Mark Goldstein, an investigator with the Government Accountability Office, described the transition as a rudderless ship with "no one" in charge. While oversight is primarily the FCC's responsibility, there is confusion among government officials "about what their responsibilities are," he said. GAO is finalizing a report on efforts to educate consumers about the change.

The transition, under fire from Democrats for months, drew criticism from the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon. "Few things get the attention of our constituents more" than their televisions, he said, emphasizing the need for outreach that is simple and repetitive.

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat, said FCC efforts "have been lackluster at best" due to a "lack of leadership, focus and resources for putting these ideas into action."

"The consequences of failing to pursue more aggressive outreach would be a disaster," he said, warning that lawmakers could face a "tsunami" of complaints if the Feb. 17, 2009, switchover goes awry.

He proposed a "federal DTV task force" that would be accountable to Congress. "There's still time, but given how much we've waited already, not a minute to waste," Adelstein said. Such steps are necessary to coordinate the increasingly mixed messages that industry stakeholders are sending through their voluntary advertising campaigns, he said.

Marcellus Alexander, executive vice president at the National Association of Broadcasters, acknowledged that research shows elderly Americans will be disproportionately affected by the transition. But he said broadcasters will announce a fresh round of educational efforts next week.

Kohl wasn't impressed, noting that without government coordination, many public messages could air outside prime-time viewing hours in the evening.

The hearing highlighted a loophole in a government program that will issue coupons to Americans needing converter boxes to keep their analog sets functioning: Residents of nursing homes and assisted-living centers are ineligible. That's because the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is implementing the effort, based eligibility on the Census Bureau's definition of a household.

AARP board member Nelda Barnett warned that seniors also face hurdles with installing the boxes and will be vulnerable to fraud and "upselling" by retailers.

Amina Fazlullah, an attorney with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, disclosed data indicating that sales personnel in electronics stores generally are clueless about the transition.

"We recognize that we must pay particular attention to certain communities to make sure that they're aware of the transition," NTIA Chief John Kneuer said, explaining that his agency is working closely with the AARP and similar groups. But he disagreed that the government should play a more active role. "There is a danger to having a unified message," he said.