Commitments and Contingencies (Details) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended		24 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013 Pending litigation related to Federal Communications Act CenturyLink, Inc. USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2009 Pending litigation related to Federal Communications Act CenturyLink, Inc. USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2007 William Douglas Fulghum, et al. v. Embarq Corporation Embarq USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 Abbott et al. v. Sprint Nextel et al. Embarq plaintiff	Jul. 17, 2013 Comcast Qwest Communications International Inc. USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 Cargill Financial Markets, Plc and Citibank, N.A. Qwest Communications International Inc. USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 Cargill Financial Markets, Plc and Citibank, N.A. Qwest Communications International Inc. EUR (€)	Jun. 30, 2014 Fiber-optic cable installation Qwest Communications International Inc. state	Jun. 30, 2014 Securities actions CenturyLink, Inc. security	Jun. 30, 2014 Derivative actions CenturyLink, Inc. lawsuit
Loss Contingencies
Charges claimed against Sprint Nextel		$ 34
Proceeds from Legal Settlements	24
Effect of modifications made to Embarq's benefits program, greater than			300
Number of plaintiffs have alleged breach of fiduciary duty (plaintiffs)				1,500
Litigation Matters Assumed in Qwest Acquisition
Damages sought by plaintiff					$ 80	$ 299	€ 219
Number of states in which service is provided (states)								34
Number of states in which final approval of settlements received (states)								30
Number of states in which preliminary or final approval of settlements have not yet been received (states)								2
Number of states in which actions are not currently pending								2
Number of securities actions									1
Number of shareholder derivative actions										4