John and Jane Q. Public will get a shot at vetting the bids for the $4.7 billion in grant money in the broadband portion of the economic stimulus package.
NTIA said Wednesday it is looking for a few good men and women to serve as volunteer panelists to evaluate the proposals.
It said it would have panels reviewing its first round of grant proposals through at least the end of September.
Proposals can be submitted starting July 14 and are due by Aug. 14, so NTIA is looking for panelists on a first-come, first-served basis.
But there is an asterisk after the "come one, come all" casting call. To be make the cut as a panelist, applicants will need to have "significant expertise" in either the building of broadband networks, or the spread of the broadband gospel via outreach, training or education.
NTIA says it wants a diverse pool and says resumes can be e-mailed to BTOPReviewers@ntia.doc.gov.
No money will change hands, but there is the assurance that "you will be making a significant contribution to enhancing broadband services throughout the United States."