Eduard W. Bartholme III is the Acting Bureau Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) at the Federal Communications Commission. In this role, he leads CGB’s efforts to ensure the Commission meaningfully engages with external stakeholders, including state, local, and Tribal governments, and the general public, and oversees the Bureau’s work to implement consumer policies, including those related to disability access.
Mr. Bartholme also continues to serve as Senior Outreach Director on the FCC’s Broadband Data Task Force, providing policy advice and coordinating engagement with consumers, governmental entities, providers, and other interested parties.
Prior to assuming the role of Acting Bureau Chief, Mr. Bartholme served as Deputy Chief of the Bureau, leading the Commission’s education and outreach efforts along with the Consumer Complaints and Inquiries Division. As Deputy Chief, he represented the FCC on various interagency working groups focused on consumer protection, robocall mitigation, and broadband access and adoption.
Before joining the FCC in 2019, Mr. Bartholme spent 10 years as the Executive Director and CEO of Call For Action, Inc. (CFA), an international non-profit network of hotlines serving consumers and small businesses. At CFA, he was involved in the expansion of the organization to 11 new locations. Mr. Bartholme also worked to broaden CFA’s network of 25 media affiliate offices to now include radio, TV, and print outlets.
Mr. Bartholme is a former chair of the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee and represented CFA on various consumer-focused working groups and corporate consumer advisory panels. He has been a speaker at South by Southwest, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and a number of other consumer protection and technology policy conferences, and has been featured as an expert consumer voice by local and national media outlets.
Mr. Bartholme is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.