Fischer’s bill helps domestic abuse survivors end shared wireless service plans

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) on Jan. 28 introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting domestic abuse survivors by helping them separate from wireless service plans they share with their abusers, who use such services to stalk, monitor, exploit, or control the victims.

“Victims of domestic violence often must share cell phone plans with their abusers. When these survivors are looking to escape, they struggle to fully separate from the abusers who can still control their communications lifeline,” Sen. Fischer said. “Our bipartisan bill would help keep survivors connected as they build a path toward independence.” 

The Safe Connections Act of 2021, S. 120, which Sen. Fischer cosponsored with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), would prevent and respond to the misuse of communications services that facilitate domestic violence and other crimes, according to the text of the bill.

If enacted, S. 120 would permit survivors to separate a mobile phone line from any shared plan involving an abuser without penalties or other requirements, including the lines of any dependents in their care, a bill summary provided by Sen. Fischer’s office states.

Additionally, S. 120 would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to seek comments on how to help survivors who separate from a shared plan enroll in the Lifeline Program for up to six months as they become financially stable, according to the summary, and would require the FCC to establish rules to ensure any calls or texts to hotlines do not appear on call logs.

The bill has gained the support of numerous organizations, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the International Justice Mission, StrongHearts Helpline, and the National Network to End Domestic Violence, among several others.

“Our work with survivors reveals how crucial this bill would be, especially during a pandemic when survivors rely on communications technologies as a lifeline but when those same technologies can expose them to abuse. We gladly support this careful effort to respond to how phones play an essential but complicated role in survivors’ lives,” said Professor Thomas Kadri of the Clinic to End Tech Abuse at Cornell University.