Marketable Investment Securities and Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Accumulated net unrealized gains (losses)
Accumulated net unrealized gains, net of related tax effect		$ 2,000,000	$ 6,000,000
Components of available-for-sale investments
Debt security		4,075,835,000	2,269,670,000
Total marketable investment securities		4,149,586,000	2,318,714,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net
Unrealized Gains		6,606,000	7,741,000
Unrealized (Losses)		(5,012,000)	(1,144,000)
Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net		1,594,000	6,597,000
Contractual maturities of restricted and non-restricted marketable investment securities
Debt security with contractual maturities within one year		3,274,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities after one year through five years		862,000,000
VRDNs
Components of available-for-sale investments
Debt security		153,825,000	124,007,000
Other (including restricted)
Components of available-for-sale investments
Debt security		3,981,712,000	2,181,064,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net
Unrealized Gains		5,794,000	7,335,000
Unrealized (Losses)		(5,012,000)	(1,144,000)
Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net		782,000	6,191,000
Equity Securities
Components of available-for-sale investments
Equity securities		14,049,000	13,643,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net
Unrealized Gains		812,000	406,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net		812,000	406,000
Additional disclosures
Amount of cash consideration for receiving shares of common stock from a single issuer	$ 0