Acquisitions (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net revenues	$ 3,420,658,000	[1]	$ 3,124,010,000	[1],[2]
Income (loss) before income taxes	241,511,000	[3]	15,566,000	[3]
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	(178,221,000)	[4],[5]	134,487,000	[4],[5]
Net impact of acquisitions on revenue	17,900,000		143,300,000
Acquisition and integration costs	26,005,000		18,298,000		3,310,000
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	20 years		21 years
Net impact of acquisitions on net income	8,900,000		12,600,000
Net income (loss)	63,290,000	[3],[4],[6]	150,053,000	[3],[4],[6]
Basic net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share	$ 0.05	[4]	$ 0.28	[4]
Diluted net income (loss) attributable to CCIC common stockholders, after deduction of dividends on preferred stock, per common share	$ 0.05	[4]	$ 0.27	[4]
Wireless Capital Partners, LLC [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Ground lease related assets	2,300
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	214,700,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	39,200,000
NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration costs	2,100,000		10,300,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	1,000,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	997,717,000	[7]
Severance Costs			4,300,000
Percentage of Total Nodes	75.00%
T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration costs	9,200,000		3,600,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	2,500,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	2,485,786,000	[8]
AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration costs	12,200,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	4.827
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	4,826,599,000	[9]
Combined Impact of T-Mobile, WCP, and NextG [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration costs			16,200,000
ATT, TMO, WCP, and NextG Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration costs	23,700,000		15,500,000
Total T-Mobile Towers [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Tower count as a percentage of total towers	17.00%
AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Tower count as a percentage of total towers	24.00%
Pro forma revenue adjustments [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, pro forma adjustment			148,900,000
Pro forma revenue adjustments [Member] | AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, pro forma adjustment	211,100,000		220,600,000
Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, pro forma adjustment	218,300,000		353,200,000
Long-term prepaid rent [Member] | Wireless Capital Partners, LLC [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	322,400,000
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	37 years
Other Liabilities [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to purchase price allocation	42,900,000
Deferred Lease Revenue [Member] | NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	(322,175,000)	[10]
Deferred Lease Revenue [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	(74,233,000)	[11]
Deferred Lease Revenue [Member] | AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	(198,134,000)	[11]
Other Current Liabilities [Member] | NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	(104,986,000)
Other Current Liabilities [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	(1,207,000)
Other Current Liabilities [Member] | AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	(12,929,000)
Other Assets [Member] | NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	4,250,000
Other Assets [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	1,178,000
Other Assets [Member] | AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	3,253,000
Other Intangible Assets [Member] | NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	408,000,000
Other Intangible Assets [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	414,661,000
Other Intangible Assets [Member] | AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	1,280,071,000
Goodwill [Member] | NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to purchase price allocation	2,700,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	570,874,000
Goodwill [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	425,946,000
Goodwill [Member] | AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	1,768,535,000
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member] | NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	515,590,000
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to purchase price allocation	36,900,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	1,496,281,000
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member] | AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	1,965,375,000
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	70,981,000
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	17,512,000
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | AT&T [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	20,428,000
WCP Securitized Notes [Member] | Wireless Capital Partners, LLC [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	336,300,000
Deferred Tax Assets (Liabilities) [Member] | NextG Networks Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	(144,817,000)
Deferred Tax Assets (Liabilities) [Member] | T-Mobile [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation	$ 205,648,000

[1] For the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, amounts are inclusive of pro forma adjustments to increase net revenues of $211.1 million and $220.6 million, respectively, that the Company expects to recognize from AT&T under AT&T's contracted lease of space on the towers acquired in the AT&T Acquisition.

[2] For the year ended December 31, 2012, amounts are inclusive of pro forma adjustments to increase net revenues of $148.9 million that the Company expects to recognize from T-Mobile under T-Mobile's contracted lease of space on the towers acquired in the T-Mobile Acquisition.

[3] Inclusive of $23.7 million and $15.5 million, respectively, of aggregate acquisition and integration costs for the years ended December 31, 2013, and 2012 related to the AT&T Acquisition and 2012 Acquisitions.

[4] For the AT&T Acquisition, pro forma amounts include the impact of the interest expense associated with the related debt financings as well as the October Equity Financings. For the 2012 Acquisitions, pro forma amounts exclude any impact from debt financings that occurred throughout 2012 due to (1) such financings having been conducted for multiple purposes, including to lower the Company's average cost of debt, to refinance and extend certain of its debt, as well as to provide funds to finance a portion of such acquisitions and (2) such financings having not been conducted concurrently with the 2012 Acquisitions they subsequently funded in part and the fungible nature of the cash makes impracticable a determination of whether, or what portion of, the purchase prices of such acquisitions were funded with the proceeds of such financings.

[5] For the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, the pro forma adjustments reflects the federal statutory rate and an estimated state rate. No adjustment was made related to the Company's REIT election. See notes 10 and 20.

[6] For the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, amounts are inclusive of pro forma adjustments to depreciation and amortization of $218.3 million and $353.2 million, respectively, related to property and equipment and intangibles recorded as a result of the AT&T Acquisition and 2012 Acquisitions.

[7] Changes to the purchase price allocation presented in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 resulted in a decrease of $2.7 million to goodwill. The effect of the change in the purchase price allocation on the Company's statement of operations is immaterial to the periods presented.

[8] Changes to the preliminary purchase price allocation presented in the consolidated balance sheet in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 primarily include an increase of $36.9 million to property and equipment and a $42.9 million increase to deferred credits and other non-current liabilities. The effect of the change in the purchase price allocation on the Company's statement of operations is immaterial to the periods presented.

[9] No deferred taxes were recorded as a result of the Company's REIT election. See notes 10 and 20.

[10] Inclusive of below-market tenant leases.

[11] Inclusive of above-market leases for land interests under the Company's towers.