Internet Service Providers Accused of Antitrust Violations

This case involves several entities that were part of a group contract negotiated by the state which violated the False Claims Act. Under the contract in question, internet service providers agreed they would provide the lowest cost service possible as determined by network optimization, resulting in significant cost savings. It was alleged that the internet service providers never optimized the network service and thus never provided the lowest cost plans. An expert was sought to review and interpret a large volume of datasets from pertinent service reports and determine the damages.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. Please describe your background in statistics, particularly in working with large datasets.

2. Please describe your experience with antitrust cases.

Expert Witness Response E-097805

I specialize in statistical analysis related to economic issues, especially regarding liability and damages. I have worked on numerous cases involving large and/or complex data sets for antitrust lawsuits, merger analysis, financial fraud, market manipulation, and war crimes. I have testified in state courts, federal courts, and before an international tribunal. In the late 1990s, I developed a quarterly report of mobile phone pricing plans to compare providers and their pricing plans. The report had national coverage in the tech press. I would have to know more about the specifics of the plaintiffs' claims. It seems with "transaction level" data, such as monthly mobile usage, conceptually, it would be straightforward to use past usage to evaluate which plan would be the lowest cost plan going forward. As with most projects, reality can be more complicated that conceptuality.