Nothing. I'm compensated by the carrier if you sign a new or renegotiated contract through me — the same way a real estate buyer's agent is paid by the seller. If your current bill turns out to be the best deal available, I'll tell you that and we're done. You won't get an invoice from Lighthaus Labs either way.

No, however in most cases, the better deal comes from moving to a new provider — around 60–70% of the savings I find come from switching carriers. How many times do you see discounts and offers that say, “Offered for New Customers or Accounts Only”. Sometimes your current carrier will offer deep discounts to “Save the Customer”. Regardless it's your call, not mine. Nothing happens without your written sign-off.

A current bill is the single fastest way to do this accurately. It shows what you're actually paying (which is often different from what you think you're paying), what's negotiable versus locked in, when your contract renews, and what promotional credits are about to expire. I can do the audit without it, but having it typically cuts the turnaround from 5–7 business days to 2–3.

Yes. Your bill is treated as confidential business information — stored in encrypted cloud storage, never shared beyond the audit, and never sold or used for marketing. Only the specific pieces needed to benchmark carriers (service address, speeds, current rate) are shared with any provider, and only after we've agreed that a quote makes sense. Lighthaus Labs is based in Evanston, IL, and I'm personally accountable for anything that touches your data.

About five minutes of your time. You fill out the form — name, current provider, roughly when you signed up — and optionally upload your bill. From there, I'll confirm I have what I need within one business day, complete the audit within 5–7 business days, and send you a written summary. If you want to walk through the findings on a 15-minute call, great; if not, the summary stands on its own.

Lighthaus Labs is my technology consulting firm, based in Evanston, IL. I'm Tim Schmitt — computer engineer (University of Illinois), MBA (CTO Academy London), and twenty years in enterprise tech before going independent. I started Lighthaus to apply that same rigor to the technology decisions small businesses make every day, internet service being one of them. If you want the longer version, it's on the About page.

Then I'll tell you that, and you'll have a written benchmark showing your current plan is competitive — which is genuinely useful information to have on file. Some businesses are already on a solid deal, especially if they last negotiated in the past twelve months. You won't owe anything, and I won't try to invent a reason to switch you just to earn a commission.