1. It is in pretty much every game type, but most noticable in 3 v 3 ranked. But it has effected every game mode. Lost a tournament in a custom game because I hit 600+ Ping for 20 minutes straight before it reset to normal ping of 39.
2. It appears to be totally random, but happens a lot during laning phase, so first 10-20 min are the worst.
3. they are pretty random, but happen enough to inhibit my play.
4. Usually a few min, but can last as long as 20 min, as I stated earlier.
5. I get delay, and skating. about 1 - 2 seconds of delay
6. I'm in college, so not quite sure what my ISP is, but pretty sure its comcast. They are the main provider for my area.
7. yeah, in skype I have zero issues when I get spikes. Even during the 600+ ping game, skype and everything else worked fine. Even 720P streams work fine during these spikes.
I've noticed this for the past few months, but thought it was my school's internet connection. I also only use an ethernet connection and not wireless.