The election of Democrat Barack Obama has brought a sense of cautious optimism to many in the technology community who have long felt that they did not get enough attention and were not well understood by the Bush administration. Ed Black, president and chief executive of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, said the Obama camp has tech-savvy advisers who understand the sector and its users.

"There has not been much leadership on technology issues in Washington over the past eight years," Black said. "We don't want special favors. We just want people to understand us."

Paul Gallant, a telecommunications analyst at Stanford Washington Research Group, said Obama may embrace one big priority for the industry: Extending the concept behind network neutrality principles, which prohibit broadband providers from favoring or discriminating against online traffic traveling over their networks, into the wireless arena.

But there also are some notes of caution. Christopher Hansen, president and chief executive of the American Electronics Association, said Obama has not directly addressed a key item on the industry's agenda: Raising the cap on H-1B visas to allow technology companies to bring in more highly-skilled workers from overseas. He also said the industry is worried Obama might seek to discourage the offshoring of operations and jobs.

For more on Obama and IT:
- check out this AP.Google.com article

Also see:
> Obama's Internet connection remade politics. Article
> Obama wants to expand federal teleworking. Article
> Tech lobbyists hope to have Obama's ear. Article

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