As of December 8, 2009, only 3500 H-1B Visas remain available for this fiscal year. Each year the government imposes an arbitary quota of 65,000 H-1B visas for the fiscal year. In the past the 65,000 limit was reached within a few business days of them becoming available (April 1st). However, with the downturn in the economy the number of companies interested in sending the money to obtain an H-1B visa has decreased dramatically. As the economy is slowly recovering, it looks like the number of H-1Bs is also slowly recovering.
If you are interested in filing for an H-1B this year, it is highly advisable that you begin the process immediately.