Marketable Investment Securities, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, and Other Investment Securities (Details 4) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	$ 4,792,792,000	$ 5,039,382,000
Total marketable investment securities	5,003,516,000	5,254,405,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	195,923,000	191,235,000
Unrealized Losses	(4,090,000)	(9,879,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	191,833,000	181,356,000
Contractual maturities of restricted and non-restricted marketable investment securities
Debt securities with contractual maturities within one year	3,822,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities extending longer than one year through and including five years	625,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities extending longer than five year through and including ten years	1,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities longer than ten years	220,000,000
Accumulated net unrealized gains (losses)
Accumulated net unrealized gains, before tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	192,000,000	181,000,000
Accumulated net unrealized gains, net of tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	184,000,000	178,000,000
VRDNs
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	113,970,000	116,570,000
ARS and other
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	44,379,000	45,030,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	1,859,000	1,188,000
Unrealized Losses	(3,189,000)	(5,138,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	(1,330,000)	(3,950,000)
ARS fair value election
Components of our available-for-sale investments
ARS fair value election	92,899,000	88,622,000
Other (including restricted)
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Debt securities	4,416,343,000	4,668,532,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	86,522,000	83,363,000
Unrealized Losses	(901,000)	(4,741,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	85,621,000	78,622,000
Equity securities
Components of our available-for-sale investments
Equity securities	335,925,000	335,651,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains	107,542,000	106,684,000
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net	$ 107,542,000	$ 106,684,000