TMCnet's Jessica Kostek has an interesting story on how the election and post-election reaction played out on the Internet last night.

 

I actually stepped away from my keyboard around 10:15 pm last night (ET) and watched the results play out on the TV screen in my living room.

 

Yesterday's historic election produced record turnout, and voters elected the first African-American president in Barack Obama.

 

In his acceptance speech, Obama spoke of delivering on his promise of change but recognized that he and his administration will face enormous challenges from a painful economic crisis and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Obama's victory led the Democratic party to a sweeping victory that will see them hold majorities in both houses of Congress.

 

With that kind of clout, it will be interesting to see what an Obama presidency means for telecommunications and for technology in general.

 

There are a number of important issues on the table, from patent and trade issues to net neutrality to a proposed expansion of H1-B visa rules -- all issues whose effects will be felt in Silicon Valley and beyond.

 

First up, Obama needs to decide who his CTO will be. When he launched his bid for the presidency, Obama spoke of the need to create a cabinet-level position -- a national chief technology officer -- who would seek to create more jobs through technology.

 

We'll see how this all plays out. Be sure to check back often to TMCnet to stay up to date with all the latest news and opinion.