Biden’s American Jobs Plan Allocates Funding to Secure Critical Infrastructure

President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan contains funding that will help ensure the security of the country’s critical infrastructure, according to a recent press release issued by the White House.

The plan allocates $20 billion for energy system modernization block grants administered by the Department of Energy. Grantees will be required to enhance energy grids with technologies for detecting and blocking malicious cyber activity, the White House said Tuesday.

A total of $2 billion will also be given out to strengthen the resilience of micro-grids and distributed energy infrastructure in front-line communities and areas with high risk of power outages. Eligibility for these grants will be contingent on recipients’ ability to install cybersecurity capabilities to counter malicious cyber activity.

Additionally, the plan pushes for the creation of a tax credit for transmission infrastructure that would finance cyber technologies for the electric grid. The goal is to incentivize the buildout of at least 20 gigawatts of high-voltage capacity power lines.

Another key provision in the plan is the $100 billion investment in broadband infrastructure. The purpose is to provide affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband across the country. The money is expected to promote network security as it will require grant recipients to partner with trusted broadband providers.

In addition to these cybersecurity investments, the billion-dollar plan also includes funding to modernize and secure federal information technology and networks.

In particular, the Technology Modernization Fund received an additional $1 billion to facilitate immediate security upgrades, accelerate cloud migration and improve the foundational technology used across the federal government.

The Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency was also given $650 million for cybersecurity risk mitigation.

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