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Employee Benefit Benefits and Stock-Based Compensation - Annual Discretionary Bonus Grant (Details) (USD $)
Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Dec. 31, 2015
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Excluding Share-based Payments and Postretirement Benefits        
Defined Contribution Plan, Maximum Annual Contribution Per Employee $ 17,500us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanMaximumAnnualContributionsPerEmployeeAmount      
Accrued Bonuses, Current 167,000,000us-gaap_AccruedBonusesCurrent 124,000,000us-gaap_AccruedBonusesCurrent 103,000,000us-gaap_AccruedBonusesCurrent  
Cash Payments for Employee Bonus   57,000,000lvlt_CashPaymentsForEmployeeBonus 50,000,000lvlt_CashPaymentsForEmployeeBonus  
Expected Percent of Bonus Paid in Cash 100.00%lvlt_ExpectedPercentOfBonusPaidInCash      
Restricted Stock Unit Bonus Grant        
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Excluding Share-based Payments and Postretirement Benefits        
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Granted or Expected to Be Granted in Next Fiscal Period   1.4lvlt_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantedOrExpectedToBeGrantedInNextFiscalPeriod
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= lvlt_RestrictedStockUnitBonusGrantMember
2.1lvlt_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantedOrExpectedToBeGrantedInNextFiscalPeriod
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= lvlt_RestrictedStockUnitBonusGrantMember
 
Subsequent Event [Member]        
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Excluding Share-based Payments and Postretirement Benefits        
Defined Contribution Plan, Maximum Annual Contribution Per Employee       $ 18,000us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanMaximumAnnualContributionsPerEmployeeAmount
/ us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis
= us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember