I use a cell phone internet device when I travel. There's a cabin I stay at that is on a mountain in North Carolina. Even though there is a cell tower on the same ridge, just a few miles away, it is out of the line of sight, and cell phone signal is often pretty bad. There are sweet spots in the cabin, certain corners of certain rooms where the signal is just enough.

In the very early days of cell phones, the early 90's, I was mapping in a fairly remote area of Colorado. There was a major highway just ten miles away, but those ten miles were pretty rough. I met with a land owner at his off the grid cabin. He was an engineer and he showed me how he got cell phone signal out in the sticks. He had this big satellite dish, you knnow, one of those old ones that were about six feet across. He had it aimed at the strongest signal he could find, then he would stand in front of the dish, near the focal point of the dish, and use his cell phone. But if he moved away from the dish, the call would drop.

Years later, while again working in the same mountains, I used a similar technique to boost the signal. I was camping in this very small aluminum trailer. I order to check in with Mrs. P. using my cell phone, I would park my truck at an angle to the trailer, creating an ersatz dish. If I stood in the focal point of the two, I could use the phone. But if I moved even a little, the call would drop.

At my favorite camp site, my phone doesn't work. In order to get a signal, I have to hike up the ridge, and follow it up a ways before I can get a signal. If you are way up in the mountains, like above timberline (11,000 ft) you can often get a good signal because there is nothing to block the signal, and cliffs can sometimes focus the signal.

I've never used a satellite internet connection, so I can't comment. I've friends who are sailing the Pacific, and we communicate by e-mail that is sent over shortwave radio. It is text only, and messages must be short. But it is not internet. (When they crossed the equator, I was sending descriptions of storm cell movements from satellite images, in order to get them through the rough patches).
Most mountain homes have above ground powerlines, unless they have solar or wind power. Telephone lines are sometimes buried, as they are low voltage, and easier to bury with a ditching machine. I've seen landowners just run the cable down the hill directly on the ground. Not to code, of course, but it is the mountains! While snowload is a problem, it is usually not that bad, unless it ices, which is not that common in the Rockies. Wind is a bigger problem, the downslope Chinook winds are brutal, with hurricane strength gusts. This is how many wildfires get started, a powerline snaps, catches dry tinder, and the wind fans the flames.

Hope that helps.