Speakers
Steve Unger
Steve Unger will describe how politics and technology have collided in the past and argue that this experience is as relevant today as it's ever been - in the words of Mark Twain, ‘history never repeats itself but it does rhyme’. He’ll start with the first digital revolution, at the end of the 18th century, when codes applied to complex visual signals made possible the first telegraph networks. He’ll describe how, over the next century, different governments responded to the increasing importance of these networks: France decided they were too powerful to be left in private hands, so created the first state monopoly; Britain allowed the development of commercial networks, and made a pioneering attempt to promote network competition, before giving up and nationalising them; the United States embraced commercial networks, but objected to the dominance held by British companies, so in an early example of mandated digital sovereignty forced Marconi to give up his American business. The talk uses excerpts from Steve's recently published book 'From Beacon Fires to Fibre Broadband - A history of innovation, enterprise and regulation.
Stephen has spent much of his career working with wireless technologies. He started out using radio telescopes for astronomical research, before gaining his first commercial experience with Ionica, the Cambridge company that built the world’s first fixed wireless network.
He then moved to Ofcom, the UK regulator for digital communications. He was an executive member of Ofcom’s Board, served as Ofcom’s Chief Technology Officer, and as Acting Chief Executive. He led the teams responsible for setting strategy for digital communications in the UK, and for representing the UK internationally.
Stephen now holds a portfolio of non-executive and advisory roles in the technology sector. A common theme across his portfolio is an interest in how innovators, entrepreneurs, and government can work together to generate economic growth and social value.