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Forensic telecom billing analyst offers contingency audits to Limestone County
Summary
A telecom-billing analyst from Muscle Shoals told commissioners he can review the county's phone and data bills on a contingency basis, claiming most government telecom accounts contain overcharges and offering to work with IT and accounting staff.
Carl Overton, who identified himself as a forensic telecommunications billing analyst, told the Limestone County Commission on Jan. 21 that his firm reviews government telecom billing for errors and works on contingency, taking no upfront fees.
Overton said his office is based in Muscle Shoals, covers eight states and that auditing government telecom accounts typically uncovers errors such as incorrect billing codes and fractional services. "We have found over 35 years of me doing this. I would say 95% of all telecommunication billing and governmental, either has overcharges," Overton said, adding that some municipalities have recovered as much as $600,000.
He described his process as working with county IT and accounting staff, reviewing contracts and copying the most recent month's bill on-site ("probably about maybe an hour"), and looking across services including voice-over-IP, PRIs, standard phone systems, data lines and cellular plans.
Overton said his firm does not require payment unless it recovers funds and that he had provided his agreement to the county attorney for review. The transcript does not record any motion, staff response or contract authorization in the work session.
Speakers: Carl Overton, forensic telecommunications billing analyst.
