Facebook hires Ex- FCC chairman to salvage Internet.org from net neutrality row

Facebook has reportedly hired a former FCC chairman, Kevin Martin, to handle its policy on mobile and global access, as it faces flak over its approach to net neutrality.

Martin, a Republican who led the FCC from 2005 to 2009, was involved in a major net neutrality fight in 2008, as Comcast was caught throttling peer-to-peer internet traffic. He also voted against other Republican FCC commissioners to censure Comcast on the practice. The order was eventually thrown out, setting the stage for this year's heated debate on net neutrality, reported The Verge.

The FCC chairman supported ideas like the unbundling of cable TV packages and made "balancing deregulation and consumer protection" a cornerstone of his policy.

The savvy operator is expected to help Facebook as its Internet.org program faces criticism for violating net neutrality by preferring some services over others.

The initiative lets companies pay for users' data usage, allowing people to access the programs for free.