Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Oct. 23, 2013
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q/A
Amendment Flag	true
Amendment Description	This amendment to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2013 is being filed solely to reflect a change in the accounting for excess preferred distributions received as part of the AWN transaction. See Note 2 - Restatement of Consolidated Financial Statements for a detailed description of the transaction. On November 8, 2013, Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc. (the “Company”) filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2013 (the “Form 10-Q”). That report disclosed (i) the Company’s gain (the “Gain on Sale/Contribution”) arising from the formation of The Alaska Wireless Network, LLC (“AWN”), a joint venture in which the Company holds a one-third equity interest, and (ii) certain amounts the Company classified as contingent consideration arising from the cumulative preferred distributions payable to the Company by AWN. The Company accounted for the amount by which the preferred distributions exceeded the distributions the Company would be entitled to as a one-third equity owner of AWN (the “AWN Excess Distributions”) as contingent consideration issued in connection with a business combination. The Company treated the contingent consideration as a gain contingency too be recognized when realized or realizable. The Company disclosed in the Form 10-Q that the above accounting treatment differed from AWN’s and indicated that the Company was working to resolve the difference. As a result of that work, on February 14, 2014, the Company’s management (after consultation with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) concluded that: (1) The Gain on Sale/Contribution and their carrying value of the equity investment should be increased to reflect the value, as of the formation of AWN, of the AWN Excess Distributions; and (2)The amounts presented as AWN Excess Distributions for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, should be eliminated and instead be considered in the total Gain on Sale/Contribution and as an increase to ACS’ investment in AWN. In addition to that change we have broken out our affiliate balances on the face of our financial statements and updated our initial estimate of the fair value of assets and liabilities on the Company’s balance sheet based upon the latest draft of the valuation schedules obtained by the national valuation firm engaged by both ACS and GCI. Except for the aforementioned changes, this Form 10-Q/A does not modify or update other disclosures in the Form 10-Q, including the nature and character of such disclosure to reflect events occurring after the filing date of the Form 10-Q.
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	ALSK
Entity Registrant Name	ALASKA COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS GROUP INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001089511
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		48,577,654