“Allowing victims to use their wireless phones is important to their safety and for emotional support,” said Speaker Atkins (D-San Diego). “This bill lets judges and service providers help individuals who’ve endured particularly difficult situations maintain a lifeline to life-saving resources and their support network.”
This bill would also provide immunity to a wireless telephone service provider, its officers, employees, or agents for transferring the billing responsibility and rights to a wireless telephone number or numbers based on a court order.
Current law provides no mechanism for victims of domestic violence to alter a shared family plan wireless telephone contract when the abuser or the other party is the primary accountholder and refuses to release the number. This is especially critical as advances in wireless technology now allow abusers to monitor the victims call records and sometimes their physical location using GPS-based location software.
AB 1407 is supported by the Women Escaping A Violent Environment (WEAVE), AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Legal Aid Society of San Diego, California Public Defenders Association (CPDA), and the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association. There is currently no opposition to this bill. Contact the Speaker’s office for a full list of supporters.
