Acquisitions, Divestitures and Exchanges, divestitures (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			6 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		20 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	26 Months Ended	38 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	26 Months Ended	38 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	20 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		36 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		20 Months Ended	36 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014 Airadigm Communications, Inc.	Jun. 30, 2014 Wireline Markets		Dec. 31, 2014 Expected event Airadigm Communications, Inc.	Dec. 31, 2014 Minimum Expected event Airadigm Communications, Inc.	Dec. 31, 2014 Maximum Expected event Airadigm Communications, Inc.	Jun. 30, 2014 Employee related costs including severance, retention and outplacement Airadigm Communications, Inc.	Jun. 30, 2014 Contract termination costs Other current liabilities Airadigm Communications, Inc.	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular	Jun. 30, 2013 U.S. Cellular	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular	Jun. 30, 2013 U.S. Cellular	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2013 U.S. Cellular Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2013 U.S. Cellular Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Divestiture Transaction	Mar. 31, 2014 U.S. Cellular St. Louis	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular St. Louis	Dec. 31, 2013 U.S. Cellular St. Louis	Dec. 31, 2013 U.S. Cellular Minimum Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2014 U.S. Cellular Minimum Expected event Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2015 U.S. Cellular Minimum Expected event Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Maximum Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2013 U.S. Cellular Maximum Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2014 U.S. Cellular Maximum Expected event Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2015 U.S. Cellular Maximum Expected event Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2013 U.S. Cellular Purchase price Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2013 U.S. Cellular Purchase price Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Purchase price Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2013 U.S. Cellular Purchase price Minimum Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2013 U.S. Cellular Purchase price Maximum Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2015 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement Maximum Expected event Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement Cash received from divestitures Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2013 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2013 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2015 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net Minimum Expected event Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2015 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net Maximum Expected event Divestiture Transaction	Dec. 31, 2015 U.S. Cellular Sprint Cost Reimbursement Cost of services Maximum Expected event Divestiture Transaction	Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Employee related costs including severance, retention and outplacement Divestiture Transaction		Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Contract termination costs Other current liabilities Divestiture Transaction		Jun. 30, 2014 U.S. Cellular Contract termination costs Other deferred liabilities and credits Divestiture Transaction
Divestitures
Business divestiture date																				May 16, 2013				Mar. 05, 2014
Business divestiture description																				On November 6, 2012, U.S. Cellular entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with subsidiaries of Sprint Corp., fka Sprint Nextel Corporation (“Sprint”). Pursuant to the Purchase and Sale Agreement, on May 16, 2013, U.S. Cellular transferred customers and certain PCS license spectrum to Sprint in U.S. Cellular’s Chicago, central Illinois, St. Louis and certain Indiana/Michigan/Ohio markets (“Divestiture Markets”) in consideration for $480 million in cash. The Purchase and Sale Agreement also contemplated certain other agreements, together with the Purchase and Sale Agreement collectively referred to as the “Divestiture Transaction.” Pursuant to the Purchase and Sale Agreement, U.S. Cellular and Sprint also entered into certain other agreements, including customer and network transition services agreements, which require U.S. Cellular to provide customer, billing and network services to Sprint for a period of up to 24 months after the May 16, 2013 closing date. Sprint will reimburse U.S. Cellular for providing such services at an amount equal to U.S. Cellular’s estimated costs, including applicable overhead allocations. These services were substantially complete as of March 31, 2014. In addition, these agreements require Sprint to reimburse U.S. Cellular up to $200 million (the “Sprint Cost Reimbursement”) for certain network decommissioning costs, network site lease rent and termination costs, network access termination costs, and employee termination benefits for specified engineering employees.				On March 5, 2014, U.S. Cellular sold the majority of its St. Louis area non-operating market spectrum license for $92.3 million. A gain of $75.8 million was recorded in (Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges in the Consolidated Statement of Operations in the first quarter of 2014.
Business divestiture agreement description						On May 23, 2014 (the “Signing Date”), U.S. Cellular entered into a License Purchase and Customer Recommendation Agreement with Airadigm. The Agreement provides that Airadigm will transfer to U.S. Cellular FCC spectrum licenses and certain tower assets in certain markets in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan, in consideration for $91.5 million in cash at closing. The transaction also includes a program in which Airadigm would earn a migration fee from U.S. Cellular for each Airadigm customer who becomes a U.S. Cellular customer. Since both parties to this transaction are controlled by TDS, upon closing, U.S. Cellular will record the transferred assets at Airadigm’s net book value. In addition, federal net operating loss carryforwards are expected to become realizable by TDS. Therefore, TDS expects to reduce its valuation allowance by approximately $10 million upon the transaction closing, and recognize income tax benefit for this same amount. The transaction is subject to certain conditions. Subject to the satisfaction or (if permitted) waiver of all conditions, the transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2014.	On May 2, 2014, TDS Telecom entered into agreements with third parties to sell certain Wireline markets.
Business divestiture agreement date						May 23, 2014	May 02, 2014													Nov. 06, 2012
Transition services agreement duration																													24M
(Increase) decrease in Operating Income	$ 49,090,000	$ (282,227,000)	$ 28,405,000	$ (289,381,000)										$ 50,307,000	$ (219,092,000)	$ 42,482,000	$ (220,558,000)	$ (10,640,000)	$ (253,239,000)	$ (4,609,000)	$ (208,103,000)	$ (83,520,000)						$ (110,271,000)				$ (125,271,000)
(Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges			(91,446,000)													(91,446,000)							(75,800,000)
Valuation allowance									10,000,000
Divestiture Financial Impacts
Cash received from divestitures			(125,905,000)	(480,000,000)					(91,500,000)														(92,300,000)										(480,000,000)	(480,000,000)	(480,000,000)	(480,000,000)	(480,000,000)	(200,000,000)	(34,100,000)	(4,563,000)	(8,000)	(49,194,000)	(8,000)	(96,835,000)	(120,000,000)	(175,000,000)	(25,000,000)
Net assets transferred																			160,073,000		160,073,000	160,073,000				160,073,000				160,073,000
Non-cash charges for the write-off and write-down of property under construction and related assets																		(5,000)	(141,000)	338,000	81,000	11,013,000						10,000,000				15,000,000
Employee related costs including severance, retention and outplacement						500,000				1,000,000	2,000,000							(71,000)	53,000	(133,000)	3,103,000	14,129,000					13,000,000				16,000,000
Charges for the impairment and decomissioning of various operating assets						12,214,000				8,000,000	17,000,000
Contract termination costs						408,000				10,000,000	15,000,000							(6,254,000)	13,705,000	30,833,000	16,605,000	90,417,000						90,000,000				120,000,000
Transaction costs											1,000,000							253,000	2,801,000	462,000	3,719,000	6,027,000					5,000,000				7,000,000
Total (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net	2,611,000	(303,034,000)	(4,289,000)	(296,103,000)		13,122,000				19,000,000	35,000,000			(10,511,000)	(249,024,000)	(17,411,000)	(242,093,000)	(10,640,000)	(303,517,000)	(17,694,000)	(296,427,000)	(295,176,000)						(321,927,000)				(336,927,000)
Incremental depreciation, amortization and accretion, net of salvage values	204,567,000	254,203,000	429,486,000	496,280,000										148,337,000	202,580,000	316,090,000	392,425,000		50,278,000	13,085,000	88,324,000	211,656,000					211,656,000				211,656,000
Balance Sheet rollforward
Balance, beginning of period																																																2,053,000		13,992,000		30,849,000
Costs incurred												500,000	408,000																																			180,000		16,691,000		23,773,000
Cash settlements																																																(908,000)	[1]	(12,887,000)	[1]	(2,424,000)	[1]
Adjustments																																																(313,000)	[2]	2,091,000	[2]	(19,898,000)	[2]
Balance, end of period												500,000	408,000																																			1,012,000		19,887,000		32,300,000
Assets and liabilities held for sale
Current assets							534,000	[3]
Licenses																									16,027,000
Goodwill							2,546,000	[3]
Property, plant and equipment							2,800,000	[3]
Investments							100,000	[3]
Total Assets held for sale	5,980,000		5,980,000		16,027,000		5,980,000	[3]																	16,027,000
Liabilities held for sale	$ 722,000		$ 722,000				$ 722,000	[3],[4]

[1] Cash settlement amounts are included in either the Net income or changes in Other assets and liabilities line items as part of Cash flows from operating activities on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

[2] Adjustment to liability represents changes to previously accrued amounts.

[3] On May 2, 2014, TDS Telecom entered into agreements with third parties to sell certain Wireline markets.

[4] Liabilities held for sale primarily consisted of Customer deposits and deferred revenues and Other deferred liabilities and credits.