Hilliard expands CityLab incubator, keeps student internet program after federal funds end

HILLIARD, Ohio — Hilliard officials described growth in the city’s CityLab commercialization incubator and related digital infrastructure, saying the initiative now supports more than 33 companies, paid internships and several public-safety and prototype projects that rely on city-owned fiber and locally controlled wireless networks.

“The premise, around back in 02/2019 … was fiber was very important for business, for economic development,” said Dwayne Powell, Hilliard chief information officer and IT director, describing the municipal fiber that underpins the CityLab network. Powell appeared on Hilliard CityLab Connect, a city podcast hosted by Michelle Gadschel.

City leaders said the fiber network became the basis for several programs that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of paying commercial cellular providers to distribute home hotspots, the city purchased hardware and set up a private cellular (CBRS) network to provide internet access to students identified by local schools as lacking reliable home service. Officials said that hardware remains in use after federal COVID relief funding ended.

Why it matters: CityLab and the related network infrastructure are presented as economic-development tools that…