Republican critics of a Senate cyber security bill want to slow down consideration of the measure, saying it could give government too much power over private sector infrastructure companies.
A group of senators introduced a comprehensive bill this week that requires the secretary of homeland security to designate certain infrastructure, like air traffic control, as critical and compel steps to defend against hackers.
Senators John Rockefeller and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats; Susan Collins, a Republican; and Joseph Lieberman, an independent, are the primary sponsors of the bill.
They say it is needed to prevent a catastrophic attack on the nation's water supply, electric grid, financial networks and transportation infrastructure.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid has said the bill would be brought quickly to the Senate floor because portions of it had been worked on for years.
This irritated senator John McCain, who said on Thursday that he and other Republicans on committees that have jurisdiction over the bill thought it was moving too fast.
The Arizona Republican, speaking at a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, also criticised the leading role that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would take under the bill in pushing better cyber practices on sometimes reluctant industries.
McCain said that "unelected bureaucrats" at DHS would promulgate regulations that would stymie job creation and provide a distraction from actual cyber security.
He promised his own bill in coming weeks.
Senator Lieberman said he was disappointed by McCain's remarks. "We pleaded for involvement. A lot of people, including yourself, have not come to the table."
Lieberman said it was unlikely that Reid would slow the bill coming to the floor because of critics' objections.
Tom Ridge, a former homeland security secretary now at the Chamber of Commerce, said that companies support elements of the bill that allow better information sharing between the government and companies about threats and attacks as they develop.
But the chamber opposed putting DHS in charge of critical infrastructure to ensure key companies can defend their networks from dangerous attacks.
Defence contractors such as Lockheed Martin have been among the high-profile victims of cyber attacks. Others include Web search leader Google, Citigroup bank, and exchange operator Nasdaq.
Despite the criticisms, Collins argued for moving the bill quickly, citing data showing that cyber crime globally cost $114 billion a year. "It would be irresponsible for us not to pass legislation because of turf battles," she said.
The US House of Representatives is considering legislation that overlaps with the Senate measure on some points.
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