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Spotlight on NTIA: Rafi Goldberg, Policy Analyst, Office of Policy Analysis and Development

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NTIA

This post is part of our “Spotlight on NTIA” blog series, which is highlighting the work that NTIA employees are doing to advance NTIA’s mission of promoting broadband adoption, finding spectrum to meet the growing demand for wireless technologies, and ensuring the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth.

Picture of Rafi GoldbergRafi Goldberg has been fascinated by technology since he was a child, when his father taught him how to program in BASIC on his family’s Apple II Plus.

Goldberg, who grew up on Long Island, kept up that interest as computers have advanced over the years. As an undergraduate at Tufts University near Boston, however, he pursued a different passion: public policy. Goldberg majored in political science and said he developed a strong connection with the Boston area, citing its strong sense of community and social activism. After working as an Issues Assistant on Deval Patrick’s 2005-2006 gubernatorial campaign and for the Governor's Office following Patrick’s victory, Goldberg moved to Washington in 2009 to pursue a Master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.

While at Georgetown, he realized that an ideal career would marry his interests in public policy and technology. He knew this combination must exist, but didn’t know where.

“And so I Googled it -- and found NTIA,” he says.

That fateful search led to an internship in the Office of Policy Analysis and Development, and then a full-time role as a policy analyst after graduating from Georgetown.

Since landing a full-time job at NTIA, Goldberg has worked on a range of topics, including net neutrality and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. One of his most prominent projects is the series of Digital Nation reports that NTIA produces based on its Computer and Internet Use Supplement to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. Goldberg says he’s a big believer in using data to formulate better policy, and that NTIA has quietly been a leader in this area.

“People don’t always know who we are or what we do, but we can make a huge impact,” he says.

As an example, he cites NTIA’s role in pushing the FCC and the country’s largest wireless carriers to create and adopt a series of voluntary “unlocking principles” that allow consumers to use their mobile devices on any compatible network.

“We can make a difference here, and we have really moved the needle in a number of policy areas,” he says.

That ability to make a difference is one of the most rewarding parts of working at NTIA, Goldberg says. Another is the agency’s people, who are impressive, come from diverse backgrounds and are enjoyable to work with, he notes.

Goldberg lives in Washington, D.C. and enjoys the area’s vibrant food culture. Indian food is a favorite -- he says he lives “dangerously close” to Rasika, the widely praised restaurant that serves modern Indian cuisine.