function 'download_file_content' returns unexpected htttp request status of 0

the Moodle function 'download_file_content()' does not work as it should. It retuns an Http status of 0 continuously. We tested the URL on its own (not using the Moodle) , without any problem it is possible to open the URL, However, when attempting to open using download_file_contents() it will permanently return a http status of 0. It appears that the method incorrectly returns a HTTP request status of 0. This is wrong, as it should return a value of 200. Currently the only work around available is using the PHP method file_get_contents until this issue is resolved.