Federal Communications Commission	FCC 24-38
STATEMENT OF
CHAIRWOMAN JESSICA ROSENWORCEL
Re:	Supporting Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence, WC Docket No. 22-238, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (April 8, 2024)

The newest generation of cars are smartphones on wheels.  They come with built-in connections.  They can help a driver to locate their vehicle in a parking lot, turn on their car remotely, and reach out to first responders in an emergency even if the driver cannot call with a phone.  But these conveniences in new vehicles rely on wireless services and location data that in the wrong hands can be used to do real harm.  

This is especially true for survivors of domestic violence—which include one in four women in this country and one in seven men.  This problem was laid bare in an article late last year in The New York Times, which chronicled how connected cars are being weaponized by abusers to stalk and harass survivors.  

It was also last year that the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to implement the Safe Connections Act.  This law provides this agency with authority to assist survivors of domestic violence and abuse with secure access to communications.  

In the Safe Connections Act, Congress recognized that survivors need communications services they can count on, so that their abusers do not track and surveil them.  That is why in our first effort to implement this statute, we required covered providers of communications to separate phone lines linked to family plans where the abuser is on the account.  This means survivors can safely separate from their abusers tracking them through communications while also ensuring they have the separate service they need to stay connected to their family, friends, and supporters.  After all, a phone is a lifeline; it is essential for survivors to rebuild their lives.  

Having access to a car is also a lifeline.  It is a means of escape and independence, and it is often essential for those seeking employment and support.  That is why in this rulemaking we propose that survivors should be able to separate lines that connect their cars, just like they can separate their phone lines from family plans.  We also ask what more the Commission can do, and what industry can do, to make sure that survivors feel safe, secure, and free from harm when they use their cars.

No survivor of domestic violence and abuse should have to choose between giving up their car and allowing themselves to be stalked and harmed by those who can access its connectivity and data.  We can—and should—do more to make sure these new forms of communications help keep survivors safe.