Ubiquitous Broadband Access
Connect to Compete and to Serve

• The State should ensure the active involvement of rural stakeholders to develop recommendations for affordable and ubiquitous broadband service and increased adoption rates through the Broadband Task Force.
• The State should maximize use of its assets and infrastructure, including rights of way and optical fiber available through Caltrans, the Office of Emergency Services, and other State agencies for rural connectivity.
• State (and federal) legislation should encourage and incent timely “build out” of broadband service by telecom providers.

Housing, Land Use and Infrastructure
Address the Challenges of Growth

Ensure Equity in Infrastructure Investments

• The State should ensure that rural communities and regions are full partners in developing allocation criteria and program guidelines for bond measures, aligned with regional plans and priorities and within a smart growth framework.
• The State should conduct outreach and provide technical assistance so that rural communities and regions are ready to compete for funds.
• The State or public policy partners should conduct an inventory and analysis of rural housing conditions and dynamics for state policy and regional strategies addressing the widespread affordability crisis.
• The Legislature should increase funding for the Regional Blueprint Planning Program to increase the participation of rural regions and foster rural and cross-regional planning capacity. 
• The State should convene stakeholders to identify funding strategies for rural hospitals to meet earthquake retrofit standards.
• State regulations and policy guidelines for loan and grant programs should consider alternative technologies and environmental strategies to allow communities to address long-standing infrastructure deficiencies with affordable solutions at appropriate scale – “one size does not fill all.”

Education and Workforce Development
Build a Talent Workforce through Career Pathways and Investing in Skills

• The State or public policy partners should conduct a demographic analysis of the projected workforce and shortages, the impact of immigration on regional economies, and skills needs and gaps, and develop a long-term State strategy.
• The State including higher education partners and workforce investment boards should develop priority workforce initiatives for career pathways in agriculture-related industries and the construction craft trades, information technologies (for eHealth and telemedicine), and clean technologies and renewable energies, so that rural residents have skills for local jobs, including those generated through the impacts of infrastructure bonds.  
• The State should continue to seek additional funds for nurse education and training  from federal and other funding sources.

Innovation Economy
Invest in Value-Based Assets

Focus on new business starts and high-potential growth firms

• State policy should endorse value-based competitiveness (rather than low cost) for regional strategic planning and support planning within this framework.
• The California Economic Strategy Panel should conduct an analysis of the renewable energy/clean technology cluster for potential competitive advantage for rural regions.
• The State should facilitate the investment of State pension funds, financing authorities, venture capital funds, and community development financial institutions in rural opportunity areas, including for clean technology and renewable energies, but also for other products and services being developed by rural entrepreneurs.
• The State should develop a cross-border (bi-national) strategy for linked high-value industries and to address shared health, economic and environmental challenges.