contacts - Geographic coverage of some radios require relocation of antennas - Personnel require training on the use of backup systems. Some had only recently been installed, and little training occurred prior to the drill - Congestion on the backup systems indicated a need to establish and practice traffic priorities - Some backup transmissions were noisy - A "small number" of backup systems did not work - Severe weather in the Midwest hampered some activities NetOps: When was the last time you tested your backup systems? Or a better question, do you have a backup system for contacting other providers? -- Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO Affiliation given for identification not representation