Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of long-term debt including unamortized discounts and premiums

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

			As of December 31,
	Interest Rates	Maturities	2015			2014
			(Dollars in millions)
CenturyLink, Inc.
Senior notes	5.150% - 7.650%	2017 - 2042	$	7,975		7,825
Credit facility and revolving line of credit(1)	2.010% - 4.250%	2019	410			725
Term loan	2.180%	2019	358			380
Subsidiaries
Qwest Corporation
Senior notes	6.125% - 8.375%	2016 - 2055	7,229			7,311
Term loan	2.180%	2025	100			—
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			232
Other	9.000%	2019	150			150
Capital lease and other obligations	Various	Various	425			509
Unamortized discounts, net			(125		)	(111	)
Unamortized debt issuance costs			(179		)	(168	)
Total long-term debt			20,225			20,503
Less current maturities			(1,503		)	(550	)
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities			$	18,722		19,953

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⁽¹⁾  The aggregate amount outstanding on our Credit Facility and revolving line of credit borrowings at December 31, 2015 and 2014 was $410 million and $725 million, respectively, with weighted average interest rates of 2.756% and 2.270%, respectively. These amounts change on a regular basis.

Schedule of maturities of long-term debt

Set forth below is the aggregate principal amount of our long-term debt (excluding unamortized discounts, net and unamortized debt issuance costs) maturing during the following years:

	(Dollars in millions)(1)
2016	$	1,503
2017	1,501
2018	251
2019	1,160
2020	1,032
2021 and thereafter	15,082
Total long-term debt	$	20,529

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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,
	2015			2014		2013
	(Dollars in millions)
Interest expense:
Gross interest expense	$	1,364		1,358		1,339
Capitalized interest	(52		)	(47	)	(41	)
Total interest expense	$	1,312		1,311		1,298