Fianna Fáil has claimed the consortium behind the Government's broadband project may be planning to hit households with new charges to fill its own funding gap, before selling the contract onto another firm who will hike prices even further.

Minister for Communications Richard Bruton has said that the National Broadband Plan is the cheapest and most effective option for the provision of broadband.

We have been waiting seven years for it and will be waiting at least seven more for it to be finished.