Is it a requirement to have allow_url_fopen = on to get this module to work? Any workaround?

I see a few people have the sam issue/question, but am not sure what the requirements are.

The error is the same as reported elsewhere:
Warning: get_headers() [function.get-headers]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in ...

I too am having this problem. I am shocked that Joomlaworks hasnt replied to this. If they dont give support on free extensions some could take it they give little support in paid extensions.

But back to the problem - i installed this to get BBC RSS feeds but i get errors. It is down to PHP changing the change allow_url_fopen to Off in php.ini this is done for security reasons to prevent injections etc. Some sites say it could be a risk.

But 1)why is there an alternative method to retrieve RSS feeds? and 2)and if there inst a method, what can we do at the moment to retrieve them?