Debt and Other Financing Arrangements Long-Term Debt and Other (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			32 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Jun. 11, 2014	Dec. 31, 2005 Senior Notes due 2015 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Senior Notes due 2015 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2009 Senior Notes due 2017 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Senior Notes due 2017 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Senior Subordinated Notes due 2018 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Senior Subordinated Notes due 2018 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Senior Notes due 2020 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Senior Notes due 2020 [Member]	Dec. 31, 1993 Senior Notes due 2023 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Senior Notes due 2023 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Cincinnati Bell Telephone Unsecured Notes due 2023 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Cincinnati Bell Telephone Senior Notes due 2028 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Various Cincinnati Bell Telephone Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Tranche B Term Loan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Line of Credit [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Senior Notes due 2023 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Various Cincinnati Bell Telephone Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Tranche B Term Loan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 8 3/8% Subordinated Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Senior Notes due 2013 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Receivables program maximum capacity	$ 105,000,000
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt	0	2,134,300,000	492,800,000		250,000,000			500,000,000		625,000,000		775,000,000		50,000,000					760,000,000
Loss on extinguishment of debt	0	(46,500,000)	(10,300,000)																(36,100,000)		2,100,000	5,600,000
Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Five	6,000,000
Extinguishment of Debt, Amount																			760,000,000		10,000,000	22,500,000	760,000,000	560,000,000	439,900,000
Net Debt Proceeds After Premium or Discount								492,800,000		616,200,000		779,300,000
Redemption Price, Percentage of Principal, Prior to Year 1						101.167%			100.00%		100.00%		100.00%
Redemption Price Year 1						100.00%			104.125%		104.375%		104.188%
Redemption Price Year 2									102.063%		102.188%		102.792%
Redemption Price Year 3									100.00%		100.00%		101.396%
Redemption Price, Percentage of Face Value, Prior to Year 1									1.00%		1.00%		1.00%
Redemption Price, Present Value of Percentage of Face Value, Prior to Year 1									104.125%		104.375%		104.188%
Redemption, Maximum Percentage of Principal Amount									35.00%		35.00%		35.00%
Redemption Price, Percentage of Principal Amount									108.25%		108.75%		108.375%
Redemption Price Year 4													100.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage Rate Range, Maximum																7.27%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage Rate Range, Minimum																7.18%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage						7.00%	[1]		8.25%		8.75%		8.375%		7.25%		6.30%
Proceeds from Issuance of Unsecured Debt																80,000,000	150,000,000
Debt Redemption used from Proceeds								439,900,000		560,000,000		756,200,000
Other Financing Arrangements Liabilities [Abstract]
Financing Arrangements Liability, Carrying Value	47,900,000	32,500,000
Financing Arrangement, Future Minimum Payments, Current	3,800,000
Financing Arrangement, Future Minimum Payments Due in Two Years	5,600,000
Financing Arrangement, Future Minimum Payments Due in Three Years	6,400,000
Financing Arrangement, Future Minimum Payments Due in Four Years	6,500,000
Financing Arrangement, Future Minimum Payments Due in Five Years	6,600,000
Financing Arrangement, Future Minimum Payments Due Thereafter	48,700,000
Financing Arranagement, Future Minimum Payments Due Total	77,600,000
Repayments of Long-term Debt [Abstract]
Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases, Current	1,800,000
Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases, Repayments of Principal in Year Two	1,400,000
Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases, Repayments of Principal in Year Three	100,000
Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases, Repayments of Principal in Year Four	247,700,000
Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases, Repayments of Principal in Year Five	0
Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases, Repayments of Principal After Year Five	2,147,500,000
Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases, Gross	2,398,500,000
Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases, Net	2,392,700,000
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Premium	2,900,000
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount (Premium), Net	(8,700,000)
Current portion of long-term debt	13,000,000	16,500,000
Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Two	18,900,000
Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Three	6,300,000
Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Four	253,200,000
Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal after Year Five	2,242,000,000
Long-term Debt, Gross	2,539,400,000
Long-term Debt	2,533,600,000	2,523,600,000
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due [Abstract]
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Current	11,200,000
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due in Two Years	17,500,000
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due in Three Years	6,200,000
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due in Four Years	5,500,000
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due in Five Years	6,000,000
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due Thereafter	94,500,000
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due	140,900,000
Capital lease payments with interest due by year [Abstract]
Capital Leases, Future Payments Including Interest Due, Current	21,400,000
Capital Leases, Future Payments Including Interest Due in Two Years	26,800,000
Capital Leases, Future Payments Including Interest Due in Three Years	14,400,000
Capital Leases, Future Payments Including Interest Due in Four Years	13,400,000
Capital Leases, Future Payments Including Interest Due in Five Years	13,500,000
Capital Leases, Future Payments Including Interest Due Thereafter	150,200,000
Amortization of Deferred Charges [Abstract]
Amortization of Financing Costs	7,000,000	6,600,000	6,000,000
Deferred Finance Costs [Abstract]
Deferred Finance Costs, Noncurrent, Net	35,700,000	41,700,000
Debt Covenants [Abstract]
line of credit facility maximum capital expenditures				1,000,000,000
Restricted Payments Basket Availability	1,200,000,000
Customary Events of Default Amount for Existing Debt Instruments						$ 20,000,000			$ 35,000,000		$ 35,000,000		$ 35,000,000		$ 20,000,000			$ 20,000,000		$ 35,000,000

[1] The face amount of these notes has been adjusted for the unamortized called amounts received on terminated interest rate swaps.