FAQs

Yes. You can get standalone broadband Internet, or TV services without a phone line. 

Polar provides service that allows you to have robust WiFi throughout your entire home.  Polar WiFi benefits include a guest network, password changes that are simple, remote access and support, device troubleshooting, parental control features, with a user-friendly app to control it all. Learn more here!

Polar Communications offers anti-virus and spyware protection through VIPRE. VIPRE is much easier than retail boxed solutions. VIPRE is only $5.95 per month which covers up to 3 devices. They also offer malware removal and Internet and PC troubleshooting through their Golden Shield services.

ProtectIQ puts a shield between your devices and bad actors, stopping threats before they even make it to your devices. With multi-layered protection, even your most vulnerable devices like smart TVs, thermostats, and WiFi cameras are protected before issues happen. ProtectIQ is integrated in your WiFi router, used in the Polar WiFi App and is included with all Polar WiFi plans.

With Polar WiFi you can test your Internet speeds right through the Polar WiFi App. Learn more here!

To accurately test speed there needs to be only 1 device connected to the Polar fiber ONT. To accomplish this temporarily bypass your wireless router if one is in place and connect a laptop or desktop computer directly to the Polar fiber ONT to run a few speed tests. Click here to conduct speed test.

*If your subscribed Internet service is 200 megabit or above the best way to get an accurate reading is to have a Polar technician test onsite with a dedicated Ethernet testing meter. The Ethernet meters are specially designed to be able to accurately test and verify speeds up to 1 gigabit. Please call Polar for more information.

TV service at Polar Communications will be shut down on July 17, 2023.

We have been honored to provide you with a television service for many years and this was not an easy decision. 

• Changing industry and rising programming costs. You can now purchase the same video service or channels via streaming for a lesser price than programmers charge us as video providers. In addition, programmers are providing Polar with less content and moving it to individual streaming platforms (like Thursday night football moving to Amazon Prime Video). We feel we are at a unique time to save you the customer money and improve your options.
• Polar experienced issues with its new TV platform that were not up to the quality-of-service standards we pride ourselves on. We cannot continue to offer a product that does not meet our customer experience standards.

The best option is to go to a live TV streaming service. There is a resource that will help you find the best live TV alternative for you. Simply answer a few brief questions about your viewing needs and it will help you find the most cost-effective streaming bundle with all your favorite channels. Visit mybundle.tv to get started.

Streaming refers to any media content you watch or listen to on a TV, computer, or mobile device using your Internet. Podcasts, movies, TV shows, and music are common forms of streaming content. If you have ever watched something on Netflix or Prime Video, or listened to music on Spotify or Pandora, you have streamed.

• The first thing you will need is a device to stream on. There are many options such as, Roku, Apple TV+, Fire TV, or a smart TV.
• The next thing you will need is a streaming TV service and account. Some of these include Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and DirecTV Stream. 
• The third thing you will need is Polar Internet. Our customer service team will be glad to help you find a speed that is right for you. The right speed is very important for a quality experience. It is dependent on how many people are in your home, and how many devices are using the Internet at the same time. 

• Current Polar cable TV customers. First, are you streaming anything now? For example, in addition to our cable TV do you subscribe to any other services such as Netflix? If so, you are already half-way there. The best option is a live TV streaming service. Visit mybundle.tv and choose what works best for you. After you set this service up call us to disconnect your cable TV and we will schedule a time to pick up your set top boxes.
• Current Polar streaming customers. Visit mybundle.tv and choose what works best for you. After you set this service up call us to disconnect your Polar TV. If you currently have a KAON box, we will schedule a time to pick it up.

Absolutely. We have invested in a state-of-the-art fiber network that will offer the bandwidth available for your future streaming TV needs.

In general, this should not affect your phone or Internet services. Depending on the Internet tier of service you are presently at and what you do with the broadband service at the time you may want to consider increasing your Internet speed. 

Yes, we are here to help. We can assist you in setting up an account with your new streaming TV provider.

Local stations are a part of Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, and FuboTV. If you don’t want to subscribe to those services and just want an on-demand option experience with some local live station access, some options are:

• KXJB/CBS and KVLY/NBC are available on the free app, Vuit.
• KVRR and WDAY livestream their broadcasts on their websites.
• KXJB/CBS is available on Paramount + Premium. This is the same channel that you watch today-live feed. NFL games are included.

• Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Gopher hockey is available on Bally’s Sports Plus. At this time, Minnesota Twins games are not available on this app. Discussions are ongoing to include Twins games by the 2023 season.
• Bally’s Sports North regular channel is available as part of DirecTV Stream which would also include several other channels such as local broadcast channels and traditional cable TV channels.
• UND hockey is available on NCHC.tv. Several subscription plans are available from monthly to yearly with options to choose all schools or select schools. UND hockey is not available on the Midco Sports app.

No, you will find the Firesticks still useful for your future streaming needs.

The local ad channel will be going away on July 17, 2023.

We will sell Firesticks for a limited time, while supplies last.

We sell wired camera systems because of their reliability.  We have a variety of cameras available for any unique circumstance.

Yes. Buildings can be connected through wireless access points that bring the video into the Network Video Recorder (NVR). Our technicians are trained and certified and have worked with many installation scenarios.

The video is stored on a local NVR that can be sized for custom storage.  Video can be recorded 24-7 or set for motion recording, which can maximize the capacity of NVR.

Viewing can be done on a local monitor, TV, or computer.  The footage can also be viewed remotely when the NVR is connected to the internet.  An app is provided and can be viewed live or in recorded clips as programmed.  Notifications prompted by the app make it easy to know when footage is available.

Camera systems are available for purchase or lease.  An estimate can be provided upon request and site visit.  Contact us for more information.

Because our systems are customized, we have the ability to meet needs for price, options and quality, making our video surveillance systems the best value.

Telcom Relay Service Fund – This is a service fee required by the federal government that funds relay services for speech and hearing-impaired customers.

Residential/Business Local Line – This is the basic monthly fee for local telephone service In your home or business.

Federal Access Charge – This is a federally-Imposed charge that is collected by all local telephone companies and represents a portion of the cost for each telephone consumer to access the long distance network.

Federal Universal Service Charge – The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a system of telecommunications subsidies and fees managed by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intended to promote universal access to telecommunications services in the United States.

Local Broadcast Retransmission Fee – The Local Broadcast Retransmission Fee is what your local ABC, NBC, CBS and/or FOX affiliates require our video customers to pay them in order for us to carry their signal to you.  This is a pass through fee.

Inside Wire Maintenance – This is an optional service. It provides security for your phone wires Inside your home. If you have Inside Wire Maintenance and problems occur, all maintenance charges are covered by Polar.

Taxes (Federal, State and Local) – Telephone service Is subject to federal, state, and local taxes, just like any other product or service.

County 911 – These are fees collected by the counties to fund the 911 Emergency Phone System, The rates vary by county.

NDLD Charges – These charges are your long distance charges if you have chosen North Dakota Long Distance as your carrier.

Please contact Polar Communications for answers regarding specific charges.

The first bill includes installation fees, the regular (partial) month billing and 1 month advance billing.

When you have voice mail through Polar Communications you can retrieve your email from anywhere or have it sent to your email address.

Capital credits are dividends paid to our customers. Each June and December, Polar Communications pays out capital credits to its members, depending on the company’s financial well-being. Capital credits may be returned in full at age 75 or to the estate of a deceased person.

To look up unclaimed capital credits click here.

Polar Communications will provide 1GB disk space for a customer’s web page, Domain Name Services (DNS) and five e-mail accounts. This does not include the Internet service or personal e-mail accounts. There is a one-time set-up charge of $35 and a monthly fee of $9.95.

Polar Communications will provide 2GB disk space for a customer’s web page, Domain Name Services (DNS) and ten e-mail accounts. This does not include the Internet service or personal e-mail accounts. There is a one-time set-up charge of $35 and a monthly fee of $19.95.

Please e-mail us at webmaster@polarcomm.com or call us at 701-284-7221 (800-284-7222) for more information regarding web hosting. If you have any questions about these web services, please contact our Internet Help Desk at 888-700-POLAR (888-700-7652).

A Domain Name Server (DNS) service translates domain names (e.g., www.polarcomm.com) to IP addresses (e.g., 66.31.96.9) which is how computers find each other in the world. It also steers email to the appropriate e-mail servers. Polar’s IP addresses are 66.231.102.253 and 216.196.82.253.

If you would like your e-mail address to match your domain name (e.g., jdoe@mybusiness.com), Polar Communications can provide e-mail hosting to meet that need. You will still get all the great features of a Polar Communications e-mail account, such as webmail, virus protection and spam filter, but your e-mail address will be more personalized for your business.

There is a limit of 2 public IPv4 DHCP leases per customer.

Polar offers a DHCP reserved IPv4 address that is bound to your devices hardware mac address. A DHCP reserved IPv4 address will not change unless you replace your device.

Polar does block a few commonly abused TCP/IP ports and/or sources of abuse traffic on our Internet edge routers. If you’re having trouble please give us a call with specific IP addresses and TCP/UDP port numbers ready so we can check on it for you.

Polar has implemented DNS threat protection for customers that is meant to help protect against phishing, ransomware, botnets, and other dangerous websites. This protection utilizes a list of known malicious websites. If you try visit one of the sites the Polar DNS server will redirect you to our threat protection website instead. If you feel the site is legitimate please give us a call so we can investigate.

Polar is in the process of testing and implementing IPv6.

Polar is planning to allocate a /56 prefix to business and residential customers by default. A /56 provides 256 /64 prefixes for use in subnetting if multiple IPv6 networks are required now or in the future.

Explanation:

-Current IPv6 RFCs and ARIN strongly recommend providing multiple /64 subnets worth of IPv6 space by default. This applies even to residential sites. They also strongly recommend against assigning prefixes longer (smaller) than a/56.

-A /48 is no longer recommended for default assignment to customers.

-A /56 is a balance between providing much more address space than a single /64 and not wasting huge amounts of address space by assigning a /48 prefix to every residential customer.

mail.polarcomm.com

Click here to start webmail, then log in with your username and password. Along the left side of the screen, choose Email Settings, then type your current password and your new password twice and click Update Password. Now your password is changed. If you use a mail software program such as Outlook Express or Eudora, you will need to change your password setting there, so that your mail will be delivered to the software properly.

You can check your mail using our webmail feature any place that you can access the Internet. Just start the Internet browser and type in the following address: https://mail.polarcomm.com/. You will be prompted for your Polar Communications e-mail username and password.

View Guide

E-statement is a service provided by Polar Communications that allows you to check your bill online. Not only can you view your bill, you can sort it according to numbers called, view the calls you’ve made that have not yet been billed, download your statement and much more! E-statement from Polar Communications is easy to use, free of charge and can be accessed through Polar Communications’ website at any time.

On Polar Communications’ web page, click on E-Statement. Click on Create A New Login and enter the appropriate information to create an account. Click on Create Login and an e-mail will be sent to you to complete registration.

Polar Communications’ E-statement services are password protected. The only way another person could view your account is if you release your password.

Login to E-statement and then click on Change Profile. Follow the prompts to change your password.

Login to E-statement and then click on FAQ for a listing of other Frequently Asked Questions. As with all of our services, if you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us.

The outgoing email size is limited to 30Mb.

Lifeline Qualifications

Minnesota Telephone & Internet Discounts

Lifeline assistance lowers the cost of basic monthly telephone and/or broadband service. Eligible consumers can receive up to $9.25 per month in discounts.

TAP: (Minnesota customers) Landline providers offer a $10.00 discount for the Minnesota’s Telephone Assistance Program (TAP).

Lifeline Application

Lifeline Household Worksheet

TAP Discount Application

Polar Communications works with its customers who are hearing, vision, or speech impaired, have mobility or cognitive impairments, or other disabilities to ensure that their individual telecommunications needs are met.  First, we will identify what special needs an individual customer has so we can help design a telecommunications solution for that person.

Telecommunications Relay Service

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) is a telephone service that allows persons with hearing or speech disabilities to place and receive telephone calls. TRS uses operators, called communications assistants (CAs), to facilitate telephone calls between people with hearing and speech disabilities and other individuals. A TRS call may be initiated by either a person with a hearing or speech disability, or a person without such disability. When a person with a hearing or speech disability initiates a TRS call, the person uses a teletypewriter (TTY) or other text input device to call the TRS relay center, and gives a CA the number of the party that he or she wants to call. The CA in turn places an outbound traditional voice call to that person. The CA then serves as a link for the call, relaying the text of the calling party in voice to the called party, and converting to text what the called party voices back to the calling party.  The service is free by simply dialing 7-1-1. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Federal and state laws require all call information and conversations to remain confidential.

Company Contact Information

Polar Communications

110 4th Street East / Park River, ND 58270

Angie Schroeder, Customer Service Supervisor

(701) 284-7221/ 1-800-284-7222

ND Assistive consultants are available to assess needs and recommend assistive technology solutions for children in schools, transition-aged youths, people who want to work or continue working, and anyone who wants to be independent.

For information on services, equipment, education, funding, and more go to: https://ndassistive.org

Polar Communications provides products and services to requesting customers with visual impairments for easier digital content engagement.

Accessibility – Polar Communications offers its customers navigation devices with the requisite accessibility features for customers that are blind or visually impaired.  Polar Communications’ video platform provides support for screen readers, keyboard navigation, and audible accessibility for the enjoyment of Polar Communications’ programming on any TV in the home and for recording programs in the cloud for playback on linked devices.

To obtain additional information such as user guides in accessible format, or to request support with Accessibility and instrumental products, services, devices and features, including Braille, large print documentation, and audible accessibility please call us at 701-284-7221.

For any concerns or complaints, please contact us:
Email: customerservice@polartel.com
Phone: 701-284-7221
Mail: P.O. Box 270 / Park River, ND 58270

Additional Accessibility Support

Large-Button Remotes – Remote Controls with larger buttons are available for purchase through Polar Communications by contacting our Service Center at 701-284-7221.

Bill Reading – If you’d like to pay your bill over phone, a Customer Service Representatives can read your bill over the phone upon request.

Video Description – Audio narrated descriptions of the key visual elements of a TV program or movie are available via an audio accessible set-top box by contacting our Service Center at 701-284-7221.

Closed Captioning – Navigation devices provided by Polar Communications include a mechanism reasonably comparable to a button, key, or icon for easy activation of the embedded closed captioning function.

TTY Dialing – Phone service is compatible with TTY equipment.