we've been thru Atlanta geography before. I've lived there.
Paulding County is not any more convenient to the vast majority of the travelers to/from Atlanta than ATL.
but, if you can't see the conflict of interest at the Paulding County Airport, then maybe this will help you.
"The Paulding County Commissioner, chairman of Propeller Airports and a former official at the FAA accused Delta of "harming consumers and stifling economic development in the region," in their letter to the Transportation Department"
The agency told Reuters that its examination of the complaint, which was filed by county commissioners and a private group looking to develop the project, is not a formal investigation
The Paulding County Commissioner has financial interests, called up friends in Washington to rattle the cages in order to try to get ATL and DL to back off.
Not only is there no proof that DL acted illegally or that the City of Atlanta was just as opposed but there is plenty of reason to see that the person who initiated the complaint has a lot of financial interests - none of which will solve the problem that the Paulding County airport is not located in an ares of the metro Atlanta area to attract passengers that currently use ATL.