Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy says that the cost for the National Broadband Network (NBN) will not rise despite the government's prioritization of regional areas of Australia for the early stages of the rollout.

Speaking on ABC's Lateline program, Conroy said that the rollout of the project to regional areas, which was a stipulation to the deal that secured the votes of Independent MPs Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, would not increase the expected cost for the $43 billion project.

"Look, not at all. What we're talking about with the Independents is the priority of where we roll it out," Conroy said, adding that the areas were already included in the roll-out's first two phases.

"And what we will be talking to NBN Co about in the next few days is instead of starting one maybe in the centre of Melbourne, we would actually do one in, picking a town, Wodonga. Instead of starting in Brisbane, we might do Mackay," Conroy said.

Conroy also said that the independent MPs did not negotiate for a special rollout schedule for their electorates.

"The Independents did not put forward any plan whatsoever to prioritize their own electorates. I think what attracted them to the National Broadband Network was that this was a national benefit to all of regional Australia... They did not ask for nor did we give them any commitments about being focused in their individual electorates," Conroy said.

The minister also highlighted a new advantage to rolling out the network first to regional Australia. Conroy said that it would result in better organization of the population density across the nation.

"If we are able to deliver the services into regional Australia that are equivalent to those that they get in the city, we will begin to get a better distribution of population," he said. "We can take the pressure off the cities. We have the capacity for the sea change and tree change communities to be able to do that and still access those services."