Optical waveguide technologies have been identified for broadband applications related to fiber network, airborne, and space-based communications. Active waveguide technologies developed around nonlinear optical (NLO) dye/polymer-based electrooptic devices have distinct advantages over existing RF communications in terms of cost, weight, size, bandwidth, and immunity to electromagnetic interference, but their ultimate applicability may be governed by optical loss. Though much attention has been given to the influences of the NLO chromophore optical nonlinearity, geometry, concentration, and poling effects on the bulk material nonlinearity and device performance, less attention has been directed at the effects of the component material properties and dye concentration on fundamental near-IR optical absorption. We investigate here the effects of polymer structural variations within the Bisphenol A polycarbonate family on near-IR absorption behavior of guest−host materials, holding the dye constant, over a r...