BEAD funds are more or less administered by the state, and nothing is fundementally stopping them from doing the right thing and preferring local bids.

It’s entirely possible too, look at North Dakota, it has near 100% fiber coverage for the entire state, because the same model that brought electrification to them brought them fiber. In Utah and surrounding states there are municipal networks building out to member cities.

The real threat is the states capitulating to the incumbent providers like Comcast – but at least it’s a State level issue instead of being totally a given at the federal level.

We also typically think of these individuals as mature adults with some understanding of the world and social skills — but a lot of the people getting pulled in are kids and teenagers, which are particularly vulnerable for exactly the reason you elucidated.