Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of long-term debt including unamortized discounts and premiums

Long-term debt, including unamortized discounts and premiums, consisted of borrowings by CenturyLink, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries, including Qwest Corporation ("QC"), Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. and Embarq Corporation and subsidiaries ("Embarq"), were as follows:

			As of December 31,
	Interest Rates	Maturities	2014			2013
			(Dollars in millions)
CenturyLink, Inc.
Senior notes	5.000% - 7.650%	2015 - 2042	$	7,825		7,825
Credit facility (1)	1.910% - 4.000%	2019	725			725
Term loan	2.420%	2019	380			402
Subsidiaries
Qwest Corporation
Senior notes	6.125% - 8.375%	2015 - 2054	7,311			7,411
Qwest Capital Funding, Inc.
Senior notes	6.500% - 7.750%	2018 - 2031	981			981
Embarq Corporation and subsidiaries
Senior notes	7.082% - 7.995%	2016 - 2036	2,669			2,669
First mortgage bonds	7.125% - 8.770%	2017 - 2025	232			262
Other	9.000%	2019	150			150
Capital lease and other obligations	Various	Various	509			619
Unamortized discounts, net			(111		)	(78	)
Total long-term debt			20,671			20,966
Less current maturities			(550		)	(785	)
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities			$	20,121		20,181

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⁽¹⁾  The outstanding amount of our Credit Facility borrowings at both December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $725 million, with weighted average interest rates of 2.270% and 2.176%, respectively. These amounts change on a regular basis.

Schedule of maturities of long-term debt

Aggregate maturities of our long-term debt (excluding unamortized premiums, discounts and other, net):

	(Dollars in millions)(1)
2015	$	550
2016	1,494
2017	1,497
2018	248
2019	1,474
2020 and thereafter	15,519
Total long-term debt	$	20,782

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⁽¹⁾  Actual principal paid in all years may differ due to the possible future refinancing of outstanding debt or the issuance of new debt.

Schedule of amount of gross interest expense, net of capitalized interest

Interest expense includes interest on long-term debt. The following table presents the amount of gross interest expense, net of capitalized interest:

	Years Ended December 31,
	2014			2013		2012
	(Dollars in millions)
Interest expense:
Gross interest expense	$	1,358		1,339		1,362
Capitalized interest	(47		)	(41	)	(43	)
Total interest expense	$	1,311		1,298		1,319