[March 16, 2005]

FCC�s Martin to Replace Powell

BY JOHANNE TORRES

It has been confirmed that President George W. Bush named Kevin J. Martin to the post of Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held by Michael Powell for the past four years.

Martin joined the FCC in 2001 as commissioner. According to a biography provided by the FCC’s Web site, before joining the FCC, Martin was a special assistant to the President for Economic Policy. He served on the Bush-Cheney Transition Team and was deputy general counsel for the Bush campaign. Prior to joining the campaign, Martin was an advisor to FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth.

Martin also served in the Office of the Independent Counsel and worked as an associate at the Washington, DC law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding. Before joining Wiley, Rein & Fielding, Martin was a judicial clerk for U.S. District Court Judge William M. Hoeveler, Miami, FL. He received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Masters in Public Policy from Duke University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the Florida Bar, District of Columbia Bar and the Federal Communications Bar Association.

Martin and his wife, Catherine J. Martin, reside in Washington, DC.

I will definitely keep you posted as more information about this issue becomes available.