Norris said customers currently paying $54.95 per month for 100‑megabit service will soon see their speeds increase to 200 megabits, with similar upgrades planned across other residential tiers.

“We’re not going to raise prices,” Norris said. “We’re keeping it the same.”

Norris said the changes are expected to take effect May 1st and are part of an effort to remain competitive while preparing for growing demand. Under the same plan, customers paying for 250‑megabit service will be upgraded to 400 megabits, while those on the 500‑megabit tier will move to 600 megabits.

“That is coming up here in May,” Norris said. “We’re really looking forward to getting that done.”

Norris outlined the growth of Hope Water & Light’s fiber system, noting that the utility began offering residential and business service after initially using fiber internally for water and electric operations.

“When I got here in 2023, we had about 80 pilot customers,” Norris said. “We’re currently almost hitting another milestone, about 1,500 customers, residential and business.”

He said the system relies on fiber‑optic glass rather than copper cable. “It’s not going to cross on cables. It’s not going across electric. It’s glass,” Norris said. “That glass just runs that light, and you get internet connectivity.”

Norris said technician training has been a priority as the system expands. He noted that Hope Water & Light technicians have attended specialized fiber training and that one technician now teaches at the University of Arkansas Hope‑Texarkana’s fiber academy.  “They’ve had several students come through, and they’ve had several students get hired on.”

During the question‑and‑answer portion of the meeting, Lions Club members asked about equipment upgrades, pricing, data limits, and service reliability.

Asked whether new Wi‑Fi equipment would be available to existing customers or just new ones, Norris said replacements would be provided as needed. “If you have a problem with your current equipment, obviously, we’re going to replace it,” he said. “We’re not going to have any of those older router gateways.”

When asked about data limits, Norris said Hope Water & Light does not impose fees for more data usage. “When you are on with Hope Water & Light, it’s as much as you need,” he said. “Also, we don’t slow you down.”

Members also asked about service areas. Norris said broadband service is available wherever Hope Water & Light provides electric service. “Any areas that are in this city that the electric is servicing, we can service,” he said.