Welcome, JDong to the forums!
Penalties from technical issues are no fun, but unfortunately, there is a reason for the madness.
Yep, this can happen, however, it is important to realize that the connection to the game server is not going to be on the exact same route to any other internet related service. If there is a problem between you and the game server, it will drop. Also, certain services will drop if the port forwarding is not configured correctly at any given point between you and the game server. This is why you get the “Failed to connect to the server” errors.
This is tricky and there is a reason why you are still penalized at the start of the match. That is to avoid an old practice called “queue dodging”. Once a match loads you are aware of who you are playing with or against, and what maps you are playing on. The idea behind Queue Dodging is to try to dump a match before playing it if you see a map or player you do not want to go up with. Once you are selected for a match you are committed to it.
Technical issues, especially those caused by factors outside of your direct control, are frustrating. It is important to remember to avoid returning to Competitive Play after the first malfunction until you are absolutely sure your connection is not dropping anymore. While it is not always your own equipment, it is important to still troubleshoot any possible causes you can fix on your own (click here). There are methods to track connection problems between you and the game server as well and players like myself or Blizzard Support Agents can help with that in the Technical Support forum.
I hope this information helps. You can also learn more about Blizzard’s policies about disconnections, crashes and why they are penalized in this post here:
Cheers! (^^)v