The FCC is refusing to release data from an FCC program that tracks whether ISPs actually deliver the broadband speeds they advertise. Once a promising way to name and shame ISPs that fail to deliver quality service, data from the program is now being withheld by an FCC routinely accused of being far-too cozy with the industry it’s supposed to hold accountable.

Back in 2011 the FCC launched something called the Measuring Broadband America program. Under this program, thousands of volunteers were given custom-firmware embedded routers that provided useful insight into whether ISPs were delivering advertised broadband speeds.

Initially, the program worked as intended. The FCC’s very first report showcased several ISPs that were failing to deliver anything close to the speeds they advertised. New York area cable provider Cablevision, for example, was found to deliver just 50 percent of advertised downstream speeds during prime time courtesy of an oversubscribed network.

By the FCC’s second report in 2012, the company had improved dramatically, offering 128 percent of the bandwidth it advertised during peak usage hours. In the absence of more competition, having a regulator name and shame under-performing ISPs appeared to actually help motivate industry improvements.

That was then, this is now.

Since Ajit Pai was appointed boss of the FCC in early 2017, the FCC has yet to release any data from the program. Last year’s report wasn’t released at all, and the FCC has remained mum on whether it will release any of the program’s data this year, either.

More at Motherboard.