The U.S. Senate last night unanimously confirmed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin for a second five-year term on the FCC.

Mr. Martin has been on the FCC since July 3, 2001, and became the agency’s chairman March 18, 2005.

Mr. Martin leads the FCC as it faces significant challenges. The commission is reviewing media ownership rules and is expected to face significantly increased scrutiny from the newly elected Democratic Congress on issues including the transition to digital TV and the public interest obligations of broadcasters. Lawmakers and regulators may also take on the issue of so-called net neutrality, which would ensure that Internet service providers don’t charge content companies different rates.

Before joining the FCC, Mr. Martin was a special assistant to President George W. Bush for economic policy. He served on the Bush-Cheney transition team and was deputy general counsel for the Bush campaign. Before that, he served as an advisor to FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth.

Mr. Martin has also worked in the Office of the Independent Counsel and practiced law as an associate at the Washington firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding.

“I look forward to working with the Administration and Congress, as well as with my fellow commissioners and the incredibly able staff at the FCC to ensure that all Americans share in the benefits and opportunities offered by the best communications system in the world,” Mr. Martin said in a statement. “I will continue to work to provide a regulatory environment that promotes competition and drives investment and innovation while protecting consumers and promoting public safety.”