By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House's top cybersecurity adviser said on Tuesday that a much-anticipated plan to boost the nation's online defenses does not bow too much to the wishes of the high-tech industry.

Due to be released on Wednesday, the sweeping proposal offers security recommendations to home users, businesses, industries and government agencies and fixes for the Internet's data highways.

The proposal encourages the businesses and private citizens who control at least 85 percent of the global computer network to adopt better security practices on their own -- an approach that will get better results than new regulations or laws, said Richard Clarke, the presidential advisor for cybersecurity.

"Regulation ... is really not the solution here," Clarke said. "We want to do this all through market forces."

But Clarke has faced criticism that the report does not go far enough, and that the Bush administration has yielded too much to lobbying by the high-tech industry.

In a conference call with reporters, Clarke said such lobbying will now be out in the open as White House officials solicit public comments for 60 days before writing up a final version for the president's signature.

Cybersecurity concerns have grown over the past year in the wake of a series of worms, viruses, and other attacks that caused millions of dollars of damage to corporate and government systems.

Clarke's plan, drafted over the past year, calls on home users to install firewalls and other security software and keep up to date with security fixes for their operating system and other software.

Businesses should hire outside consultants to examine their computer systems, the report says, and participate in industry groups that share warnings about cyberattacks.

State and federal government agencies and universities should streamline administration to better react to emergencies and participate in warning groups as well, the report says.

A preliminary version of the plan obtained by Reuters calls on broadband Internet providers to bundle antivirus programs and other security features with all user accounts, and says the federal government should not install wireless networks until security features are improved.

That version also recommends that businesses should help the government fund security research.

But the version that Clarke will introduce tomorrow at Stanford University makes no mention of these provisions.