H. R. 7132 
One Hundred Seventeenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-two 
An Act 
To preserve safe access to communications services for survivors of domestic violence 
and other crimes, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safe Connections Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Except as otherwise provided in this Act, terms used in this 
Act that are defined in section 345(a) of the Communications Act 
of 1934, as added by section 4 of this Act, have the meanings 
given those terms in such section 345(a). 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, sexual 
assault, human trafficking, and related crimes are life-threat-
ening issues and have lasting and harmful effects on individ-
uals, families, and entire communities. 
(2) Survivors often lack meaningful support and options 
when establishing independence from an abuser, including bar-
riers such as financial insecurity and limited access to reliable 
communications tools to maintain essential connections with 
family, social safety networks, employers, and support services. 
(3) Perpetrators of violence and abuse described in para-
graph (1) increasingly use technological and communications 
tools to exercise control over, monitor, and abuse their victims. 
(4) Communications law can play a public interest role 
in the promotion of safety, life, and property with respect 
to the types of violence and abuse described in paragraph 
(1). For example, independent access to a wireless phone plan 
can assist survivors in establishing security and autonomy. 
(5) Safeguards within communications services can serve 
a role in preventing abuse and narrowing the digital divide 
experienced by survivors of abuse. 
SEC. 4. PROTECTION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS WITHIN 
COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES. 
Part I of title III of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 345. PROTECTION OF SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, 
HUMAN TRAFFICKING, AND RELATED CRIMES. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
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‘‘(1) ABUSER.—The term ‘abuser’ means an individual who 
has committed or allegedly committed a covered act against— 
‘‘(A) an individual who seeks relief under subsection 
(b); or 
‘‘(B) an individual in the care of an individual who 
seeks relief under subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) COVERED ACT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘covered act’ means con-
duct that constitutes— 
‘‘(i) a crime described in section 40002(a) of the 
Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 
12291(a)), including domestic violence, dating violence, 
sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking; 
‘‘(ii) an act or practice described in paragraph (11) 
or (12) of section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protec-
tion Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102) (relating to severe 
forms of trafficking in persons and sex trafficking, 
respectively); or 
‘‘(iii) an act under State law, Tribal law, or the 
Uniform Code of Military Justice that is similar to 
an offense described in clause (i) or (ii). 
‘‘(B) CONVICTION NOT REQUIRED.—Nothing in subpara-
graph (A) shall be construed to require a criminal conviction 
or any other determination of a court in order for conduct 
to constitute a covered act. 
‘‘(3) COVERED
PROVIDER.—The term ‘covered provider’ 
means a provider of a private mobile service or commercial 
mobile service, as those terms are defined in section 332(d). 
‘‘(4) PRIMARY
ACCOUNT
HOLDER.—The term ‘primary 
account holder’ means an individual who is a party to a mobile 
service contract with a covered provider. 
‘‘(5) SHARED MOBILE SERVICE CONTRACT.—The term ‘shared 
mobile service contract’— 
‘‘(A) means a mobile service contract for an account 
that includes not less than 2 consumers; and 
‘‘(B) does not include enterprise services offered by 
a covered provider. 
‘‘(6) SURVIVOR.—The term ‘survivor’ means an individual 
who is not less than 18 years old and— 
‘‘(A) against whom a covered act has been committed 
or allegedly committed; or 
‘‘(B) who cares for another individual against whom 
a covered act has been committed or allegedly committed 
(provided that the individual providing care did not commit 
or allegedly commit the covered act). 
‘‘(b) SEPARATION OF LINES FROM SHARED MOBILE SERVICE CON-
TRACT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 business days after 
receiving a completed line separation request from a survivor 
pursuant to subsection (c), a covered provider shall, as 
applicable, with respect to a shared mobile service contract 
under which the survivor and the abuser each use a line— 
‘‘(A) separate the line of the survivor, and the line 
of any individual in the care of the survivor, from the 
shared mobile service contract; or 
‘‘(B) separate the line of the abuser from the shared 
mobile service contract.
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‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS ON PENALTIES, FEES, AND OTHER REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Except as provided in paragraphs (5) through (7), a 
covered provider may not make separation of a line from a 
shared mobile service contract under paragraph (1) contingent 
on any requirement other than the requirements under sub-
section (c), including— 
‘‘(A) payment of a fee, penalty, or other charge; 
‘‘(B) maintaining contractual or billing responsibility 
of a separated line with the provider; 
‘‘(C) approval of separation by the primary account 
holder, if the primary account holder is not the survivor; 
‘‘(D) a prohibition or limitation, including one described 
in subparagraph (A), on number portability, provided such 
portability is technically feasible, or a request to change 
phone numbers; 
‘‘(E) a prohibition or limitation on the separation of 
lines as a result of arrears accrued by the account; 
‘‘(F) an increase in the rate charged for the mobile 
service plan of the primary account holder with respect 
to service on any remaining line or lines; or 
‘‘(G) any other limitation or requirement not listed 
under subsection (c). 
‘‘(3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in paragraph (2) 
shall be construed to require a covered provider to provide 
a rate plan for the primary account holder that is not otherwise 
commercially available. 
‘‘(4) REMOTE OPTION.—A covered provider shall offer a sur-
vivor the ability to submit a line separation request under 
subsection (c) through secure remote means that are easily 
navigable, provided that remote options are commercially avail-
able and technically feasible. 
‘‘(5) RESPONSIBILITY
FOR
TRANSFERRED
TELEPHONE
NUM-
BERS.—Notwithstanding paragraph (2), beginning on the date 
on which a covered provider transfers billing responsibilities 
for and use of a telephone number or numbers to a survivor 
under paragraph (1)(A) in response to a line separation request 
submitted by the survivor under subsection (c), unless ordered 
otherwise by a court, the survivor shall assume financial 
responsibility, including for monthly service costs, for the trans-
ferred telephone number or numbers. 
‘‘(6) RESPONSIBILITY
FOR
TRANSFERRED
TELEPHONE
NUM-
BERS
FROM
A
SURVIVOR’S
ACCOUNT.—Notwithstanding para-
graph (2), upon the transfer of a telephone number under 
paragraph (1)(B) in response to a line separation request sub-
mitted by a survivor under subsection (c), the survivor shall 
have no further financial responsibilities to the transferring 
covered provider for the services provided by the transferring 
covered provider for the telephone number or for any mobile 
device associated with the telephone number. 
‘‘(7) RESPONSIBILITY FOR MOBILE DEVICE.—Notwithstanding 
paragraph (2), beginning on the date on which a covered pro-
vider transfers billing responsibilities for and rights to a tele-
phone number or numbers to a survivor under paragraph (1)(A) 
in response to a line separation request submitted by the sur-
vivor under subsection (c), unless otherwise ordered by a court, 
the survivor shall not assume financial responsibility for any 
mobile device associated with the separated line, unless the
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survivor purchased the mobile device, or affirmatively elects 
to maintain possession of the mobile device. 
‘‘(8) NOTICE TO SURVIVOR.—If a covered provider separates 
a line from a shared mobile service contract under paragraph 
(1) and the primary account holder is not the survivor, the 
covered provider shall notify the survivor of the date on which 
the covered provider intends to give any formal notice to the 
primary account holder. 
‘‘(c) LINE SEPARATION REQUEST.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a survivor seeking to 
separate a line from a shared mobile service contract, the 
survivor shall submit to the covered provider a line separation 
request that— 
‘‘(A) verifies that an individual who uses a line under 
the shared mobile service contract has committed or alleg-
edly committed a covered act against the survivor or an 
individual in the survivor’s care, by providing— 
‘‘(i) a copy of a signed affidavit from a licensed 
medical or mental health care provider, licensed mili-
tary medical or mental health care provider, licensed 
social worker, victim services provider, or licensed mili-
tary victim services provider, or an employee of a court, 
acting within the scope of that person’s employment; 
or 
‘‘(ii) a copy of a police report, statements provided 
by police, including military police, to magistrates or 
judges, charging documents, protective or restraining 
orders, military protective orders, or any other official 
record that documents the covered act; 
‘‘(B) in the case of relief sought under subsection 
(b)(1)(A), with respect to— 
‘‘(i) a line used by the survivor that the survivor 
seeks to have separated, states that the survivor is 
the user of that specific line; and 
‘‘(ii) a line used by an individual in the care of 
the survivor that the survivor seeks to have separated, 
includes an affidavit setting forth that the individual— 
‘‘(I) is in the care of the survivor; and 
‘‘(II) is the user of that specific line; and 
‘‘(C) requests relief under subparagraph (A) or (B) of 
subsection (b)(1) and identifies each line that should be 
separated. 
‘‘(2) COMMUNICATIONS FROM COVERED PROVIDERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A covered provider shall notify a 
survivor seeking relief under subsection (b) in clear and 
accessible language that the covered provider may contact 
the survivor, or designated representative of the survivor, 
to confirm the line separation, or if the covered provider 
is unable to complete the line separation 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 technically feasible. 
‘‘(C) ELECTION OF MANNER OF CONTACT.—When com-
pleting a line separation request submitted by a survivor
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through remote means under paragraph (1), a covered pro-
vider shall allow the survivor to elect in the manner in 
which the covered provider may— 
‘‘(i) contact the survivor, or designated representa-
tive of the survivor, in response to the request, if 
necessary; or 
‘‘(ii) notify the survivor, or designated representa-
tive of the survivor, of the inability of the covered 
provider to complete the line separation. 
‘‘(3) ENHANCED PROTECTIONS UNDER STATE LAW.—This sub-
section shall not affect any law or regulation of a State pro-
viding communications protections for survivors (or any similar 
category of individuals) that has less stringent requirements 
for 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 cov-
ered provider and any officer, director, employee, vendor, or 
agent thereof shall treat any information submitted by a sur-
vivor under subsection (c) as confidential and securely dispose 
of the information not later than 90 days after receiving the 
information. 
‘‘(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in paragraph (1) 
shall be construed to prohibit a covered provider from 
maintaining, for longer than the period specified in that para-
graph, a record that verifies that a survivor fulfilled the condi-
tions of a line separation request under subsection (c). 
‘‘(e) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION TO CONSUMERS.—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 pro-
vider; 
‘‘(2) in physical stores; and 
‘‘(3) in other forms of public-facing consumer communica-
tion. 
‘‘(f) TECHNICAL INFEASIBILITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The requirement to effectuate a line 
separation request pursuant to subsection (b)(1) shall not apply 
to a covered provider if the covered provider cannot operation-
ally or technically effectuate the request. 
‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION.—If a covered provider cannot operation-
ally or technically effectuate a line separation 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 busi-
ness days after receiving 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.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A covered provider and any officer, 
director, employee, vendor, or agent thereof shall not be subject 
to liability for any claims deriving from an action taken or