Kevin Martin, the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is joining Facebook’s policy team as vice president for mobile and global access policy.
Martin, who served under former President George W. Bush, has been a consultant for Facebook for the past two years; the move Tuesday makes him a full-time employee.
{mosads}”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, vice president of global public policy.
Facebook on Tuesday also announced that its chief privacy officer, Erin Egan, will lead the company’s Washington, D.C., office as vice president of public policy. Egan worked at the firm Covington & Burling before joining the company.
Martin served as chairman of the FCC during the second half of Bush’s presidency, starting in 2005. He resigned in 2009 as President Obama took over the White House, naming a chairman from his own party.
Martin has helped Facebook’s lobbying effort for the past few years through the firm Squire Patton Boggs, according to lobbying disclosures.
Facebook has become a major player in Washington in the past few years. The company spent more than $9 million on lobbying last year, ranking only behind Google when compared to other Internet companies, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.