2023 Fall Sun Outages May Affect You Cable TV Service 10/4-10/10

What are Sun Outages?

Twice a year, you may experience some degree of television interference due to "sun outages." Such outages are caused by a phenomenon called a “solar satellite interference." These brief outages occur when the sun is in a direct line behind a satellite transmitting cable signals. When the sun is aligned with a satellite, solar radiation, an energy the sun is emitting, interferes with the satellite’s signal and thus causes a brief signal outage.

When do sun outages happen and how long they last?

The solar interference will take place between October 4th and October 10th 2023.

The exact time and duration will vary from channel to channel. This is due to channels being received off different satellites in the arc. Each satellite is affected at a different time as the sun moves across the satellite arc. The approximate times for signal loss will be between 1:00 pm and 5:30pm and will last for approximately five to fifteen minutes depending on the size of the dish.

What kind of outage/interference can I expect?

During the sun outage, you may experience a pixelated picture, picture freezes, or audio distortions for a brief period of time.

How can I tell if it's caused by a sun outage or something’s wrong with my cable?

The sun outage happens only during the day between 1:00pm and 5:30pm (no sun, no interference) and is brief, lasting for a few minutes—from 5 minutes, up to 15 minutes.

What should I do during a sun outage?

MTC apologizes for any inconvenience a sun outage may cause. However, solar satellite interference is out of our control. Please be patient and everything will get back to normal. If you have question about sun outages, please contact MTC toll-free at: 1-877-727-2288.