A task force of 23 organizations and five individuals will hold their first meeting on "media and childhood obesity" on February 14th.

Although the Federal Communications Commission will not manage the group's activities, three FCC Commissioners will serve as participants: FCC Chair Kevin Martin, and Commissioners Deborah Taylor Tate and Michael Copps.

"Government cannot and should not be responsible for solving every societal problem; however, this affects not only our nation's health but our budget as well," Tate declared in a press release praising the group.

The first meeting comes as a follow-up to the agency's approval of new rules for children's advertising on digital television. The guidelines manage the extent to which advertisers can market food and other products during TV  programming intended for toddlers.

According to the groups' Web page, the task force will meet at various points throughout this year "in an effort to build consensus regarding voluntary steps and goals that the public and private sectors can take to combat childhood obesity." At the end of the year the coalition will issue a concluding report.

Although the Commission will not formally run this task force, its agenda mirrors the FCC's strategy for developing rules and guidelines on children's advertising while avoiding lawsuits: bring all the players to the table to develop a consensus.

The task force includes a wide variety of advocacy groups, among them Children Now and the American Diabetes Association, but it also includes representatives for McDonalds, Disney, and Coca Cola.

United States Senator Sam Brownback, a Republican candidate for President, will also participate in the group, as well Democratic Senator Tom Harkin.