read a file through firewall with file

I am behind a firewall at work. I have a script that uses file() to read a url $read_file = file(http://www.somewhere.com); If I type the url in my browser it connects. However, when I use the file() command, it fails and I'm reasonably sure it's because I'm not passing it through some firewall syntax. Assuming the name of the firewall is "firewall", is there a way to read this file using the file() command from PHP? Thanks, -- Gaylen