If an industry's long-run average total cost curve has an extended range of constant returns to scale, this implies that

If an industry's long-run average total cost curve has an extended range of constant returns to scale, this implies that the industry is experiencing constant costs over a wide range of output levels.

Here's a step-by-step explanation:

1. The long-run average total cost curve (LRATC) is a curve that shows the lowest cost at which a firm can produce each level of output when the firm can build any desired scale of plant.

2. Returns to scale refers to changes in output as all factors change by the same proportion.

3. Constant returns to scale means that output increases proportionally in an equal ratio to an increase in all inputs. In other words, if you double all inputs, the output also doubles.

4. If the LRATC curve shows an extended range of constant returns to scale, it means that the firm or industry can increase its output by increasing its inputs, and the cost per unit of output remains constant.

5. This situation implies that the industry is not experiencing any economies of scale (where costs per unit fall as output increases) or diseconomies of scale (where costs per unit rise as output increases) over a wide range of output levels. Instead, the cost per unit of output is constant, regardless of the scale of production.

6. This could be due to factors such as perfect competition in the market, or the nature of the production technology used in the industry.