Disconnecting from Danger: KSL Investigates exposes major providers failing to follow abuse law

SALT LAKE CITY — A cellphone is often the last line of connection between a victim and their abuser, and separating can be far from easy. The Safe Connections Act, which recently went into effect, is designed to help survivors escape abusive relationships.

The KSL Investigators analyzed six major cellphone providers by interviewing employees in various roles, reviewing company websites and utilizing online chat features. We discovered the process can be slow and hard to navigate, if not impossible, depending on the provider’s compliance with the law.

For instructions on the fastest way to separate your line from an abuser, click here.

The struggle for independence

All Kristen Keener wanted was to keep her phone number, a number she’s had for over a decade. She lost access to that number when her ex-husband removed her from the account and cut off her phone service.

“How am I going to access my account? You know, my kids’ schools, everything,” Keener remembers thinking.

Armed with a protective order at a local T-Mobile store in Taylorsville, which explicitly stated her ex-husband must transfer her current wireless number to a separate account, Keener said she encountered a disheartening lack of support.

She recounted telling the store’s employees, “I’m asking for your help here. I need your help,” but said they seemed indifferent and told her there was nothing they could do.

Keener’s story highlights one many survivors experience, and it happened right before enforcement of the Safe Connections Act went into effect on July 15.

Understanding the Safe Connections Act

Enacted to address such critical situations, the Safe Connections Act requires cellphone service providers to assist domestic violence survivors in separating their phone lines from those of their abusers, even allowing them to transfer to another provider at no cost. The law mandates that this process be straightforward and executed swiftly — within two business days of the request — thereby helping survivors avoid further manipulation and control by their abusers.

Kimmi Wolf from the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition said this act could be the difference between life and death. “This is about getting this person away from someone who can track their movements through their cellphone plan,” Wolf said.

How Keener got her line separated

In August, after enforcement of the Safe Connections Act went into effect, Keener tried again to get her number back. Initially, Keener said the customer service rep told her no. But she said, he eventually gave her a link to an online form to migrate her account.

Keener was still having issues, particularly with the fact that the form had a max upload of one megabyte. Keener said this only gave her enough space to upload one photo of her five-page protective order. She contacted KSL Investigates and sent a Facebook message to T-Mobile.

According to Keener, it took seven more days for her to own a separate T-Mobile account.

KSL Investigates contacted T-Mobile and received the following statement:

“We are sorry for this customer’s experience. It is our job to make it safe and easy for customers dealing with domestic violence to separate from an account and maintain their service — not to make the situation more challenging. This absolutely should not have been this customer’s experience, and we’re already looking closely at our processes to fix that.”

KSL Investigates: Provider compliance and responses

To assess each provider’s compliance with the Safe Connections Act, KSL utilized a comprehensive approach by reviewing company websites, using chat features, calling customer service lines and contacting local branches.

Only Xfinity consistently provided the correct information on its website, and all Xfinity employees KSL Investigates interacted with understood and correctly explained the provisions of the Safe Connections Act.

Provider responses to KSL Investigates’ findings

KSL reached out to all six providers for comment. All providers responded except Mint Mobile.

AT&T and Cricket Wireless responded: “We are committed to helping survivors of domestic abuse, or other related crimes, separate their lines as safely and efficiently as possible in accordance with the Safe Connections Act. We have resources and required training for our retail and customer care teams to assist survivors through the process. Survivors can request a line separation at att.com/survivorhelp.”

Verizon’s response: “Verizon is committed to complying with the Safe Connections Act. We have successfully handled more than 1,000 of these requests. Verizon has developed a thorough training process to ensure these complaints are handled quickly and in compliance with requirements. When calling customer care at 1-800-922-0204, we encourage customers to disclose they’re in a domestic violence situation so they can be connected to specially trained representatives who can handle this request in a secure and confidential manner. Additional resources can be found online at Tracfone’s Assistance Page and at Tracfone’s Assistance Page for Tracfone customers.”

T-Mobile provided a response earlier in the article: “We are sorry for this customer’s experience. It is our job to make it safe and easy for customers dealing with domestic violence to separate from an account and maintain their service — not to make the situation more challenging. This absolutely should not have been this customer’s experience, and we’re already looking closely at our processes to fix that.”

Xfinity’s response: “Domestic violence is a critical issue too many Utahns are facing. Comcast recognizes the importance, security, and sensitivity required in supporting survivors of domestic abuse, and the Safe Connections Act enables us to aid our customers and protect their privacy and security.”

How to file a complaint

If you or someone you know is having difficulty separating their phone line under the Safe Connections Act, you can file a complaint with the FCC here.