MADISON, Wis. — Having a reliable internet connection is something that most Dane County residents don’t have to worry about.
But having the tools to access and use the internet is something entirely different.
“Thank you, I can get my work done for W-2 and other work done from home instead of going to the library; It is hard with a new baby,” said Shawn Steen, the executive director of DANEnet.
DANEnet is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making technology accessible to everyone.
In 2020, it started the Refurbished Laptop Program and since that time, Sheen said her team has distributed around 700 laptops to families in need.
“It is always so delightful to get some, a thank-you card in the mail, and to read these and the handwriting of the people who got the laptop,” said Sheen.
Since 2020, Sheen said she has been hustling to get computers.
“[During the pandemic] I knew that all the banks were closing, so I said, ‘Can we get those computers?’” said Sheen. “I hit up a bank and they ended up giving us about 400 computers.”
She said her organization gets 10-20 requests for laptops a month and she often struggles to fill those requests.
Recently, her organization received a $1.5 million grant from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.
“That will cover our refurbished laptop program for two years, so I will no longer have to hustle for refurbished laptops,” said Sheen.
While DANEnet gets laptops to those in need, the Madison Public Library system offers computer access and teaches people how to fill out various applications.
“We have people who come in and help people fill out those forms and a lot of times you need the computer, the printer, the faxing,” said Liz Boyd, a marketing specialist with Madison Public Library.
Boyd said Madison Public Library also offers one-on-one computer assistance programs weekly at the Madison Central Library location.
For those without computers at home, Boyd said the technology offered in libraries is crucial, especially when it comes to operating the new rapid bus system.
“You have to be able to operate this new system and it is important, essential to be able to use the internet, to be able to be confident using the internet,” she said.