[2] The Act seeks to "preclude agencies or courts from systematically treating electronic documents and signatures less favorably than their paper counterparts", so that citizens can interact with the Federal government electronically.
It also addresses the matter of private employers being able to use electronic means to store, and file with Federal agencies, information pertaining to their employees.
By remaining neutral it allows each government agency to decide which technology fits its specific needs.
It also means that the government is not restricted to use an older technology as newer and better systems are made available.
As a disadvantage some may argue over which signature capturing method is best and such disagreements may slow the process of implementation.