Revenue Recognition - Revenue by Segment, Sales Channel and Product Category (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	$ 19,687	$ 20,712	$ 21,458
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(1,892)	(1,915)	(1,953)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	17,795	18,797	19,505
Goods and services transferred at a point in time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	138	250	221
Services performed over time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	17,657	18,547	19,284
Operating Segments
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	19,687	20,712	21,458
Operating Segments | Business
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	14,119	14,817	15,239
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(1,095)	(1,078)	(1,099)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	13,024	13,739	14,140
Operating Segments | Business | Compute and Application Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	1,741	1,755	1,735
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(533)	(524)	(533)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	1,208	1,231	1,202
Operating Segments | Business | IP and Data Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	6,212	6,413	6,566
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(5)	(8)	0
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	6,207	6,405	6,566
Operating Segments | Business | Fiber Infrastructure
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	2,248	2,248	2,157
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(305)	(286)	(285)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	1,943	1,962	1,872
Operating Segments | Business | Voice and Other
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	3,918	4,401	4,781
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(252)	(260)	(281)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	3,666	4,141	4,500
Operating Segments | Business | International and Global Accounts
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	4,053	4,118	4,172
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(409)	(375)	(364)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	3,644	3,743	3,808
Operating Segments | Business | International and Global Accounts | Compute and Application Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	715	772	790
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(280)	(265)	(265)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	435	507	525
Operating Segments | Business | International and Global Accounts | IP and Data Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	1,708	1,731	1,764
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	0	0	0
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	1,708	1,731	1,764
Operating Segments | Business | International and Global Accounts | Fiber Infrastructure
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	886	822	785
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(129)	(110)	(99)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	757	712	686
Operating Segments | Business | International and Global Accounts | Voice and Other
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	744	793	833
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	0	0	0
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	744	793	833
Operating Segments | Business | Large Enterprise
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	3,722	3,915	3,836
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(113)	(132)	(134)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	3,609	3,783	3,702
Operating Segments | Business | Large Enterprise | Compute and Application Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	698	663	610
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(63)	(82)	(89)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	635	581	521
Operating Segments | Business | Large Enterprise | IP and Data Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	1,554	1,588	1,589
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	0	(2)	0
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	1,554	1,586	1,589
Operating Segments | Business | Large Enterprise | Fiber Infrastructure
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	521	590	524
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(50)	(46)	(44)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	471	544	480
Operating Segments | Business | Large Enterprise | Voice and Other
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	949	1,074	1,113
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	0	(2)	(1)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	949	1,072	1,112
Operating Segments | Business | Mid-Market Enterprise
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	2,729	2,969	3,152
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(44)	(31)	(32)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	2,685	2,938	3,120
Operating Segments | Business | Mid-Market Enterprise | Compute and Application Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	139	137	147
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(31)	(16)	(11)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	108	121	136
Operating Segments | Business | Mid-Market Enterprise | IP and Data Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	1,754	1,845	1,894
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(5)	(6)	0
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	1,749	1,839	1,894
Operating Segments | Business | Mid-Market Enterprise | Fiber Infrastructure
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	218	218	219
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(8)	(9)	(20)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	210	209	199
Operating Segments | Business | Mid-Market Enterprise | Voice and Other
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	618	769	892
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	0	0	(1)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	618	769	891
Operating Segments | Business | Wholesale
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	3,615	3,815	4,079
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(529)	(540)	(569)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	3,086	3,275	3,510
Operating Segments | Business | Wholesale | Compute and Application Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	189	183	188
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(159)	(161)	(168)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	30	22	20
Operating Segments | Business | Wholesale | IP and Data Services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	1,196	1,249	1,319
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	0	0	0
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	1,196	1,249	1,319
Operating Segments | Business | Wholesale | Fiber Infrastructure
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	623	618	629
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(118)	(121)	(122)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	505	497	507
Operating Segments | Business | Wholesale | Voice and Other
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	1,607	1,765	1,943
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(252)	(258)	(279)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	1,355	1,507	1,664
Operating Segments | Mass Markets
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	5,568	5,895	6,219
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(797)	(837)	(854)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	4,771	5,058	5,365
Operating Segments | Mass Markets | Voice and Other
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	2,047	2,341	2,688
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(80)	(109)	(143)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	1,967	2,232	2,545
Operating Segments | Mass Markets | Consumer Broadband
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	2,875	2,909	2,876
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(211)	(221)	(215)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	2,664	2,688	2,661
Operating Segments | Mass Markets | SBG Broadband
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	156	153	163
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(16)	(15)	(4)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	140	138	159
Operating Segments | Mass Markets | CAF II
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total Revenue	490	492	492
Adjustments for Non-ASC 606 Revenue	(490)	(492)	(492)
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0