By Laura Phillips
Keith Buell is no stranger to telecom law and policy. He is currently the General Counsel and Head of Global Public Policy for Numeracle, a company founded in 2018 to restore trust in electronic communications. Numeracle’s stated mission is that every entity on Earth and every person on the planet should know with certainty with whom they’re communicating electronically. The company is working to verify the identity of communications originators and pass that information to the handset of the recipient so that when the phone rings or a message pops up claiming to be “Your Bank,” the recipient knows it is really from their bank and not originated by a fraudster. Over the course of his career, Keith has worked in private law practice, in house and at the FCC and I was happy to have the chance to interview him.
Q. What attracted you to the field of communications?
A. I fell into telecom law by accident. I went to law school wanting to be a First Amendment lawyer but didn’t get an offer out of law school from the firms that did that type of work in DC. My dream job would have been defending the media in defamation lawsuits.
I did general litigation for a few years at a big DC law firm, Arnold & Porter, and then got a call from a headhunter that Verizon was looking for an in-house litigator. Those jobs are hard to come by, and to me, making that change was a no-brainer. My daughter was a year old at the time and I’d spent way too much of her first year traveling. Verizon was a great company, better hours, more money, shorter commute. My work at Verizon was a blend of telecom work (intercarrier compensation litigation, pole attachment disputes, etc.) and non-telecom (routine breach of contract cases, construction disputes, vehicle accidents and other torts).
I later moved to Sprint, and unsurprisingly, there was a lot of overlap in issues and cases. In fact, two adverse parties thought I had switched companies just to prejudice them. I can assure everyone that I took seriously my confidentiality and other professional obligations and that my move was motivated by career advancement and not to complicate any litigation!
In assessing my path, I have to say that while I enjoy telecom legal work, I honestly think I could have been just as happy taking other pathways available in the legal profession.
Q. Tell us about the various places you’ve worked through the years.
A. I’ve had the rare distinction of having been an attorney—either in house or outside counsel—for all four of the major US wireless providers. I did a small amount of work at Arnold & Porter for AT&T, then went in-house at Verizon. I moved to Sprint in 2012 and joined their federal regulatory team. After the Sprint/T-Mobile merger, I stayed with T-Mobile for about six months then joined Tata Communications, an India-based global telecom provider.
I gained a deep respect for the FCC both institutionally and for the staff through my policy work at Sprint. So, it’s not a surprise that I jumped at the chance to join the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau when a position opened up. At that point I thought I’d settled in for a long career in government service, but when Numeracle needed a general counsel, I couldn’t say no to that opportunity. I had met Numeracle’s founder and CEO at an anti-robocall conference in 2018, and it turned out that I had the perfect combination of policy experience and industry connections to be a great match for the job.
Working as the general counsel of a small company that has grown from 30 to 70 employees during my two years there has been eye opening. While I had a strong background in telecom policy and litigation, I’ve had to learn employment law, corporate governance, IP, and many other subjects on the fly. Being exposed to new subjects has made me a better lawyer—even in the areas I thought I already knew quite well.
Q. Have things unfolded in your career more or less the way you planned?
A. Not at all! I know very few people at my point in their careers who are where they thought they’d be. While assessing what you are doing and whether it is consistent with your general career aspirations and goals is important, it may well be that the original path you set off on may not have been the best one for you anyway. And it is never too late to make modifications or set a new direction.
Q. What’s the most interesting or challenging thing that you’ve done in your current position?
A. The biggest challenge has been transitioning my advocacy skills from representing large companies that are used to using somewhat bland language to finally having the freedom to say things how I want to say them. At Sprint, I always threw in a controversial phrase or idea in my drafts just to make sure my boss was reading my work carefully. He always found the hidden surprise and usually toned it down. Now, I have the freedom to say what I want and how I want, which is liberating. One example of this is Numeracle’s comments on robocall labeling in 2023; it may have been the first FCC comments ever to incorporate a Far Side cartoon.
Q. Is or was there something interesting or someone who surprised or impressed you during your career and why?
A. I consider myself lucky that in my professional career at a big firm, several large corporations, a startup, and the federal government, I’ve never had a serious ethical quandary. My employers and clients were assertive in defending their legal rights, but all took solid positions backed by precedent and acknowledged their ethical responsibilities. I do not know if my experience is rare within the legal profession, but I appreciate that those around me throughout my career consistently have done the right thing.
Q. What do you enjoy reading?
A. My daughter has been bugging me since she was 13 to read her favorite book—Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. I’m finally most of the way through it. Most of my reading for fun recently has been while I’ve been on vacation as reading at bedtime makes me fall asleep instantly!
That said, my bookshelf is mostly nonfiction. I’ve got books on everything from home repair to Ancient Egyptian language to studio photography. I’ve got tons of hobbies and have mastered none of them, but I always buy enough books to learn what I can.
Q. Is there something (a hobby or other tidbit) people don’t know about you that you are willing to share?
A. No pun intended, I fell into this by accident, but I’m a skydiving coach and have been on a competitive skydiving team. I’ve amassed a total of 700 jumps. I’ve also done three Ironman triathlons and have recently renewed my interest in scuba diving. I guess I can say that I get bored just sitting at a desk.
Q. Can you share your perspective on the pitfalls to avoid or other career advice for those who are just getting started in the communications field?
A. Get to know people! Having been on both sides of hiring and being hired, I’ve come to realize that establishing a broad network of contacts not only helps lawyers advocate for their clients, but it’s also the best way to advocate for themselves. Next time you’re at a large FCBA event, take a moment to realize that your next boss could very easily be somebody in the room.
Q. How has your life changed as a result of COVID-19 and what are you looking forward to doing next?
A. I haven’t spent more than a handful of days in an office since COVID, and I appreciate the flexibility of working from home or from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. Numeracle is driving toward an exit sale, and I hope after that to have the financial freedom to join a non-profit or advocacy group and pay it forward.
During the early days of COVID when we had no place to go and nothing to do, I decided to build a replica tube guitar amp and guitar. I got some books and watched a few YouTube videos, and now I can play a perfect replica of a 1951 Fender Telecaster on a replica 1957 Fender Custom Deluxe amp. Unfortunately, they’ve been gathering dust recently as the world has opened back up and I’m busier than ever with work and hobbies that revolve around being outside of home. And honestly, I’m much better at building musical instruments than playing them.
Q. How long have you been an FCBA member, and what to you is the value of FCBA membership?
A. I’d been to some FCBA events for years, but I only recently joined as a member, which I highly recommend. The combination of networking events like receptions and the Annual Seminar, as well as numerous CLEs, brown bags and other continuing education has been invaluable to me as the general counsel of a small company like Numeracle. And as I noted above, the FCBA provides so many opportunities to connect with others in informal settings which I think is one key to successful professional development. So it’s a no-brainer.