CDE Lightband

What CDE Lightband does

CDE Lightband is the operating brand of the Clarksville Department of Electricity (CDE), a municipally-owned public power utility established in 1938 to deliver electricity to the Clarksville, Tennessee community. The organization serves 85,000+ electric customers and 30,000+ broadband customers across a 100+ square mile service area, operating 13 substations, 17,000+ distribution transformers, and 1,118 miles of owned fiber-optic cable. It is recognized as the 41st-largest public power utility in the United States and has expanded from its electric-only charter into a vertically integrated provider of broadband, television, and voice services.

The core technology foundation is a 100% fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network now migrating to XGS-PON (Ten Gigabit Symmetrical), delivering residential speeds of 300 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps and business tiers up to 100 Gbps. The Calix Broadband Platform underpins both the residential SmartBand product (intelligent Wi-Fi with AI security, parental controls, and smart-home integration) and the SmartBiz business solution (segmented networks for owner, staff, POS, and guest Wi-Fi with branded guest portals). Supporting services include IP television (200+ HD channels, Watch TV Everywhere), residential voice, and business voice/VoIP with Webex-hosted UC and Polycom handsets. Energy Solutions adds electric-vehicle, solar, and renewable-energy offerings.

CDE Lightband runs a subscription-based revenue model with monthly recurring billing across electric distribution, broadband, TV, and voice. Go-to-market combines a direct-to-consumer motion (website, phone, text-to-order, in-person at the main campus) with an enterprise field-sales motion for business customers served by a dedicated sales team and direct access to network engineers. As a government-owned entity, the business reinvests proceeds into local infrastructure under Tennessee Valley Authority regulatory oversight rather than returning capital to shareholders. Brian Taylor serves as General Manager.

Name

CDE Lightband

Legal name

CDE Lightband (Clarksville Department of Electricity)

Website

https://cdelightband.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CDE Lightband is the municipally-owned Clarksville Department of Electricity, delivering electricity, fiber broadband, television, and voice services to over 115,000 residential and business customers across Clarksville, Tennessee over an owned FTTH network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Electric and Broadband Utility

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHDAIACAE

Municipal & Community Broadband Networks

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Telecommunications & Network Services/Cable & Fiber Network Operators (HFC/FTTx)

Keywords

• Municipal electric utility
• Fiber-to-the-home internet
• Broadband service provider
• Residential voice services
• Business fiber connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

Clarksville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Broadband Internet Services: Monthly subscription revenue from residential and business broadband internet services delivered over fiber-to-the-home infrastructure. Services range from 300 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps with no data caps.
2. Electric Utility Services: Municipal electricity distribution to over 85,000 electric customers in Clarksville, Tennessee. CDE Lightband is the Clarksville Department of Electricity providing reliable power delivery.
3. Television Services: IP television services with over 200 channels available in HD, offered in packages for residential and business use including hospitality solutions.
4. Voice Services: VoIP and traditional business phone services including cloud-based phone systems, PRI/SIP trunks, and standard business lines with unlimited local and domestic long distance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CDE Lightband is a municipally owned utility that distributes electricity and operates a 100% fiber-to-the-home broadband network in Clarksville, Tennessee. The company sells residential and business internet (300 Mbps to 100 Gbps symmetrical), IP television with 200+ HD channels, VoIP and traditional voice services, and energy solutions. Supporting platforms include SmartBand for residential Wi-Fi and AI security, and SmartBiz for business network management, both delivered over the Calix Broadband Platform.

Product overview

CDE Lightband is a municipally owned broadband and utility provider offering a comprehensive suite of services centered on its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. The core offering comprises residential and business internet services (SmartBand/SmartBiz) powered by the Calix Broadband Platform, delivering speeds from 300 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps for residential and up to 100 Gbps for enterprise business customers. Supporting services include television (residential and commercial/hospitality), Voice/VoIP solutions (cloud-based and traditional), and energy solutions (efficiency, solar, EV charging). Business tiers include BusinessBasic, BusinessEnhanced (static IP), and BusinessEnterprise (dedicated 100Gbps), with add-on modules such as SmartBiz network management, Point-to-Point private networking, and Managed Wi-Fi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SmartBand: Residential Wi-Fi and smart home management application providing AI security, parental controls, and network management.
• SmartBiz

Products and services

• Residential Internet Fiber-to-the-home residential broadband delivering symmetrical speeds from 300 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps with no data caps and 24/7 local support, targeted at homeowners and renters in the Clarksville service area.
• Business Internet Fiber-based business broadband with symmetrical speeds ranging from 300 Mbps to 100 Gbps, offered in BusinessBasic, BusinessEnhanced (static IP), and BusinessEnterprise (dedicated 100 Gbps with three static IPs and direct engineer access) tiers.
• Residential Television Residential IPTV service offering packages with 200+ HD channels and Watch TV Everywhere streaming across multiple devices.
• Business Television Commercial TV packages including Select (30+ channels), Max Office (120+ channels), and Max Public, plus hospitality solutions that convert fiber signals to traditional coaxial delivery for commercial properties.
• Residential Voice Residential telephone service with a range of packages and all-in-one features including voicemail and call management capabilities.
• Business Voice (Hosted VoIP) Cloud-based business phone system with unlimited calling, hosted unified communications via Webex App, auto attendant, hunt group, call recording, PRI/SIP trunks, and bundled Polycom handsets; designed for businesses seeking a managed alternative to on-premises PBX.
• Electric Utility Service Regulated municipal electric distribution serving over 85,000 customers across the Clarksville service area with reliability programs, smart grid investments, and vegetation management.
• Energy Solutions Energy efficiency programs, electric vehicle services, renewable energy options including solar, and consultations with energy specialists designed to help customers reduce energy costs and consumption.
• Point-to-Point Private Network Private network connections providing secure data transport between two or more points on CDE Lightband's network at speeds from 10 Mbps to 100 Gbps for custom business connectivity.
• Managed Wi-Fi Enterprise-grade Wi-Fi service delivering professional-grade access points, installation, and ongoing management by CDE Lightband experts to ensure peak performance and coverage for business customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Internal testing shows actual speeds exceed advertised speeds across all tiers (e.g., 300 Mbps tier delivers 302.33/272.355 Mbps)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CalixcoreTechnology or Integration · 6 November 2025CDE Lightband deployed Calix SmartBiz and the Calix Broadband Platform to quickly enter the small business market. The deployment included integrated security and network resiliency features. CDE Lightband surpassed its first-year small business goals within six weeks of deployment, demonstrating the partnership's strategic importance for market expansion.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreOthersTVA provides regulatory oversight for CDE Lightband's electric rates and policies. TVA also partners with CDE Lightband on the Community Care Fund, providing matching funds to address critical community needs. CDE Lightband participates in TVA's Energy Right for Business & Industry program offering customized energy information and incentives to business customers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Google Fiber: National fiber ISP offering multi-gig symmetrical broadband in selected US markets. Comparable in underlying fiber technology and speed positioning, though operates under a private capital structure with selective market focus rather than a community-wide municipal charter.
• Spectrum (Charter Communications): Second-largest US cable broadband operator with presence in Tennessee markets adjacent to Clarksville. Competes on residential triple-play and SMB connectivity using DOCSIS hybrid fiber-coax — the primary cable alternative to CDE Lightband's pure fiber.
• Brightspeed: Regional fiber and DSL operator carved out of Lumen's consumer assets, actively overbuilding fiber in Tennessee and adjacent states. Comparable as a Tier-2/3 fiber competitor targeting similar residential and SMB customer segments.
• Xfinity (Comcast): Largest US cable broadband provider and the principal incumbent competitor in Clarksville for residential internet, video, and voice bundles. Comparable triple-play product set though delivered over hybrid fiber-coax rather than full FTTH.
• AT&T Fiber: Major incumbent telecom with a sizable fiber footprint across Tennessee, including Clarksville. Competes directly with CDE Lightband on residential and SMB broadband tiers, voice, and bundled entertainment services.

Emerging players

• Ting Internet: Smaller fiber-to-the-home ISP operating in select US towns, including community-level markets with municipal-like characteristics. Comparable in fiber-first positioning and focus on symmetrical gigabit speeds, though materially smaller in scale and footprint.
• Ziply Fiber: Fiber overbuilder focused on the Pacific Northwest that has rapidly upgraded legacy DSL/cable networks to FTTH with multi-gig symmetrical tiers. Comparable in fiber expansion playbook, technology refresh cadence, and Tier-2/3 market focus.

Direct peers

• Metronet: Large-scale fiber-to-the-home overbuilder with municipal-style market entry and similar gigabit/symmetrical value proposition. Closely comparable in deployment model, target customer mix (residential + SMB), and XGS-PON technology roadmap, though privately funded rather than municipally owned.
• Nashville Electric Service (NES): Tennessee's largest municipal electric utility serving Nashville. Comparable as a peer municipal power utility with similar regulatory exposure to TVA and analogous community-owned governance — though without CDE Lightband's integrated fiber-to-the-home broadband business.
• EPB Fiber Optics: Chattanooga's municipally-owned electric and fiber-to-the-home provider operating under an essentially identical model to CDE Lightband — community-owned, fiber overbuild across electric service territory, multi-gig symmetrical tiers, and triple-play bundle. Most directly comparable peer in the US municipal broadband universe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CDELightband
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzC-2k1-b4ot69wNLGhn22Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/CDE-Lightband-96953266253
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cde-lightband
• Instagraminstagram.com/cdelightband

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CDE Lightband