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Investment in Unconsolidated Entities, Deconsolidation (Details) (USD $) | 6 Months Ended |  |  | 6 Months Ended |  | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2012 | Jun. 30, 2013 St. Lawrence Seaway RSA Cellular Partnership | Jun. 30, 2013 New York RSA 2 Cellular Partnership | Jun. 30, 2013 St. Lawrence Seaway RSA Cellular Partnership and New York RSA 2 Cellular Partnership | Apr. 03, 2013 St. Lawrence Seaway RSA Cellular Partnership and New York RSA 2 Cellular Partnership | Jun. 30, 2013 Discounted cash flow valuation approach | Jun. 30, 2013 Discounted cash flow valuation approach Minimum | Jun. 30, 2013 Discounted cash flow valuation approach Maximum
Fair Value Inputs |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Weighted-average expected revenue growth rate (next ten years) |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2.00% |  |
Long-term and terminal revenue growth rate (after year ten) |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2.00% |  |
Discount rate |  |  |  |  |  |  | 10.50% |  |
Capital expenditures as a percentage of revenue |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 14.90% | 18.80%
Deconsolidation of New York Partnerships |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Date of deconsolidation |  |  |  |  | Apr. 03, 2013 |  |  |  |
Ownership interest in equity method investment |  |  | 60.00% | 57.14% |  |  |  |  |
Investments in unconsolidated entities | $ 276,363,000 | $ 144,531,000 |  |  |  | $ 114,800,000 |  |  |
Deconsolidation description | On April 3, 2013, U.S. Cellular entered into an agreement relating to the Partnerships. The agreement amends the Partnership Agreements in several ways which provide Verizon Wireless with substantive participating rights that allow Verizon Wireless to make decisions that are in the ordinary course of business of the Partnerships and which are significant to directing and executing the activities of the business. Accordingly, as required by GAAP, U.S. Cellular deconsolidated the Partnerships effective as of April 3, 2013 and thereafter reported them as equity method investments in its consolidated financial statements. After the NY1 & NY2 Deconsolidation, U.S. Cellular retained the same ownership percentages in the Partnerships and will continue to report the same percentages of income from the Partnerships, which will be recorded in Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. In addition to the foregoing described arrangements, U.S. Cellular has certain other arm’s length, ordinary business relationships with Verizon Wireless and its affiliates. |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Deconsolidation gain |  |  |  |  | $ 18,500,000 |  |  |  |

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- Definition The amount of the gain (loss) recognized by the parent and included in its attributable portion of net income for the period due to deconsolidation of a subsidiary or derecognition of a group of assets. The gain (loss) recognized and included in the net income attributable to the parent for the period is generally computed as the difference between: (a) the aggregate of: (1) the fair value of any consideration received; (2) the fair value of any retained noncontrolling investment in the former subsidiary at the date the subsidiary was deconsolidated; and (3) the carrying amount of any noncontrolling interest in the former subsidiary (including any accumulated other comprehensive income attributable to the noncontrolling interest) at the date the subsidiary was deconsolidated and (b) the carrying amount of the former subsidiary's assets and liabilities. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 810 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1B -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=18733093&loc=SL4582445-111684 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Accounting Research Bulletin (ARB) -Number 51 -Paragraph 39 -Subparagraph a -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Accounting Research Bulletin (ARB) -Number 51 -Paragraph 36 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
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