Dozens of California government entities joined a whistleblower lawsuit against Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile alleging they overcharged for wireless services by more than $100 million. The companies allegedly ignored two cost-saving requirements included in the master contracts under which California state and local government customers purchased wireless services. Specifically, the master contracts required the carriers to determine and report to the government customers which rate plan selections would result in the lowest cost – referred to as rate plan optimization – and to provide wireless services at the lowest available cost. In September 2020, Verizon agreed to pay $76 million and AT&T $51 million to settle the lawsuit, which was joined by local governments in Nevada.