Kevin Martin Joins Facebook

Facebook is beefing up its Washington office. It has hired former FCC chairman Kevin Martin full-time and is giving chief privacy officer Erin Egan additional duties as VP of U.S. public policy and head of the Washington office. Egan will oversee congressional and state policy teams.

Martin has been a consultant to Facebook on policy, including spectrum and mobile issues, for the past two years.

“Kevin's deep experience in technology and communications policy, along with his creativity and strategic vision have already proven invaluable to our mission to connect the world and we are thrilled he is joining the Facebook team full-time,” said Joel Kaplan, VP of global public policy, in a statement.

Martin was chairman of the FCC from March 2005 through January 2009. The George W. Bush nominee also served as a commissioner from July 2001 until succeeding current National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Michael Powell as chairman.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.