Marketable Investment Securities, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, and Other Investment Securities (Details 3) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	$ 5,039,382,000	$ 3,631,637,000
Total marketable investment securities	5,254,405,000	3,789,175,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	191,235,000	227,501,000
Unrealized Losses	(9,879,000)	(20,773,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	181,356,000	206,728,000
Contractual maturities of restricted and non-restricted marketable investment securities
Debt securities with contractual maturities within one year	4,340,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities extending longer than one year through and including five years	359,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities extending longer than five year through and including ten years	2,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities longer than ten years	218,000,000
Accumulated net unrealized gains (losses)
Accumulated net unrealized gains, before tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	181,000,000	207,000,000
Accumulated net unrealized gains, net of tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	178,000,000	194,000,000
VRDNs
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	116,570,000	130,306,000
ARS and other
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	45,030,000	43,921,000
ARS fair value election	89,000,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	1,188,000	1,375,000
Unrealized Losses	(5,138,000)	(8,033,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	(3,950,000)	(6,658,000)
ARS fair value election
Components of our available-for-sale investments
ARS fair value election	88,622,000	62,251,000
Other (including restricted)
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	4,668,532,000	3,287,317,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	83,363,000	208,208,000
Unrealized Losses	(4,741,000)	(1,203,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	78,622,000	207,005,000
Equity securities
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Equity securities	335,651,000	265,380,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	106,684,000	17,918,000
Unrealized Losses		(11,537,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	$ 106,684,000	$ 6,381,000