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Debt, term loan facility (Details) (U.S. Cellular Term loan facility, Subsequent event, USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified | 0 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended
--- | --- | ---
Feb. 25, 2015 | Dec. 31, 2014
Subsequent events |  |  |
Subsequent event, description |  |  | On January 21, 2015, U.S. Cellular entered into a term loan credit facility relating to $225.0 million in debt. The term loan must be drawn in one or more advances by the six month anniversary of the date of the agreement; amounts not drawn by that time will cease to be available. Amounts repaid or prepaid under the term loan facility may not be reborrowed. The term loan is available for general corporate purposes, including working capital, spectrum purchases and capital expenditures. The term loan is unsecured except for a lien on all investments in equity which U.S. Cellular may have in the loan administrative agent, CoBank ACB, subject to certain limitations.
Term loan |  |  |
Maximum borrowing capacity | $ 225.0 usm_DebtInstrumentMaximumBorrowingCapacity |  |
Amount available for use | $ 225.0 us-gaap_DebtInstrumentUnusedBorrowingCapacityAmount |  |
Hypothetical Borrowing rate: One-month London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus contractual spread | 2.67%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateEffectivePercentage | [1] |
Sample LIBOR Rate | 0.17%usm_LiborRate | [1] |
Contractual spread | 2.50%usm_DebtInstrumentContractualSpread | [1] |
Agreement date | Jan. 21, 2015 |  |
Maturity date | Jan. 21, 2022 | [2] |
Payment terms |  |  | Principal amounts outstanding on the term loan facility will be due and payable quarterly in equal installments beginning on the last day of the fifth fiscal quarter ending after the agreement date, in an amount equal to 1.25% of the aggregate term loan facility commitment. Any amounts owing under the term loan facility not previously repaid will be due and payable on the maturity date.
Subordination agreement description |  |  | In connection with U.S. Cellular’s term credit facility, TDS and U.S. Cellular entered into a subordination agreement dated January 21, 2015 together with the administrative agent for the lenders under U.S. Cellular’s term loan credit agreement, which is substantially the same as the subordination agreement in the U.S. Cellular revolving credit facility described above. As of February 25, 2015, U.S. Cellular had no outstanding consolidated funded indebtedness or refinancing indebtedness that was subordinated to the term loan facility pursuant to this subordination agreement.
Minimum |  |  |
Term loan |  |  |
Range of commitment fees on amount available for use | 0.13%usm_DebtInstrumentUnusedCapacityCommitmentFeePercentage / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = usm_TermLoanFacilityMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember | [3] |
Maximum |  |  |
Term loan |  |  |
Range of commitment fees on amount available for use | 0.30%usm_DebtInstrumentUnusedCapacityCommitmentFeePercentage / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = usm_TermLoanFacilityMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MaximumMember / us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis = us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember | [3] |
[1] | Borrowings under the term loan credit facility bear interest at LIBOR plus a contractual spread based on U.S. Cellular’s credit rating or, at U.S. Cellular’s option, an alternate “Base Rate” as defined in the term loan facility.
[2] | Principal amounts outstanding on the term loan facility will be due and payable quarterly in equal installments beginning on the last day of the fifth fiscal quarter ending after the agreement date, in an amount equal to 1.25% of the aggregate term loan facility commitment. Any amounts owing under the term loan facility not previously repaid will be due and payable on the maturity date.
[3] | The term loan credit facility has commitment fees based on the unsecured senior debt ratings assigned to U.S. Cellular by certain ratings agencies.

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- Definition Identification of the lender and information about a contractual promise to repay a short-term or long-term obligation, which includes borrowings under lines of credit, notes payable, commercial paper, bonds payable, debentures, and other contractual obligations for payment. This may include rationale for entering into the arrangement, significant terms of the arrangement, which may include amount, repayment terms, priority, collateral required, debt covenants, borrowing capacity, call features, participation rights, conversion provisions, sinking-fund requirements, voting rights, basis for conversion if convertible and remarketing provisions. The description may be provided for individual debt instruments, rational groupings of debt instruments, or by debt in total. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21475-112644 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 02 -Paragraph 19, 20, 22 -Article 5 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 470 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6479336&loc=d3e64711-112823 + Details
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- Definition Effective interest rate for the funds borrowed under the debt agreement considering interest compounding and original issue discount or premium. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 835 -SubTopic 30 -Section 45 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6451184&loc=d3e28551-108399 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 02 -Paragraph 22 -Article 5 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22(a)(1)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 + Details
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- Definition Date when the debt instrument is scheduled to be fully repaid, in CCYY-MM-DD format. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 02 -Paragraph 22 -Article 5 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22(a)(2)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 + Details
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- Definition Description of the payment terms of the debt instrument (for example, whether periodic payments include principal and frequency of payments) and discussion about any contingencies associated with the payment. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 02 -Paragraph 22 -Article 5 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 470 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (c) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6479336&loc=d3e64711-112823 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22(a)(3)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 + Details
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- Definition Amount of unused borrowing capacity under the long-term financing arrangement that is available to the entity as of the balance sheet date. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22(b)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 02 -Paragraph 22 -Subparagraph b -Article 5 + Details
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- Definition Describes the event or transaction that occurred between the balance sheet date and the date the financial statements are issued or available to be issued. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 855 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6842918&loc=SL6314017-165662 + Details
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- Definition The percentage points added to the LIBOR interest rate to compute the variable rate on the term loan facility at the end of the reporting period. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Date the debt instrument first became available. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Maximum borrowing capacity under the debt instrument without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition The fee, expressed as a percentage of the term loan facility, for available but unused credit capacity under the term loan. + References No definition available. + Details
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