What Hope Water & Light does

Hope Water & Light (HWL) is a municipal utility owned and operated by the City of Hope, Arkansas through a five-member Water & Light Commission, serving the City of Hope and portions of Hempstead County across an approximately 110 square mile exclusive service territory certified by the Arkansas Public Service Commission. The utility delivers four core services: electric power distribution (purchased wholesale from SWEPCO/AEP and delivered through five distribution substations totaling 190 MVA of transformer capacity), water treatment and distribution (drawing from Little River surface water and nine wells tapping the Tokio and Nacatoch aquifers, with 9.6 MGD total production capacity), residential and business fiber-to-the-home internet (offering symmetric speeds from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps), and digital phone service delivered over the fiber network. HWL serves roughly 6,500 electric customers and 4,500 water customers, with industrial users (only 58 accounts) accounting for 59% of kWh consumption; notable industrial customers include Tyson Foods, Klipsch, Southern Bakeries, Georgia Pacific, New Millennium Building Systems, and Amerities.

The underlying technology stack centers on a recently completed 300-mile fiber-to-the-home network that reaches 100% of metered customers and doubles as smart-grid backbone connecting substations and offices for automation and outage response, alongside conventional SCADA, GIS mapping, electric metering, and meter data collection systems. Revenue is generated through subscription-style monthly billing across tiered residential, commercial, and industrial electric rate classes (with a Power Cost Adjustment rider), tiered residential and large-user water rates, and four-tier residential ($54.95–$99.95) and business ($74.95–$174.95) internet plans, plus digital phone. Customer acquisition is direct-to-consumer via the HWL SmartHub online portal, a physical business office, phone support, and community outreach such as the Water Fair, with no external sales channels given the regulated service territory.

The company's competitive position is anchored by its monopoly status within the certified territory and high asset utilization: electric peak demand of 58 MVA sits well below 190 MVA of transformer capacity, and water production capacity of 9.6 MGD is roughly 90% above maximum daily usage, leaving substantial headroom for industrial expansion without proportionate capex. Strategic momentum in the past two years has come from the broadband buildout and service launch, complemented by a backup transmission arrangement with Entergy Arkansas for electric reliability and active hiring across engineering and corporate functions. Notable risks include a Safe Drinking Water Act chlorite monitoring violation recorded in June 2023 and the approaching December 31, 2032 termination of the SWEPCO wholesale power supply agreement, which will require renegotiation or alternative supply arrangements in the medium term.

Name

Hope Water & Light

Legal name

Hope Water & Light

Website

https://hope-wl.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hope Water & Light is a municipal utility owned by the City of Hope, Arkansas, delivering electric, water, fiber internet, and digital phone services to roughly 6,500 electric and 4,500 water customers across an exclusive 110-square-mile territory in Hempstead County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hope

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Electric Service: Provides electric power distribution to approximately 6,500 customers including residential, commercial, and industrial. Revenue from demand charges, energy charges, customer charges, and power cost adjustments.
2. Water Service: Provides water distribution to approximately 4,500 customers including residential and commercial. Revenue from base rates (meter size) and commodity charges (usage-based).
3. High-Speed Internet: Fiber-based broadband internet service with speeds up to 1 Gbps. Revenue from monthly subscription plans with no data caps.
4. Phone Service: Digital phone service delivered over fiber optic cable, requiring internet service subscription

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hope Water & Light is a municipal utility providing electric power distribution, water treatment and distribution, high-speed fiber internet, and digital phone services to the City of Hope and portions of Hempstead County, Arkansas. Electric power is purchased wholesale from SWEPCO/AEP and distributed through five substations; water is sourced from the Little River and nine wells tapping the Tokio and Nacatoch aquifers; broadband is delivered over a 100% complete fiber-to-the-home network offering symmetric speeds up to 1 Gbps.

Product overview

Hope Water & Light is a municipal utility company providing a portfolio of essential services: electric power distribution (purchased wholesale from AEP/SWEPCO), water treatment and distribution, high-speed fiber internet, and digital phone service. The company operates as a standalone municipal entity governed by a 5-member commission. Electric service is offered through tiered rate structures (Residential, Small/Large General Service, Light & Power, Industrial Power, and Area Lighting). Water service includes residential, commercial, and large user tiers. Broadband services are delivered via a completed fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network offering symmetric speeds up to 1 Gbps for both residential and business customers. Digital phone service is bundled with internet. Additional services include vegetation management, net metering, and an online customer portal (SmartHub).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Service Municipal electric distribution service providing power to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Hope, Arkansas and surrounding Hempstead County. Power is purchased wholesale from SWEPCO/AEP and distributed through five distribution substations with tiered rate structures (Residential, Small/Large General Service, Light & Power, Industrial Power, and Area Lighting).
• Residential Water Service Residential water utility service for single-family residences and duplex dwelling units, with water sourced from the Little River (surface water treatment plant) and nine wells tapping the Tokio and Nacatoch aquifers. Total production capacity is 9.6 MGD versus a maximum daily usage of 5.09 MGD.
• Commercial Water Service Commercial water utility service for properties within the water system service area, available for commercial customers with monthly average use less than 5,000,000 gallons.
• Large User Water Service High-volume water service for commercial/industrial customers with monthly average consumption of at least 5,000,000 gallons, leveraging 9.6 MGD total system production capacity.
• Residential Fiber Internet High-speed fiber-to-the-home internet service for residential customers, available in four tiers of symmetric upload/download speeds: 200 Mbps ($54.95/mo), 400 Mbps ($69.95/mo), 600 Mbps ($84.95/mo), and 1 Gbps ($99.95/mo). No data caps or bandwidth throttling; managed Wi-Fi included free.
• Business Fiber Internet High-speed fiber-to-the-home internet service for commercial customers, available in four tiers of symmetric upload/download speeds: 100 Mbps ($74.95/mo), 250 Mbps ($94.95/mo), 500 Mbps ($134.95/mo), and 1 Gbps ($174.95/mo). Customized quotes available.
• Digital Phone Service Digital phone service delivered over the fiber optic cable, providing enhanced calling features at an affordable monthly cost. Requires an active internet service subscription.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fiber network buildout completed in 2 years, 300 miles of fiber, 100% customer coverage
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) / AEPcoreTechnology or IntegrationSWEPCO is HWL's all-requirements wholesale customer supplying electric power. Power supply agreement terminates December 31, 2032. HWL is served through one radial transmission line with AEP/SWEPCO.
• Entergy Arkansas, Inc.supportingTechnology or IntegrationEntergy Arkansas provides backup transmission service and reliability for HWL's electric system through a secondary delivery point.
• Arkansas Rural Water Association (ARWA)minorOthersProfessional association providing resources, training, and support for rural water systems in Arkansas.
• American Water Works Association (AWWA)minorOthersInternational nonprofit association dedicated to improving water quality and supply through education, advocacy, and standards.
• American Public Power Association (APPA)minorOthersNational trade association representing publicly owned electric utilities, providing advocacy and resources.
• Hope Hempstead County Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development organization and member of Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance, providing business opportunities and supporting community growth.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jackson Energy Authority (JEA Tennessee): Municipal utility in Jackson, TN providing electric, water, gas, and fiber broadband. Small-city multi-utility with the same four-service bundle as HWL, including a fiber-to-the-home overbuild.
• EPB (Electric Power Board of Chattanooga): Municipal electric and telecommunications utility serving Chattanooga, TN. EPB operates a citywide FTTH network (the original 1 Gbps municipal fiber benchmark) and is the closest analog to HWL's electric + fiber + phone strategy at municipal scale.
• Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW): Municipal electric, water, fiber, and telecom utility in Holland, MI. Community-owned multi-utility with an overbuilt fiber network — directly comparable on bundled services and small-town scale.
• Longmont Power & Communications: Municipal electric utility in Longmont, CO that operates a FTTH broadband service. Same municipal-electric-plus-fiber delivery model and is a frequent case study cited alongside Hope-style deployments.
• Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES): Municipal electric, water, and fiber utility serving Bristol, TN. Similar small-city multi-utility model with an overbuilt fiber network — directly comparable in service mix, scale, and regulatory posture.
• BVU Authority (OptiNet): Municipal water, wastewater, electric, and fiber (OptiNet) utility in Bristol, VA. Direct comparison to HWL's electric+water+fiber combination in a similarly sized small-city service territory.
• New Braunfels Utilities (NBU): Municipal electric, water, and wastewater utility serving New Braunfels, TX. Small/mid-sized Texas municipal utility with a similar growth profile, customer mix, and capital-program focus.
• Conway Corporation: Municipal utility in Conway, Arkansas providing electric, water, wastewater, internet, video, and phone — the same service mix as HWL within the same state, making it the closest same-state benchmark.
• CDE Lightband (Clarksville Department of Electricity): Municipal electric utility in Clarksville, TN operating a FTTH 'Lightband' broadband service. Same municipal-electric-plus-fiber template as HWL's Hope Broadband sub-brand.
• City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri: Municipal electric, water, gas, transit, and broadband utility serving Springfield, MO. Comparable community-owned multi-utility model with similar regulatory and operational structure, though at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hope-water-and-light-comm

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hope Water & Light