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tion for any reason, pursuant to subparagraphs 
(B) and (C). 
‘‘(B) REMOTE MEANS.—A covered provider 
shall notify a survivor under subparagraph (A) 
through remote means, provided that remote 
means are commercially available and tech-
nically feasible. 
‘‘(C) ELECTION
OF
MANNER
OF
CON-
TACT.—When completing a line separation re-
quest submitted by a survivor through remote 
means under paragraph (1), a covered provider 
shall allow the survivor to elect in the manner 
in which the covered provider may— 
‘‘(i) contact the survivor, or des-
ignated representative of the survivor, in 
response to the request, if necessary; or 
‘‘(ii) notify the survivor, or designated 
representative of the survivor, of the inabil-
ity of the covered provider to complete the 
line separation. 
‘‘(3) ENHANCED PROTECTIONS UNDER STATE 
LAW.—This subsection shall not affect any law or 
regulation of a State providing communications pro-
tections for survivors (or any similar category of in-
dividuals) that has less stringent requirements for 
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providing evidence of a covered act (or any similar 
category of conduct) than this subsection. 
‘‘(d) CONFIDENTIAL AND SECURE TREATMENT OF 
PERSONAL INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 
222(c)(2), a covered provider and any officer, direc-
tor, employee, vendor, or agent thereof shall treat 
any information submitted by a survivor under sub-
section (c) as confidential and securely dispose of 
the information not later than 90 days after receiv-
ing the information. 
‘‘(2) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
paragraph (1) shall be construed to prohibit a cov-
ered provider from maintaining, for longer than the 
period specified in that paragraph, a record that 
verifies that a survivor fulfilled the conditions of a 
line separation request under subsection (c). 
‘‘(e) AVAILABILITY
OF
INFORMATION
TO
CON-
SUMERS.—A covered provider shall make information 
about the options and process described in subsections (b) 
and (c) readily available to consumers— 
‘‘(1) on the website and the mobile application 
of the provider; 
‘‘(2) in physical stores; and 
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‘‘(3) in other forms of public-facing consumer 
communication. 
‘‘(f) TECHNICAL INFEASIBILITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The requirement to effec-
tuate a line separation request pursuant to sub-
section (b)(1) shall not apply to a covered provider 
if the covered provider cannot operationally or tech-
nically effectuate the request. 
‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION.—If a covered provider can-
not operationally or technically effectuate a line sep-
aration request as described in paragraph (1), the 
covered provider shall— 
‘‘(A) notify the survivor who submitted the 
request of that infeasibility— 
‘‘(i) at the time of the request; or 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a survivor who has 
submitted the request using remote means, 
not later than 2 business days after receiv-
ing the request; and 
‘‘(B) provide the survivor with information 
about other alternatives to submitting a line 
separation request, including starting a new 
line of service. 
‘‘(g) LIABILITY PROTECTION.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A covered provider and any 
officer, director, employee, vendor, or agent thereof 
shall not be subject to liability for any claims deriv-
ing from an action taken or omission made with re-
spect to compliance with this section and the rules 
adopted to implement this section. 
‘‘(2) COMMISSION AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this 
subsection shall limit the authority of the Commis-
sion to enforce this section or any rules or regula-
tions promulgated by the Commission pursuant to 
this section.’’. 
SEC. 5. RULEMAKING ON PROTECTIONS FOR SURVIVORS 
OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘Affordable Connectivity Pro-
gram’’ means the program established under section 
904(b) of division N of the Consolidated Appropria-
tions Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260), as amended 
by section 60502 of the Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act (Public Law 117–58), or any suc-
cessor program; 
(2) the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
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Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
of Representatives; 
(3) the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Federal 
Communications Commission; 
(4) the term ‘‘covered hotline’’ means a hotline 
related to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual 
assault, stalking, sex trafficking, severe forms of 
trafficking in persons, or any other similar act; 
(5) the term ‘‘designated program’’ means the 
program designated by the Commission under sub-
section (b)(2)(A)(i) to provide emergency commu-
nications support to survivors; 
(6) the term ‘‘Lifeline program’’ means the pro-
gram set forth in subpart E of part 54 of title 47, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regu-
lation); 
(7) the term ‘‘text message’’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 227(e)(8) of the Commu-
nications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 227(e)(8)); and 
(8) the term ‘‘voice service’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 4(a) of the Pallone-Thune 
Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement 
and Deterrence Act (47 U.S.C. 227b(a)). 
(b) RULEMAKINGS.— 
(1) LINE SEPARATIONS.— 
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(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Commission shall adopt rules to implement 
section 345 of the Communications Act of 
1934, as added by section 4 of this Act. 
(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In adopting rules 
under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall 
consider— 
(i) privacy protections; 
(ii) account security and fraud detec-
tion; 
(iii) account billing procedures; 
(iv) procedures for notification of sur-
vivors about line separation processes; 
(v) notice to primary account holders; 
(vi) situations in which a covered pro-
vider cannot operationally or technically 
separate a telephone number or numbers 
from a shared mobile service contract such 
that the provider cannot effectuate a line 
separation request; 
(vii) the requirements for remote sub-
mission of a line separation request, in-
cluding how that option facilitates submis-
sion of verification information and meets 
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the other requirements of section 345 of 
the Communications Act of 1934, as added 
by section 4 of this Act; 
(viii) feasibility of remote options for 
small covered providers; 
(ix) implementation timelines, includ-
ing those for small covered providers; 
(x) financial responsibility for trans-
ferred telephone numbers; 
(xi) whether and how the survivor can 
affirmatively elect to take financial respon-
sibility for the mobile device associated 
with the separated line; 
(xii) compliance with subpart U of 
part 64 of title 47, Code of Federal Regu-
lations, or any successor regulations (relat-
ing to customer proprietary network infor-
mation) or any other legal or law enforce-
ment requirements; and 
(xiii) ensuring covered providers have 
the necessary account information to com-
ply with the rules and with section 345 of 
the Communications Act of 1934, as added 
by section 4 of this Act. 
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(2) EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS
SUPPORT 
FOR SURVIVORS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
or as part of a general rulemaking proceeding 
relating to the Lifeline program or the Afford-
able Connectivity Program, whichever occurs 
earlier, the Commission shall adopt rules that— 
(i) designate a single program, which 
shall be either the Lifeline program or the 
Affordable Connectivity Program, to pro-
vide emergency communications support to 
survivors in accordance with this para-
graph; and 
(ii) allow a survivor who is suffering 
from financial hardship and meets the re-
quirements under section 345(c)(1) of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as added by 
section 4 of this Act, without regard to 
whether the survivor meets the otherwise 
applicable eligibility requirements of the 
designated program, to— 
(I) enroll in the designated pro-
gram as quickly as is feasible; and 
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(II) participate in the designated 
program based on such qualifications 
for not more than 6 months. 
(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In adopting rules 
under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall 
consider— 
(i) how survivors who are eligible for 
relief and elected to separate a line under 
section 345(c)(1) of the Communications 
Act of 1934, as added by section 4 of this 
Act, but whose lines could not be separated 
due to operational or technical infeasibility, 
can participate in the designated program; 
and 
(ii) confidentiality in the transfer and 
retention of any necessary documentation 
regarding the eligibility of a survivor to en-
roll in the designated program. 
(C) EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 years 
after completing the rulemaking under subpara-
graph (A), the Commission shall— 
(i) evaluate the effectiveness of the 
Commission’s provision of support to sur-
vivors through the designated program; 
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(ii) assess the detection and elimi-
nation of fraud, waste, and abuse with re-
spect to the support described in clause (i); 
and 
(iii) submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report that in-
cludes the evaluation and assessment de-
scribed in clauses (i) and (ii), respectively. 
(D) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
this paragraph shall be construed to limit the 
ability of a survivor who meets the require-
ments under section 345(c)(1) of the Commu-
nications Act of 1934, as added by section 4 of 
this Act, to participate in the designated pro-
gram indefinitely if the survivor otherwise quali-
fies for the designated program under the rules 
of the designated program. 
(E) NOTIFICATION.—A covered provider 
that receives a line separation request pursuant 
to section 345 of the Communications Act of 
1934, as added by section 4 of this Act, shall 
inform the survivor who submitted the request 
of— 
(i) the existence of the designated pro-
gram; 
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(ii) who qualifies to participate in the 
designated program under the rules adopt-
ed under subparagraph (A) that are spe-
cially applicable to survivors; and 
(iii) how to participate in the des-
ignated program under the rules described 
in clause (ii). 
(3) HOTLINE CALLS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Commission shall commence a rulemaking 
proceeding to consider whether to, and how the 
Commission should— 
(i) establish, and update on a monthly 
basis, a central database of covered hot-
lines to be used by a covered provider or 
a wireline provider of voice service; and 
(ii) require a covered provider or a 
wireline provider of voice service to omit 
from consumer-facing logs of calls or text 
messages any records of calls or text mes-
sages to covered hotlines in the central 
database described in clause (i), while 
maintaining internal records of those calls 
and messages. 
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(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—The rulemaking 
conducted under subparagraph (A) shall include 
consideration of— 
(i) the ability of law enforcement 
agencies or survivors to access a log of 
calls or text messages in a criminal inves-
tigation or civil proceeding; 
(ii) the ability of a covered provider or 
a wireline provider of voice service to— 
(I) identify logs that are con-
sumer-facing; and 
(II) omit certain consumer-facing 
logs, 
while 
maintaining 
internal 
records of such calls and text mes-
sages; and 
(iii) any other factors associated with 
the implementation of clauses (i) and (ii) 
to protect survivors, including factors that 
may impact smaller providers. 
(C) NO EFFECT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT.— 
Nothing in subparagraph (A) shall be construed 
to— 
(i) limit or otherwise affect the ability 
of a law enforcement agency to access a 
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log of calls or text messages in a criminal 
investigation; or 
(ii) alter or otherwise expand provider 
requirements under the Communications 
Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (Pub-
lic Law 103–414; 108 Stat. 4279) or the 
amendments made by that Act. 
(D) COMPLIANCE.—If the Commission es-
tablishes a central database through the rule-
making under subparagraph (A) and a covered 
provider updates its own databases to match 
the central database not less frequently than 
once every 30 days, no cause of action shall lie 
or be maintained in any court against the cov-
ered provider or its officers, employees, or 
agents for claims deriving from omission from 
consumer-facing logs of calls or text messages 
of any records of calls or text messages to cov-
ered hotlines in the central database. 
SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The requirements under section 345 of the Commu-
nications Act of 1934, as added by section 4 of this Act, 
shall take effect 60 days after the date on which the Fed-
eral Communications Commission adopts the rules imple-
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menting that section pursuant to section 5(b)(1) of this 
Act. 
SEC. 7. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 
Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 
Act shall be construed to abrogate, limit, or otherwise af-
fect the provisions set forth in the Communications Assist-
ance for Law Enforcement Act (Public Law 103–414; 108 
Stat. 4279) and the amendments made by that Act, any 
authority granted to the Federal Communications Com-
mission pursuant to that Act or the amendments made 
by that Act, or any regulations promulgated by the Fed-
eral Communications Commission pursuant to that Act or 
the amendments made by that Act. 
SEC. 8. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, 
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provided that such statement has been submitted prior to 
the vote on passage. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 27, 2022. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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