The Federal Government is understood to be planning to introduce legislation into Parliament by the end of the year, but before it does that, the proposal will likely face months of scrutiny by the Senate.

And with Independent MP Steve Fielding and the Liberal Party attacking the project as an expensive waste of money, Labor faces an uphill battle to pass any legislation related to the project.

But the Greens, Independent MP Nick Xenophon and Nationals Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash have indicated they could back the project, giving the Government the numbers needed.

Senator Nash said she could back the project if the Government was prepared to make some key concessions.

She said a position paper by the Page Research Centre in 2005 had called for government investment in broadband infrastructure.

''The very clear difference is that the report clearly focused on the priority of delivering faster broadband to regional Australia,'' she said. ''Farmers are missing out. Where competition is delivering a decent service in the cities, why spend taxpayers' dollars on propping up a market where the private sector is delivering?

''But I will look at the legislation when it comes in, and if the Government commits to the rollout starting in the bush then I will be happy to look at it.''

Her comments echo those of Senator Joyce, who said the project ''delivers a strategic infrastructure outcome''. Senator Xenophon said he supported the idea of the Government building a ''fundamental piece of national infrastructure''.

''I'm concerned about the financial viability we are going from a horse and buggy to a Ferrari so we need to see the feasibility of it, we need a thorough process in the Senate to examine it with rigour,'' he said.