Lubbock, Texas (August 24, 2021) – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Akbar Kara, Bill Hetherington, and Hatch Smith, Jr. to the Governor’s Broadband Development Council (GBDC) for terms set to expire on August 31, 2026. The GBDC was established in 2019 in order to study and identify ways to provide Internet to underserved areas of Texas. The council’s duties include: research the progress of broadband development in unserved areas; identify barriers to residential and commercial broadband deployment in unserved areas; study technology neutral solutions to overcome barriers identified under Subdivision; and analyze how statewide access to broadband would benefit economic development; the delivery of educational opportunities in higher education and public education; state and local law enforcement; state emergency preparedness; and the delivery of health care services, including telemedicine and telehealth.
I am truly humbled by this opportunity to serve my fellow Texans in rural and underserved
regions – Akbar Kara, President and CEO of LEARN.