 Through NBC's contracts with the NFL, WHDH served as the local broadcaster of the Foxborough-based New England Patriots from 1995 to 1997 (most Patriots games have aired since then on WBZ-TV, through CBS' 1998 acquisition of the AFC television contract), and carried occasional Patriots "Sunday Night Football" games from 2006 to 2016.While early reports suggested that NBC would move to existing Telemundo O&O WNEU (channel 60), it eventually purchased low-powered WNEU repeater WBTS-LD (channel 8) from ZGS Communications in September 2016 to carry "NBC Boston," and initiated simulcasting arrangements with WNEU (which respectively relays WBTS-LD's NBC and Cozi TV programming on two of its digital subchannels) and WMFP (channel 62, which maintains a subchannel leasing agreement with NBC) to help provide full-market coverage; WBTS formed its news department through resources from New England Cable News (which NBCUniversal acquired through its 2011 acquisition by Comcast), employing both existing NECN staff and newer hires.Ansin filed a court challenge to stop the planned switch on grounds that a potential transfer of the network to Merrimack, New Hampshire-based WNEU – which provides signal coverage ranging from Grade B to non-existent in the southern half of the Boston market – would violate an FCC-imposed condition of Comcast's 2011 acquisition of NBCUniversal to maintain over-the-air availability of NBC programming and not use its cable properties to influence affiliation deals (Massachusetts District Court Judge Richard Stearn dismissed the suit per Comcast's request on May 16, 2016, citing realities of corporate competition); Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren also expressed concerns that OTA-reliant viewers living in neighborhoods and outlying suburbs of Boston outside of WNEU's signal range would not have access to NBC programs.