View all text of Subpart II [§ 64.6400 - § 64.6409]

§ 64.6401 - Line separation request submission requirements.

(a) A survivor seeking to separate a line from a shared mobile service contract pursuant to 47 U.S.C. 345 and this subpart, or a designated representative of such survivor, shall submit to the covered provider a line separation request that:

(1) Requests relief under 47 U.S.C. 345 and this subpart;

(2) Identifies each line that should be separated, using the phone number associated with the line;

(3) Identifies which line(s) belong to the survivor and states that the survivor is the user of those lines;

(4) In the case of a survivor seeking separation of the line(s) of any individual in the care of a survivor, includes a signed and dated affidavit that states that the individual is in the care of the survivor and is the user of the specific line(s) to be separated;

(5) In the case of a survivor seeking separation of the abuser's line(s), states that the abuser is the user of that specific line;

(6) Includes the name of the survivor and the name of the abuser that is known to the survivor;

(7) Provides survivor's preferred contact information for communications regarding the line separation request;

(8) In the case of a designated representative assisting with or submitting the line separation request on behalf of a survivor, provides the name of that designated representative and the designated representative's relationship to the survivor, and states that the designated representative assisted the survivor;

(9) Includes evidence that verifies that an individual who uses a line under the shared mobile contract has committed or allegedly committed a covered act against the survivor or an individual in the survivor's care. Such evidence shall be either:

(i) A copy of a signed affidavit from a licensed medical or mental health care provider, licensed military medical or mental health care provider, licensed social worker, victim services provider, or licensed military 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 or Tribal 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) A covered provider may attempt to assess the authenticity of the evidence of survivor status submitted pursuant to paragraph (a)(9) of this section, and may deny a line separation request if the covered provider forms a reasonable belief of fraud from such an assessment, but in any case shall not directly contact entities that created any such evidence to confirm its authenticity.

(c) A covered provider shall not assess the veracity of the evidence of survivor status submitted pursuant to paragraph (a)(9) of this section.

(d) Notwithstanding 47 U.S.C. 222(c)(2), and except as provided in paragraphs (d)(1) through (3) of this section, a covered provider; any officer, director, or employee of a covered provider; and any vendor, agent, or contractor of a covered provider that receives or processes line separation requests with the survivor's consent or as needed to effectuate the request, shall treat the fact of the line separation request and any information or documents a survivor submits under this subpart, including any customer proprietary network information, as confidential and securely dispose of the information not later than 90 days after receiving the information, except as provided in paragraphs (d)(2) and (3) of this section.

(1) A covered provider may only disclose or permit access to information a survivor submits under this subpart pursuant to a valid court order; to the individual survivor submitting the line separation request; to anyone that the survivor specifically designates; to those third parties necessary to effectuate the request (i.e., vendors, contractors, and agents); or, to the extent necessary, to the Commission or the Universal Service Administrative Company for processing of emergency communications support through the Lifeline program for qualifying survivors, as provided in § 54.424 of this chapter.

(2) A covered provider may retain any confidential record related to the line separation request for longer than 90 days upon receipt of a legitimate law enforcement request.

(3) A covered provider may maintain a record that verifies that a survivor fulfilled the conditions of a line separation request under this subpart for longer than 90 days after receiving the information as long as the covered provider also treats such records as confidential and securely disposes of them. This record shall not contain the documentation of survivor status described in paragraph (a)(9) of this section or other original records a survivor submits with a request under this subpart.

(4) A covered provider shall implement data security measures commensurate with the sensitivity of the information submitted with line separation requests, including policies and procedures governing confidential treatment and secure disposal of the information a survivor submits under this subpart, train employees on those policies and procedures, and restrict access to databases storing such information to only those employees who need access to that information.

(5) A covered provider shall not use, process, or disclose the fact of a line separation request or any information or documentation provided with such a request to market any products or services.

(e) Nothing in this section shall affect any law or regulation of a State providing 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 section.