ROCK HILL, S.C. – (Mar. 3, 2016) –Twice a year, during the spring and fall, television viewers across the country and locally may experience some degree of television interference due to a phenomenon known as “sun outages.” Sun spot interference this spring is expected to take place between now and Mar. 8.

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. These satellites transmit the programming that cable TV and dish video providers air on their systems.

The sun outage happens only during the day (no sun, no interference) and is brief, lasting for a few minutes — from five to 15 minutes, but sometimes longer.

During the sun outage, the television may present a pixelated picture, known as “tiling,” picture freezes, or a complete loss of a channel or group of channels (such as HBO’s). The audio may also be intermittently distorted. Sun outages do not affect Internet or phone service.

About Comporium

Comporium, Inc., headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., is a diversified privately held communications company providing voice, video, data, wireless, smart home systems and advertising services. Comporium’s ventures include companies providing fiber transport and business solutions, data storage and managed services, smart devices and connected home/car services, and digital signage. For more information, please visit www.comporium.com.