After a problem this afternoon, DirecTV viewers were once again able to access Fox News HD by early this evening.

Viewers had been frustrated and looking for answers after an apparent technical glitch left them unable to tune in to Fox News HD.

AT&T released the following statement:

Early this morning, a technical issue impacted the high definition (HD) channels of the following networks for our satellite customers:

BBC World News, CNN, Comedy Central, FOX News, Fusion, Golf, NBC Sports, Ovation

With the exception of Fusion and BBC World News, we continued to provide the standard definition (SD) versions of these channels to our customers. We proactively reached out to customers via social and online channels to help ensure that they understood how to view the content.

The HD versions of these channels for most customers were back

online early this afternoon CT.

We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.

The AT&T-owned satellite television carrier, which has about 20 million subscribers in the U.S., apologized to customers, but initially gave no information about what was behind the problem or when it might be fixed.

“We are experiencing temporary technical difficulties," read an on-screen message posted in English and Spanish to viewers looking for the channel. "Please stand by. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

The non-HD Fox News station was still available to viewers, and was apparently unaffected by the problem.

The issue for some Fox News HD DirecTV viewers started earlier this week, on Wednesday, with intermittent disruptions.

Fox News has received a flurry of complaints about the disruptions, but is unable to address a problem that lies with DirecTV. Viewers with questions or complaints may contact DirecTV’s national customer service number at (800) 531-5000.

The disappearance of Fox News HD has particularly angered those who have been closely following the remaining days of the presidential campaign, leading some to question if the problem was in fact a technical difficulty.

“This happened early yesterday morning for a couple of hours. Now it's off again for several hours. At first my husband were throwing around conspiracy jokes. As the morning goes on, it's not as funny,” said a post on the DirecTV forum page.

“CANCELLING Dtv after FOX NEWS BLACKOUT,” said another posting, left by by “a lifelong customer” to DirecTV who questioned why backup systems couldn’t efficiently address the issue.