diff --git a/cmd/control/os.go b/cmd/control/os.go
index b5e8822e..5084962a 100644
--- a/cmd/control/os.go
+++ b/cmd/control/os.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package control
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
-	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
@@ -22,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/rancher/os/compose"
 	"github.com/rancher/os/config"
 	"github.com/rancher/os/docker"
+	"github.com/rancher/os/util/network"
 )
 
 type Images struct {
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ func osSubcommands() []cli.Command {
 	}
 }
 
-// TODO: this and the getLatestImage should probably move to utils/network and be suitably cached.
 func getImages() (*Images, error) {
 	upgradeURL, err := getUpgradeURL()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -108,12 +107,7 @@ func getImages() (*Images, error) {
 		u.RawQuery = q.Encode()
 		upgradeURL = u.String()
 
-		resp, err := http.Get(upgradeURL)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		defer resp.Body.Close()
-		body, err = ioutil.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		body, err = network.LoadFromNetwork(upgradeURL)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
diff --git a/config/cloudinit/datasource/url/url.go b/config/cloudinit/datasource/url/url.go
index 117e2aa3..ca065d63 100755
--- a/config/cloudinit/datasource/url/url.go
+++ b/config/cloudinit/datasource/url/url.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/rancher/os/config/cloudinit/datasource"
 	"github.com/rancher/os/config/cloudinit/pkg"
+	"github.com/rancher/os/util/network"
 )
 
 type RemoteFile struct {
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ func NewDatasource(url string) *RemoteFile {
 }
 
 func (f *RemoteFile) IsAvailable() bool {
+	network.SetProxyEnvironmentVariables()
 	client := pkg.NewHTTPClient()
 	_, f.lastError = client.Get(f.url)
 	return (f.lastError == nil)
diff --git a/init/init.go b/init/init.go
index ee3302ba..84177fb0 100755
--- a/init/init.go
+++ b/init/init.go
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ func RunInit() error {
 		}},
 		config.CfgFuncData{"load modules2", loadModules},
 		config.CfgFuncData{"set proxy env", func(cfg *config.CloudConfig) (*config.CloudConfig, error) {
-			network.SetProxyEnvironmentVariables(cfg)
+			network.SetProxyEnvironmentVariables()
 			return cfg, nil
 		}},
 		config.CfgFuncData{"init SELinux", initializeSelinux},
diff --git a/util/network/network.go b/util/network/network.go
index 0b943fe4..37e0f9ab 100644
--- a/util/network/network.go
+++ b/util/network/network.go
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ func getServices(urls []string, key string) ([]string, error) {
 	return result, nil
 }
 
-func SetProxyEnvironmentVariables(cfg *config.CloudConfig) {
+func SetProxyEnvironmentVariables() {
+	cfg := config.LoadConfig()
 	if cfg.Rancher.Network.HTTPProxy != "" {
 		err := os.Setenv("HTTP_PROXY", cfg.Rancher.Network.HTTPProxy)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -78,14 +79,16 @@ func SetProxyEnvironmentVariables(cfg *config.CloudConfig) {
 	}
 }
 
-func loadFromNetwork(location string) ([]byte, error) {
+func LoadFromNetworkWithCache(location string) ([]byte, error) {
 	bytes := cacheLookup(location)
 	if bytes != nil {
 		return bytes, nil
 	}
+	return LoadFromNetwork(location)
+}
 
-	cfg := config.LoadConfig()
-	SetProxyEnvironmentVariables(cfg)
+func LoadFromNetwork(location string) ([]byte, error) {
+	SetProxyEnvironmentVariables()
 
 	var err error
 
@@ -116,7 +119,7 @@ func LoadResource(location string, network bool) ([]byte, error) {
 		if !network {
 			return nil, ErrNoNetwork
 		}
-		return loadFromNetwork(location)
+		return LoadFromNetworkWithCache(location)
 	} else if strings.HasPrefix(location, "/") {
 		return ioutil.ReadFile(location)
 	}