Twice a year, during the spring and fall, you may experience some degree of television interference due to a phenomenon known as “sun outages.”

What is a sun outage?

A sun outage is an interruption in satellite signals caused by interference from solar radiation. The interference is caused when the sun is in direct line with a communication satellite and the sun’s radiation overwhelms the satellite signal.

How long do they last?

Interruption in TV service due to sun outages can last up to several minutes a day.

How do they affect watching TV?

During this time, you may experience interference with picture quality and sound when watching television. Sun outages do not affect internet or phone service.

When does this occur?

Solar interference has the potential to affect TV services twice a year during February/March and September/October. Solar interference causes the degradation or loss of satellite signals for short periods of time, up to 15 minutes each day, for 5-7 days.