Marketable Investment Securities and Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Accumulated net unrealized gains (losses)
Accumulated net unrealized gains, before tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		$ 15,000,000	$ 7,000,000
Accumulated net unrealized gains, net of tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		11,000,000	6,000,000
Components of available-for-sale investments
Debt securities		4,117,326,000	2,269,670,000
Total marketable investment securities		4,181,228,000	2,318,714,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains		18,733,000	7,741,000
Unrealized Losses		(3,355,000)	(1,144,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net		15,378,000	6,597,000
Contractual maturities of restricted and non-restricted marketable investment securities
Debt securities with contractual maturities within one year		3,819,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities extending longer than one year through and including five years		314,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities extending longer than five years through and including ten years		1,000,000
Debt securities with contractual maturities longer than ten years		21,000,000
VRDNs
Components of available-for-sale investments
Debt securities		105,854,000	124,007,000
Other (including restricted)
Components of available-for-sale investments
Debt security		4,048,851,000	2,181,064,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains		5,447,000	7,335,000
Unrealized Losses		(3,355,000)	(1,144,000)
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net		2,092,000	6,191,000
Equity Securities
Components of available-for-sale investments
Equity securities		26,523,000	13,643,000
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Investment Securities
Unrealized Gains		13,286,000	406,000
Unrealized Gains Losses, Net		13,286,000	406,000
Additional disclosures
Amount of cash consideration for receiving shares of common stock from a single issuer	$ 0