Cherokee County Electric Cooperative

What Cherokee County Electric Cooperative does

Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Association (CCECA) is a member-owned, non-profit electric cooperative founded in July 1938 and headquartered in Rusk, Texas. It distributes electricity across a four-county East Texas service territory (Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Rusk, and Smith counties) through 3,500 miles of electric line serving 24,540 active meters and 17,500 members. The cooperative is governed by a member-elected seven-member Board of Directors, with capital credits allocated to members in lieu of profit distribution. CCECA operates with 98 employees across its main Rusk office and a district office in Tyler, Texas.

CCECA's core products are traditional electric distribution and, since March 2021, fiber-to-the-premise broadband internet. The broadband division offers three symmetric-speed tiers — Essential 200 Mbps at $59.99/month, Advanced 1 Gig at $79.99/month, and Premium 2 Gig at $149.99/month — all with no data caps and no contracts. By May 27, 2026, the broadband business had reached 10,007 subscribers with buildout available to 100% of members. The underlying fiber network shares the cooperative's 3,500-mile right-of-way with electric infrastructure, enabling a structurally low-cost dual-utility model. Ancillary services include residential and commercial outdoor lighting ($10.74 and $19.09 per light per month respectively), residential net metering and commercial net billing solar interconnection programs, and a member-facing mobile app plus online portal for billing, usage monitoring, and outage reporting.

CCECA's revenue model is built on monthly recurring charges across three streams — electric service, broadband subscriptions, and outdoor lighting — billed directly to members through self-service portals, phone, and in-person channels. The cooperative's go-to-market is community-led, leveraging Facebook, the ETREYS youth leadership program with eight other East Texas co-ops, scholarships, and event sponsorships to drive member acquisition and retention. Non-members within the service territory can also subscribe to broadband. CCECA holds an exclusive franchise in low-density rural areas (6.1 meters per mile) where investor-owned utilities have historically declined to operate, giving the cooperative structural protection from competitive displacement despite a low-density operating profile.

Name

Cherokee County Electric Cooperative

Legal name

Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Association

Website

https://cceca.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Member-owned non-profit electric cooperative founded in 1938, serving 17,500 members across four East Texas counties with electric distribution and fiber broadband internet delivered over 3,500 miles of shared infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Electric Utility Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

Keywords

• Rural electric distribution
• Fiber broadband internet
• Electric cooperative services
• Outdoor lighting services
• Solar interconnection programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rusk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electric service: Monthly electric service charges to residential and commercial members across the service territory. Cooperative is non-profit and member-owned, with margins allocated as capital credits.
2. Broadband internet service: Monthly subscription fees for fiber optic internet service at three tiers: Essential ($59.99), Advanced ($79.99), and Premium ($149.99). No data caps, no contracts required.
3. Outdoor lighting: Monthly base charge for outdoor lights: $10.74 per light for residential, $19.09 per light for commercial. Additional fees may apply if light is not already on location.
4. Capital credits: As a cooperative, margins are allocated to members as capital credits rather than distributed as profit. Members have no vested interest in capital credits until retired by the board.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CCECA is a member-owned rural electric cooperative that distributes electricity across more than 3,500 miles of line to approximately 17,500 members and 24,540 meters in Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Rusk, and Smith counties in East Texas. It also delivers high-speed fiber-to-the-premises broadband internet in three symmetric tiers (Essential 200 Mbps, Advanced 1 Gig, Premium 2 Gig), reaching over 10,000 subscribers, alongside outdoor lighting and solar interconnection programs.

Product overview

Cherokee County Electric Cooperative (CCECA) operates as a member-owned, non-profit electric cooperative providing two core services: traditional electric power distribution and high-speed fiber broadband internet. The electric service covers rural East Texas across Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Rusk, and Smith counties, serving over 17,500 members with 24,540+ meters. The broadband division offers three tiers of fiber optic internet (Essential 200 Mbps, Advanced 1 Gig, and Premium 2 Gig) to over 10,000 subscribers. Additional services include a mobile app for iOS and Android, a web-based online member portal for account and billing management, residential and commercial solar interconnection programs (net metering and net billing), and outdoor lighting. All services are delivered through the cooperative's local infrastructure with customer support based in Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Service Traditional electric power distribution providing electricity to residential and commercial members across Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Rusk, and Smith counties in East Texas, serving over 24,540 meters through 3,500+ miles of line.
• CCECA Broadband - Essential (200 Mbps) Entry-level fiber-to-the-premises symmetric broadband offering 200 Mbps download and upload, unlimited data with no caps, no contracts, and $0 upfront member fees, priced at $59.99 per month.
• CCECA Broadband - Advanced (1 Gig) Mid-tier fiber broadband offering 1,000 Mbps symmetric speeds supporting 4K streaming, multi-player gaming, and smart home devices, priced at $79.99 per month with no data caps and no contracts.
• CCECA Broadband - Premium (2 Gig) Premium fiber broadband offering 2,000 Mbps symmetric speeds for ultra-connected homes with pro-level gaming, live streaming, and unlimited connected devices, priced at $149.99 per month.
• Outdoor Lighting Service Outdoor security lighting available to residential members at $10.74 per light per month and commercial members at $19.09 per light per month, with additional fees if installation is required.
• Net Metering (Residential Solar Interconnection) Residential solar interconnection program for systems up to 15kW that provides a 1-to-1 kWh credit for exported energy against consumption, with a $15 monthly metering fee.
• Net Billing (Commercial Solar Interconnection) Commercial solar interconnection program for systems greater than 15kW and up to 100kW where CCECA purchases all kWh produced at the avoided G&T rate, with a $50 monthly metering fee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved 10,000 broadband subscribers in just over 5 years since launching internet services

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• East Texas Rural Electric Youth Seminar (ETREYS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCECA co-sponsors ETREYS, a leadership seminar for high school youth, along with 8 other East Texas cooperatives. The program fosters leadership, problem-solving, and interpersonal relationships among young people. CCECA sends 10 sophomores and juniors annually to this all-expenses-paid program.
• East Texas Baptist UniversityminorOthersHost venue for the annual ETREYS leadership seminar held June 8-12, 2026 in Marshall, Texas.
• Bowie-Cass Electric CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 East Texas cooperatives that co-sponsor the ETREYS youth leadership program alongside CCECA.
• Deep East Texas Electric CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 9 East Texas cooperatives that co-sponsor the ETREYS youth leadership program alongside CCECA.
• ETREYS INC.coreOthersNon-profit organization that organizes the East Texas Rural Electric Youth Seminar in collaboration with 10 East Texas electric cooperatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Largest electric distribution cooperative in Texas serving rural Central Texas members, comparable to CCECA in member-owned rural electric distribution model, with broadband/communications subsidiaries. Both operate similar capital-credit and member-governance structures.
• Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative: Directly cited by CCECA as a co-sponsoring cooperative for the ETREYS youth leadership program. Operates as a rural member-owned electric cooperative in adjacent East Texas counties, sharing customer profile, governance model, and operating scale.
• Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative: Named as a co-sponsoring cooperative alongside CCECA for the ETREYS program. A rural member-owned Texas electric cooperative serving similar agricultural and rural residential customers in Northeast Texas with comparable member count and operational scale.
• Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative: Large Texas member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural and suburban Central/South Texas. Comparable in cooperative governance, member services structure, and rural electrification mandate, though larger in geographic scale.
• Mid-South Synergy: Texas member-owned electric cooperative operating in East/Central Texas with a similar rural service profile. Comparable in governance model, member-owned capital structure, and inclusion of broadband/communications services for member benefits.
• Co-Mo Electric Cooperative: Missouri-based member-owned rural electric cooperative that successfully built a member-owned fiber broadband subsidiary (Co-Mo Connect). Directly comparable as a peer electric cooperative that leveraged its rural electric infrastructure to deploy a competitive fiber broadband business.

Emerging players

• Vexus Fiber: Rapidly growing Texas-based rural and suburban fiber-to-the-home ISP backed by private equity. Directly competes with CCECA's broadband division for residential fiber subscribers in underserved Texas markets, with overlapping pricing tiers and speeds.
• NextLink Internet: Texas-headquartered rural broadband ISP using fiber and fixed wireless to serve underserved communities. Competes with CCECA's broadband service for residential and small-business subscribers across East Texas and adjacent rural counties.

Broad incumbents

• AEP Texas: Investor-owned electric transmission and distribution utility operating across South and West Texas under the American Electric Power umbrella. While not serving CCECA's specific territory, it represents the broader investor-owned utility model CCECA's cooperative structure is differentiated against.
• Oncor Electric Delivery: Largest regulated electric transmission and distribution utility in Texas, serving North and West Texas including some East Texas regions. Represents the broad investor-owned incumbent model whose rural franchise gaps CCECA was designed to fill.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100071260038253

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Cherokee County Electric Cooperative