Q. I couldn’t watch DIRECTV last night because I kept getting a lost signal message on the screen. What gives? Is this because of AT&T? I’ve really had it with them and I think it’s time to get another TV service. — Cathy, Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Cathy, you are not alone. Thousands of DIRECTV subscribers last night stormed the social media sites to unleash their anger over losing their satellite picture during primetime hours.

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“Service with @DIRECTV is an absolute JOKE! Wonder why people are switching to Hulu? Firestick? Netflix? Etc…Lost signal for over 2 hours! A disgrace!” wrote @KabesAZ on Twitter.

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“You guys got all that money and can’t figure out how to get your TV to work,” tweeted @headchopper.

And several DIRECTV subscribers said their problem became worse when they tried to call the company’s customer service line.

“Wow @DIRECTV your customer service sucks! Used to call and have issues resolved timely. Now still on f’in hold after 45 minutes while your message estimated 10 min wait! Receiver stuck on 98% complete step 2 receiving satellite info!! For the money I pay!!! WTH,” wrote ‘James Ward.’

DIRECTV’s Twitter customer service team responded quickly to the complaints, saying a cut fiber was causing the interruptions.

“…because of a fiber cut, some customers may be experiencing service interruptions. We are working as quickly as possible to restore service,” @DIRECTV wrote.

The company never explained how the fiber became cut, but wrote at 8:33 p.m. ET that the problem had been resolved.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, Kevin. It should be working now,” @DIRECTV told one upset customer.

It’s unclear how many DIRECTV subscribers were affected. However, if a fiber was cut, it’s likely a large number of homes lost their signal.

DownDetector.com, which tracks company outages, reports that nearly 1,000 people were complaining on social media sites at the same time around 7:30 p.m. ET. The complaints began to escalate around 6 p.m. ET, according to the site, and a search of Twitter posts.

The technical snafu is the latest headache for AT&T, which owns DIRECTV. Since the telco purchased DIRECTV, the satcaster has lost a net of nearly three million subscribers, leading to speculation it might sell the service.

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Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann