Victims of Domestic Abuse Gain New Rights re Cell Service

President Biden has signed into law the Safe Connections Act of 2022, which provides several new rights relating to cell phone service for victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking. Crucially, it mandates that carriers allow victims to separate their service (and that of dependents, such as children) from family plans controlled by their abuser. Carriers must allow such requests to made remotely, comply within two days of such a request, and not charge any fees to do so. However, the bill does allow carriers to require documentation of abuse, a clause that the EFF objected to. Another important part of the bill is a requirement that carriers "omit from consumer-facing logs calls and texts to hotlines for domestic violence and similar issues". The law does not take effect immediately; it directs to FCC to come up with specific rules to implement the law.