Kevin Martin will become the new FCC chairman.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush Wednesday promoted Federal Communications Commission member Kevin Martin to lead the agency, which has taken an aggressive stance in recent years against what it considers indecent programming.

Martin, who was named FCC commissioner in 2001, replaces Michael Powell as chairman.

Powell, the son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, announced in January that he would depart this month.

"I am deeply honored," Martin, 37, said in a written statement posted on the FCC's Web site. "I look forward to working with the administration, Congress, my colleagues, and the FCC's talented staff to ensure that American consumers continue to enjoy the benefits of the best communications system in the world."

He also praised his predecessor's work, and added, "I look forward to continuing his efforts in bringing the communications industry into the 21st century."

For his part, Powell praised the move and pledged "my complete cooperation to ensure a smooth transition."

As a current commissioner, Martin does not need Senate confirmation to assume the job of chairman.

"I look forward to working with Kevin," said a statement released by Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, chairman of the Commerce Committee, which oversees telecommunications.

"Kevin has a strong legal background in telecommunications law and has demonstrated a keen understanding of the issues before the FCC. He has traveled throughout Alaska and understands the role of communications in rural America. The Alaska Telephone Association endorsed Kevin because of his sensitivity to rural issues."

Co-chairman Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said in a statement: "We look forward to working with Chairman Martin as he endeavors to build consensus and adopt policies that will spur competition and innovation, and will bring the benefits of the Internet age to all Americans."

Before joining the FCC in 2001, Martin served as a special assistant to the president for economic policy. Previously, he served on the Bush-Cheney transition team and was deputy general counsel for the Bush campaign.

Before joining the campaign, Martin was an adviser to FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth, advising him on telecommunications and broadband issues.

He also served in the Office of the Independent Counsel and worked as an associate in the Washington law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding.

Before that, Martin was a judicial clerk for U.S. District Court Judge William M. Hoeveler, in Miami.

Martin received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master's 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.

He and his wife, Catherine J. Martin, live in Washington.

He was born in Charlotte, N.C.

The agency made headlines after last year's Super Bowl, when it fined CBS and its affiliates more than $500,000 for the "wardrobe malfunction" that exposed singer Janet Jackson's breast.

In a breakfast meeting Wednesday with members of the telecommunications industry and reporters, Stevens said he met last week with Powell.

"I think he's done a good job," Stevens said. "We haven't agreed with everything he's done, but I think he worked hard to try and reform the system -- the communications system that he had the job to supervise.

"He has done what a head of an independent agency should do. He's tried to obtain the consensus to move forward under the act, but he also agrees that the act has to be revamped and I look forward to getting his advice as we go forward."

Martin's ascension leaves unfilled one of the commission's five slots - two Democratic and three Republican.

Stevens said he has recommended his former aide, Earl Comstock, for a seat on the commission.