Independent senator Nick Xenophon wants the federal government to rule out slugging mobile broadband users with a levy to shore up the competitiveness of the national broadband network.
NBN Co chief Bill Morrow has conceded a levy would be unpopular, but said the government could either regulate to protect the current model or shell out more money to ensure the network can compete with ultrafast mobile broadband.
"There's now all this crazy talk of hitting millions of Australian consumers who use mobile broadband with some form of levy. That needs to be ruled out by the government ASAP," Senator Xenophon told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
Data released on Monday showed one of the original fibre-to-the-premises connections cost up $91,196, one of four which was more than $50,000.
Senator Xenophon said former prime minister Kevin Rudd was warned about the impact of emerging technologies but failed to come up with a proper business plan.
"You cannot plan a $40 billion-plus national broadband project off the back of an envelope on a VIP jet - that's what happened," he said.
But Labor senator Doug Cameron said the costs were now the prime minister's responsibility.
"Malcolm Turnbull has been the champion of this whole NBN. It's his responsibility, it's his failure. The costs are on his shoulders," Senator Cameron told reporters.
