Repurchase of CenturyLink Common Stock (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013
Repurchase of CenturyLink Common Stock
Stock repurchases, aggregate authorized amount	$ 2,000,000,000
Number of shares repurchased		24,000,000
Aggregate market price of shares repurchased		851,000,000
Average purchase price at which shares were repurchased (in dollars per share)		$ 35.53
Stock repurchases, remaining authorized amount		1,150,000,000
Number of shares agreed to be repurchased, in transactions that will settle early in the third quarter of 2013		500,000
Aggregate market value of shares agreed to be repurchased, in transactions that will settle early in the third quarter of 2013		$ 18,000,000
Average purchase price of shares agreed to be repurchased, in transactions that will settle early in the third quarter of 2013 (in dollars per share)		$ 35.27