Quick update: Out of curiosity, I signed up for a VPN service to see if I could indeed trace the problem to in fact be between ISP and SE. The fact that I've yet to wait 10 seconds to dismount is a good sign so far. I'll check back in later tonight with another progress update. HOWEVER, I should not have to pay for a service just to make this game playable. SE needs to figure out what the issue between them and Verizon so my monthly fee isn't $7 higher than it needs to be.