The Obama administration will provide U.S. lawmakers with a classified briefing today on the threat posed by computer attacks as a draft Senate cybersecurity bill faces resistance from business groups over its potential cost.

The legislation is aimed at compelling operators of vital infrastructure, such as utilities and phone carriers, to boost cyberdefenses. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation's largest business lobbying group, urged lawmakers this week to delay consideration of the bill, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to bring to the floor by Feb. 17.

“Cyber criminals have the ability to interrupt life-sustaining services, cause catastrophic economic damage, or severely degrade the networks our defense and intelligence agencies rely on,” Senator Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in a statement yesterday. Rockefeller, who heads the Commerce Committee, is a lead sponsor of the bill.