Marketable Investment Securities, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, and Other Investment Securities (Details 3) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	$ 5,433,340,000	$ 3,631,637,000
Total marketable investment securities	5,637,308,000	3,789,175,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	249,650,000	227,501,000
Unrealized Losses	(11,198,000)	(20,773,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	238,452,000	206,728,000
Contractual maturities of restricted and non-restricted marketable investment securities
Debt security with contractual maturities within one year	3,291,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities after one year through five years	1,734,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities after ten years	176,000,000
Accumulated net unrealized gains (losses)
Accumulated net unrealized gains, net of tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	214,000,000	194,000,000
VRDN
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	154,131,000	130,306,000
ARS and other
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	46,454,000	43,921,000
ARS fair value election	73,000,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	1,154,000	1,375,000
Unrealized Losses	(4,485,000)	(8,033,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	(3,331,000)	(6,658,000)
ARS fair value election
Components of our available-for-sale investments
ARS fair value election	72,737,000	62,251,000
Other (including restricted)
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	4,927,741,000	3,287,317,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	174,293,000	208,208,000
Unrealized Losses	(5,012,000)	(1,203,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	169,281,000	207,005,000
Equity securities
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Equity securities	436,245,000	265,380,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	74,203,000	17,918,000
Unrealized Losses	(1,701,000)	(11,537,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	$ 72,502,000	$ 6,381,000