Separate Your Line Under the Safe Connections Act

The Safe Connections Act

The Safe Connections Act (SCA) is a federal law that allows survivors of domestic violence and other related crimes and abuse to separate their line, or their abuser’s line, from a shared account.  A survivor requesting a line separation under the SCA must verify through appropriate documentation that an individual on the shared account committed or allegedly committed a “covered act”—such as domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking, child abuse, elder abuse, or other similar conduct—against the survivor or someone within the survivor’s care.

How to Submit a Line Separation Request

To submit a line separation request under the SCA or to obtain more information about options available to you, contact T-Mobile Customer Care at 1-877-746-0909 (or dial 611 from your T-Mobile device), or visit a T-Mobile retail location. TTY service is available at 1-800-676-3777 for customers with hearing or vision impairments.

A line separation request must be supported by documentation, unless you are a resident of New York and the billing address on the shared account is in New York. 

The documentation needed to support a line separation request must fall within one of the following categories and verify that an individual who uses a line on the shared account has committed or allegedly committed a “covered act” against you or someone within your care:

• 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

• A copy of a police report, statements provided by police, including military police, to magistrates or judges, charging documents, protective or restraining orders, miliary protective orders, or any other official record that documents the covered act.

Additional Resources

If you need additional assistance, the following organizations may be able to help:

National Domestic Violence Hotline

The National Domestic Violence Hotline  is a 24/7 hotline that provides support services to help victims of domestic violence, including services such as crisis intervention, safety planning, connection to local resources, and referrals to agencies that provide legal, economic, and other related services.  Assistance is available in English and Spanish, with access to more than 200 languages through telephone interpreter services.  You can contact the hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), TYY 1-800-787-3224, or visit their website at www.thehotline.org.

Local Domestic Abuse Shelters

Domestic violence shelters are located nationwide to provide victims a place to escape their abuser. Find a local domestic violence shelter near you if you need shelter or any other assistance such as support groups, crisis counseling, or safety planning assistance.

Lifeline Program

If you are experiencing financial hardship, the FCC designated Lifeline Program, a federal program that lowers the monthly cost of voice or broadband service, to provide 6 months of emergency communications supprt for eligible qualifying survivors. To see if you qualify, please visit National Verifier (NV) - Universal Service Administrative Company (usac.org) and www.lifelinesupport.org

Eligibility requirements include: (1) meets the qualifications for participation in the Lifeline program (with the modification that the qualifying household income threshold is at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for a household of that size); (2) has been approved to receive school lunch benefits under the free and reduced price lunch program under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, or the school breakfast program under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (3) has received a Federal Pell Grant under section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 in the current award year; (4) meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income program, subject to approval by the Commission and any other requirements deemed by the Commission to be necessary in the public interest; or (5) receives assistance through the WIC Program, established by section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. § 1786).