This seems to be a problem/peculiarity with the Cubieboard 1. Not sure about the other boards in the cubie family. Nonetheless, for those experiencing the problem, add this to uEnv.txt:
extraargs=mac_addr=3a:f3:cf:c5:d8:ca
You can add whatever MAC address you like. I chose the one that ifconfig gave me.
http://www.cubieforums.com/index.php/topic,528.msg2630.html#msg2630