Yes, that's sorta normal, unfortunately. Verizon is still having teething problems with 4G and this has caused data drops to the Bionic as well as other Verizon 4G phones. This is partly to do with Verizon lack authorizing the phone when it asks for data. Another contributor is location, and also the phone's ability to request a connection quickly after the data drops.
There's not much you can do at the momemt. You can request a replacement, but there's no guarantee the new phone will be better. One thing to try to speed up getting a connection is to press the Power button, go into Airplane Mode for a couple of seconds, and then go out of Airplane Mode. There is also a free app called Restart Connection that'll do the same thing, but quicker.
Back in December, a couple dozen people got an update called 5.9.901 and captured it. It has helped some people, but there is no guarantee it'll work for you. If you search this site, you can see threads on where to get .901 and how to manually install it, if you're so inclined.
