Scott D. Woods, Esq.

Ready.net: President, Public-Private Partnerships

Scott D. Woods is the President, Public-Private Partnerships (formerly the Vice President for Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships) for Ready.net, Inc. Scott facilitates and develops key public- private partnerships formed via the Broadband.money digital community. He also focuses on providing a platform for local communities and broadband representatives to express their needs for broadband access and digital equity investments, as well as developing industry partnerships, and fostering alliances with key public and private stakeholders across the country to advance and support local, community- based broadband education and advocacy initiatives.

In addition to his executive duties, Scott currently hosts the Ready.net podcast, Ready or Not? with Scott D. Woods, where he focuses on and shares his deep knowledge of the broadband industry while giving local ISPs and communities a voice and a platform. He also hosts a monthly “Office Hours” broadcast, providing information and advice on developments and impacts for new broadband projects exclusively on the Broadband.money digital community.

Prior to Ready, Scott served as the former inaugural Director of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives in NTIA’s Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OIGC). While at NTIA, he served as
the principal liaison between the OIGC program office and key strategic partners
and external stakeholder groups, including representatives from state and local governments, telecommunications companies, for-profit and non-profit corporations, and colleges/universities. Scott is a broadband funding, implementation and stakeholder engagement expert and served as a key member of the OIGC leadership team responsible for the implementation and launch of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives and the historic $65 billion broadband funding program authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA).

Scott’s expertise and devotion to increasing broadband access and digital inclusion has helped transform the lives of many communities throughout the U.S. through programs such as the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), BroadbandUSA Technical Assistance Program, BroadbandUSA Community Education Workshops; HBCU College Partnership Program; the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program; and his influence among national, state and corporate decision makers, and his on-the-ground work building community-based broadband coalitions. Scott has long advocated for better broadband maps, data collection and utilization and in his various roles at NTIA, has used broadband data, mapping, and visualizations to make better broadband funding and programmatic decisions.

Scott received his Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Morehouse College; Master of Arts in Public Policy from American University; and Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law.