Fox News and CNN channels were not available for a second day Friday on DirecTV, limiting news choices for the satellite TV service’s nearly 20 million subscribers in the final days of the presidential campaigns.
The channel that usually broadcasts Fox News had a message from DirecTV: “We are experiencing temporary technical difficulties. Please stand by. We apologize for the inconvenience.” The message was posted in English and Spanish.
The CNN channel was unavailable but showed a message indicating it was a pay channel.
The same problems occurred intermittently Thursday.
The disappearance of the channels, especially Fox News, incited a flurry of online conspiracy theories.
“What happened to Fox News. This is the only News source in my household and I’m very aggravated that it is being censored! Please provide an explanation why the only conservative news source is in ’Technical Difficulty’. If it’s being censored I will discontinue my service,” a customer wrote on the DTV USA Forum page.
Another customer wrote: “I too find it very suspicious, and don’t know whether to blame DTV, or mischievous hackers.”
“Fox News is intentionally blacked out for the second day in a row by dishonest DirecTV employees,” another post read. “It’s no coincidence that this happens TWICE in the week before the election — when it hasn’t happened in at least a year prior, if ever. Hey DirecTV, we are not stupid (but apparently you are).”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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