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The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to current assets.

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The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to the current portion of long-term debt of the acquired entity.

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Amount of goodwill arising from a business combination, which is the excess of the cost of the acquired entity over the amounts assigned to assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

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The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to noncurrent assets of the acquired entity, except for property plant and equipment, intangible assets, and goodwill.

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The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to property, plant and equipment to be used in ongoing operations.

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The pro forma net Income or Loss for the period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of a period.

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The pro forma revenue for a period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of the period.

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Acquisition of Qwest (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended			1 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010	Apr. 30, 2011 Qwest	Jun. 30, 2011 Qwest	Jun. 30, 2011 Qwest	Apr. 02, 2011 Qwest	Mar. 31, 2011 Qwest	Apr. 30, 2011 Qwest as separate legal entity parent of acquiree	Apr. 02, 2011 Qwest as separate legal entity parent of acquiree	Mar. 31, 2011 Qwest as separate legal entity parent of acquiree
Acquisition of Qwest
Number of CenturyLink shares that Qwest shareholders received for each share of common stock owned at closing (in shares)								0.1664
Common shares issued to consummate the merger (in shares)					294,000,000
Closing stock price used to value shares issued for acquisition (in dollars per share)									$ 41.55
Net value of pre-combination portion of share-based compensation awards assumed								$ 52
Cash paid in lieu of fractional shares								5
Assignment of the aggregate consideration
Cash, accounts receivable and other current assets								2,036
Property, plant and equipment								9,525
Identifiable intangible assets
Customer relationships								7,625
Capitalized software								1,702
Other								366
Other noncurrent assets								373
Current liabilities, excluding current maturities of long-term debt								(2,424)
Current maturities of long-term debt								(2,422)
Long-term debt								(10,253)
Deferred credits and other liabilities								(4,260)
Goodwill						10,005	10,005	10,005
Aggregate Consideration								12,273
Proforma financial information
Operating revenues						2,746	2,746
Operating revenues		4,635	8,887	9,335
Net income		268	386	428
Basic earnings per common share (in dollars per share)		$ 0.45	$ 0.64	$ 0.73
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per share)		$ 0.45	$ 0.64	$ 0.72
Merger-related transaction costs in Qwest acquisition, cumulative amount	76		76								71	36
Merger-related transaction costs in Qwest acquisition	$ 58	$ 10	$ 58	$ 10						$ 35